Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Mar 20, 2006 11:39:16 GMT -6
Roofer Dies in NASA Spaceport Accident
Steven Owens, 51, had removed his safety harness and was moving to the roof's edge when he tripped on a lightning protection wire Friday, said Sam Gutierrez, a spokesman for Space Gateway Support, which holds the joint base operations contract at the space center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Owens was taken to a hospital, where he later died, authorities said.
In January, workers did not lock down space shuttle Endeavour's nose wheel landing gear while transferring it between floor jacks, causing the orbiter to pitch forward. No serious damage was done. Later, workers put too much pressure in the water coolant loop of space shuttle Atlantis, requiring repairs.
This month, the arm of space shuttle Discovery was dented by a platform being used to clean up broken glass. The arm has been used to inspect the shuttle's exterior with a camera, build the space station, and release and retrieve satellites. NASA on Friday ordered a formal investigation.
A few days after the arm incident, an X-ray film container was dropped on Endeavour, requiring tile repairs.
And last week, workers repairing the roof of the vehicle assembly building inadvertently started a small fire. The solid rocket boosters and the external tank, which are used to launch the shuttle, were in the building but not directly under the fire. They were unharmed, said Mike Rein, a NASA spokesman.
Until this week, workers had been under pressure to finish preparations for a May launch of Discovery. But NASA officials delayed the launch until at least July so workers can replace sensors on the fuel tank.
Source: www.space.com/news/ap_060319_ksc_accident.html
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This is not the assembly plant at General Motors...and some things are not preventable, but this just seems sloppy and third world to me. And I'm sure we haven't been appraised of all mishaps.
Chop chop NASA!....I always have said that the glory days are long behind us.
