Shuttle Tragedy

Simulated launch, real death

NASA officials had one word for the simulated launch of the space shuttle at Cape Canaveral last week: "Super!" Then disaster struck. For reasons yet to be explained, five Rockwell International technicians removed an access panel and entered a rear section of the orbiter above the engine. A few minutes later, they began keeling over from lack of oxygen. One technician, John Bjornstad, 50, died in a helicopter en route to a hospital, and another, Forrest Cole, was in critical condition.

The reason for the mishap may not be known until NASA and Rockwell officials complete their separate investigations. Yet some of the circumstances are already known. Apparently, safety supervisors erred in clearing the technicians to go into the craft. Before a launch rehearsal, it is standard procedure to use nonflammable nitrogen to flush oxygen-laden air out of the engine compartment, where even the slightest friction or electrical spark can touch off a deadly fire. Afterward, the technicians, all of whom had considerable experience working with the shuttle, went into the nitrogen-saturated compartment without their air packs, the portable breathing systems used in hazardous atmospheres. Since nitrogen can neither be seen nor smelled, the five technicians were overcome before they were aware of the danger.

A sixth technician discovered the mishap and called a security guard, who donned a breathing apparatus that enabled him to drag the five from the compartment. An ambulance speeding to pad 39-A reportedly was delayed by security men.

Despite the accident, the space shuttle is still scheduled for launch next month, pending a successful test of its fuel tank. The shuttle has been plagued by technical troubles during its development over the past decade and is two years behind schedule. Last week's tragedy was the first loss of life at the launch site of a manned space flight since three astronauts died in a capsule fire in the Apollo I spacecraft in 1967. ∎