NASA
investigators are studying a tank explosion that caused minor injuries at
Kennedy Space Center during a contractor's independent equipment test just
before Christmas.
"They're looking at
what happened and how to prevent it from happening again," KSC spokesman
Allard Beutel said.
Seven people were treated
and released from KSC's medical clinic after the incident, which occurred
around 9 a.m. Dec. 23 outside a cryogenic testing lab on space center
property.
Beutel said Lockheed Martin
Corp. and ASRC Aerospace Corp. conducted the pressurization test on a composite
tank, and that the work was not related to NASA programs.
The vessel, enclosed by a
metal cage with a plywood box around it, was intended to leak but not rupture,
Beutel said.
Marion LaNasa, a spokesman
for Lockheed Martin at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, said
the test involved an unlined, liquid oxygen compatible tank measuring 54 inches
in diameter that is being designed to
support future launch vehicles.
"We had successfully
completed some testing cycles and determined we were going to go forward and
test the limits of the hardware," he said. "We were expecting a leak
rather than the tank to burst, but certainly everyone understood that there was
a potential for the tank to burst."
He said the contractors and
NASA agreed on the testing procedures in advance, and that it would be up to
investigators to determine if the procedures were adequate.
In addition to the minor
injuries, the blast's force and impact from splintered plywood caused thousands
of dollars of damage to the lab facility, Beutel said. The damaged area is
taped off but the building remains open.
A NASA "mishap
investigation team" is expected to produce a report by late February.
Published
under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2009 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of
this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of FLORIDA
TODAY.
advertisement
