Chinese Rocket Seen Falling On a Village Spewing Highly Toxic Chemicals (gizmodo.com) 27
Passant Rabie reports via Gizmodo: A video circulating online appears to show debris from a Chinese rocket falling above a populated area, with residents running for cover as a heavy cloud of dark yellow smoke trails across the sky in a frightening scene. The suspected debris may have come from China's Long March 2C rocket, which launched on Saturday, June 22, carrying a joint mission by China and France to study Gamma-ray bursts. The launch was declared a success, but its aftermath was captured by videos posted to Chinese social media sites.
The videos show what appears to be the first stage rocket booster of the Long March 2C rocket tumbling uncontrollably over a village in southwest China, while local residents cover their ears and run for shelter from the falling debris. There are no reports of injuries or damage to property. That said, unverified video and images show a gigantic cloud erupting at the site of the crashed rocket, and the booster itself seemingly next to a roadway. The first stage of the rocket can be seen leaking fuel, the color of which is consistent with nitrogen tetroxide. The chemical compound is a strong oxidizing agent that is used for rocket propulsion but it can be fatally toxic, according to Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center.
"It's known in the rocket industry as BFRC, a big fucking red cloud," McDowell told Gizmodo. "And when you see a BFRC, you run for your life." Nitrogen tetroxide was accepted as the rocket propellant oxidizer of choice in the early 1950s by the U.S.S.R. and the United States, however it became less commonly used over the years because it is extremely toxic, according to NASA (PDF). If it comes in contact with skin, eyes, or respiratory system, it can destroy human tissue, and if inhaled through the lungs, it can lead to a build up of fluids or, in extreme cases, death. "It's pretty scary, but this is just how the Chinese do business," McDowell told Gizmodo. "They have a different level of acceptable public risk." "I think over a 10 year period, we may see the older rockets phased out but they're not in any hurry to do so," added McDowell. "They're still launching one a week or something like that, and they are really quite dangerous."
The videos show what appears to be the first stage rocket booster of the Long March 2C rocket tumbling uncontrollably over a village in southwest China, while local residents cover their ears and run for shelter from the falling debris. There are no reports of injuries or damage to property. That said, unverified video and images show a gigantic cloud erupting at the site of the crashed rocket, and the booster itself seemingly next to a roadway. The first stage of the rocket can be seen leaking fuel, the color of which is consistent with nitrogen tetroxide. The chemical compound is a strong oxidizing agent that is used for rocket propulsion but it can be fatally toxic, according to Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center.
"It's known in the rocket industry as BFRC, a big fucking red cloud," McDowell told Gizmodo. "And when you see a BFRC, you run for your life." Nitrogen tetroxide was accepted as the rocket propellant oxidizer of choice in the early 1950s by the U.S.S.R. and the United States, however it became less commonly used over the years because it is extremely toxic, according to NASA (PDF). If it comes in contact with skin, eyes, or respiratory system, it can destroy human tissue, and if inhaled through the lungs, it can lead to a build up of fluids or, in extreme cases, death. "It's pretty scary, but this is just how the Chinese do business," McDowell told Gizmodo. "They have a different level of acceptable public risk." "I think over a 10 year period, we may see the older rockets phased out but they're not in any hurry to do so," added McDowell. "They're still launching one a week or something like that, and they are really quite dangerous."
Again? (Score:3)
https://science.slashdot.org/s... [slashdot.org]
Re:Again? (Score:5, Funny)
The same rocket dropping shit on the same village twice in the same week is a tragedy.
When it happens a third time tomorrow it will be comedy. :-)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Hey Luccccccccyyy I'm home!
Oh Ricky! Did you bring me rocket debris again?
Re: (Score:2)
The same rocket dropping shit on the same village twice in the same week is a tragedy.
it's a dupe, dupe.
When it happens a third time tomorrow it will be comedy. :-)
in fine slashdot tradition, a tripe is indeed expected.
Re: Again? (Score:2)
Is this what the Chinese mean by a reusable booster?
Another one? (Score:1)
Dupes are not quite as dangerous as falling rocket debris, so may be acceptable. Anyway, aren't these rockets only falling on Chinese people, the people whose government makes those decisions, and there are literally more than a billion of them?
"They have a different leveL" (Score:3)
""They have a different level of acceptable public risk."
That level being close to or at zero depending on how many officials have a financial interest in what is creating the pollution/problem.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think zero acceptable risk is what you intended to communicate, from the context i think you meant infinite acceptable risk.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, my mistake.
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Zero would be the level of responsibility they take.
The level of public risk they accept cannot be measured as it's an infinite positive integer. They have zero concern for people; they're Communists, destroying people is pretty much what they do. When everyone in the town is dead; they will blame the people for living there.
If you treat your own people like animals...it's just even more reason why they should not be any kind of power on any kind of stage.
Re: (Score:2)
".it's just even more reason why they should not be any kind of power on any kind of stage."
Unfortunately it only takes a few psychos to get into power and things snowballs as they gather other psychos around them and before you know it its too late, they're firmly entrenched in power.
Re:"They have a different leveL" (Score:4, Informative)
The government cares, which is why it is spending large amounts of money building new facilities in safer areas, such as the one in Hainan. The issue is that they have neighbouring countries all around them, particularly to the east where they want to launch to take advantage of the Earth's counter-rotation. The Hainan one is threading between Taiwan and The Philipines.
Historically they built them inland to make them more defensible, but now that they are doing more science and commercial launches they want coastal ones. Some private companies are also launching from ships. One just demonstrated a reusable booster that landed vertically, although it was on land.
Re: *ahem* (Score:1)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Fortunately (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Who is responsible for these decisions?
Christopher Robin, obviously...
Serves them right (Score:5, Funny)
I mean, if my village were spewing highly toxic chemicals, I'd expect someone to lob a rocket at us, too.
(!) Editors: Just because it's grammatically correct doesn't mean it's good.
slashdupe (Score:2)
so was this just the spent booster coming down nearly empty or did the whole thing come down?
I'm assuming it was the spent booster, and China just doesn't care if it comes down in a populated area?
Re: (Score:2)
It was still actively spewing smoke and it wasn't high enough to burn any in the upper atmosphere. Pretty sure it separated way too early. A spent booster wouldn't be too bad if it gets hot enough on re-enntry, but a failure would shoot out fuel that hadn't caught fire yet and possibly spray it over a wide area.
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first stage boosters on large rockets don't usually get high enough to burn up on re-entry
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A video circulating online appears to show debris from a Chinese rocket falling above a populated area, with residents running for cover as a heavy cloud of dark yellow smoke trails across the sky in a frightening scene
hehe
I was going to scold you for laughing at such a thing, then I heard Yackety Sacks in my head and started chuckling. I'll save ya a seat in Hell, brother.
Re: (Score:2)
It's Yakety Sax, like the instrument you play the song with.
USA still leading the way (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
"We're #1!" --USA
Communist Country Problems (Score:3)