Crews search for clues to NASA rocket explosion
Investigators are trying to piece together exactly what caused a more than $200 million rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station to explode seconds after takeoff.
The imploding rocket caused flaming debris to rain down across NASA's launch pad at the Wallops Field Facility in Virginia.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. But the explosion has raised serious questions about safety when it comes to the commercialization of space exploration.
Athena Jones is OutFront with more on the investigation and what might have gone wrong.
Bill Nye: NASA rocket explosion is 'heartbreaking'
An unmanned NASA-contracted rocket exploded early Tuesday evening along the eastern Virginia coast, causing a huge fireball but no apparent deaths.
"There was failure on launch," NASA spokesman Jay Bolden said. "There was no indicated loss of life."
NASA's mission control is trying to assess what went wrong. The launch director says they must maintain the crash site securely because of security concerns about the equipment on board - saying the rocket had "classified crypto equipment" on board.
According to NASA, the Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft were set to launch at 6:22 p.m. ET from the Wallops Flight Facility along the Atlantic Ocean. It was set to carry some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station.
In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Scientist Bill Nye weighs in with his thoughts on why the rocket exploded during its launch.
NASA re-enacts Apollo 11 launch on Twitter
45 years ago today, the Apollo 11 was launched into space. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the space program.
But what would the world have been like if Twitter had existed in 1969.
Jeanne Moos has the story.
45 years ago now: #Apollo11 launches to the moon w/ Neil Armstrong, @TheRealBuzz & Michael Collins onboard. #Apollo45 pic.twitter.com/hetbk4yqBP
— NASA (@NASA) July 16, 2014
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