Rocket Carrier Causes Bridge Collapse in Kentucky

By Nancy Atkinson - January 27, 2012 at 8:18 PM UTC | Space Exploration
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A cargo ship carrying two Atlas 5 rockets to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for upcoming launches collided with a bridge in Kentucky early January 27, 2012 causing a portion of the bridge to collapse. There were cars on the bridge at the time of the incident but no injuries were reported. The 312-ft Delta Mariner was commissioned by United Launch Alliance to transport the equipment but hit the Eggner Ferry Bridge near Aurora, Kentucky. Two spans of the bridge were destroyed, and debris covered the ship.

The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Coast Guard, but some reports indicate higher than usual water levels may have contributed.

ULA said initial inspections have shown that the flight hardware being transported was not damaged.

"The 312-foot vessel is carrying a United Launch Alliance Atlas booster and Centaur upper stage for the Air Force's AEHF-2 mission scheduled to launch in April and an interstage adapter for NASA's RBSP mission [Radiation Belt Storm Probes] scheduled to launch in August," Chris Chavez of ULA Communications told Universe Today in an email. "There is no schedule impact to either launch date expected at this point."

This article was updated on 1/28/12.

Sources:

ULA

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MaritimeMatters.com

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Chicago Tribune

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com