posted on Aug, 23 2003 @ 02:46 AM
Unmanned, non-American space exploration project which might have got little coverage otherwise.
Three times as lethal in human life terms as either Space Shuttle gone wrong.
Side note: I highly recommend the documentary "The Red Stuff" for detailed accounts of similar things going right and wrong in the Soviet Soyuz and
other missions. Well worth a look.
Brazilian Rocket Explodes On Pad: Many Dead
Brasilia (AFP) Aug 23, 2003
A Brazilian space rocket exploded at a remote base Friday, a few days before its launch, killing at least 16 people, the country's defense minister
said. The rocket was due to take two satellites into space next Monday from the Alcantara Space Center in the northeastern state of Maranhao.
Defense Minister Jose Vieigas Filho gave the official toll of 16 dead and said the rocket exploded at about 1:30 pm (1630 GMT). He said the toll was
only based on "initial information".
Television reports said 19 or 20 people may have died in the accident.