REAL LIFE NEWS: RUSSIAN ROCKET EXPLODES ON TAKEOFF
by Hazed
Launching objects into space still isn’t a fool-proof project. A Russian rocket which was carrying three satellites went wild after takeoff and then crashed and exploded.
Fortunately, it was an unmanned rocket so nobody was hurt, but the state news agency Ria Novosti was reporting that a cloud of poisonous smoke from the rocket’s fuel could spread across the local area in Kaikonur, Kazakhstan, towards the nearest town which is about 60km away.
The head of the country’s Emergencies Ministry, Vladimir Bozhko, said that the cause of the crash was a near-instantaneous failure of the rocket’s first stage - but he didn’t say what might have caused the rocket to fail.
He said that rain was stopping the poisonous smoke to drift so far, but that could change.
The takeoff and subsequent explosion was broadcast live on Russian TV. You can watch the footage at the source link below.
Space travel is still a very risky business!
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/02/russian_rocket_crash/
