Space: A Titanic Fizzle

With the space shuttle program on indefinite hold since the Challenger disaster last Jan. 28, the Pentagon has been counting on its powerful unmanned ^ Titan rockets to fill the void by carrying vital spy satellites into space. One Titan tried to lift an advanced photographic satellite into orbit last August, but the flight was aborted shortly after launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. On a second try last week, another Titan exploded right after lift-off.

The explosion released a cloud of toxic vapor that left nearly 60 base employees suffering from eye and skin irritations. The more lasting damage may be to the U.S. space program. The loss of a second Titan left the U.S. with no reliable way to launch heavy payloads into orbit. The Pentagon is already reduced to operating with only one reconnaissance satellite, rather than the two that military planners deem necessary. If that single eye in the sky should malfunction, U.S. intelligence in space would be blinded.