Train Carrying Shuttle Parts Derails
A Union Pacific train carrying space shuttle parts derailed on Wednesday, injuring six people. The train derailed when the wooden trestle it was traveling across collapsed, near the Tombigbee River in western Alabama.
The train was carrying 8 solid rocket booster motors and two end cones for future shuttle missions. These are interchangeable parts, and would be used for upcoming shuttle missions in October and December. It’s not known if the derailment will cause a delay for any upcoming mission. The next launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for June, won’t be delayed, because the spacecraft already has its boosters.
Original Source: Reuters Article
Recent Posts
China Creates a High-Resolution Atlas of the Moon
Multiple space agencies are looking to send crewed missions to the Moon's southern polar region…
Dinkinesh's Moonlet is Only 2-3 Million Years Old
Last November, NASA's Lucy mission conducted a flyby of the asteroid Dinkinish, one of the…
The Universe Could Be Filled With Ultralight Black Holes That Can't Die
Steven Hawking famously calculated that black holes should evaporate, converting into particles and energy over…
Starlink on Mars? NASA Is Paying SpaceX to Look Into the Idea
NASA has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to work out a plan to adapt its…
Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…
The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect…
Vera Rubin’s Primary Mirror Gets its First Reflective Coating
First light for the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is quickly approaching and the telescope is…