Rocket Bursts Into Spectacular ‘Anomaly’

Sat., Jan. 18, 1997

Compiled From Wire Services

An unmanned rocket carrying a $40 million navigation satellite for the Air Force blew up 13 seconds after liftoff Friday in a spectacular cascade of flaming debris. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

When the $55 million Delta rocket exploded at an altitude of 1,589 feet, an Air Force officer announced over a loudspeaker: “Take cover immediately from falling debris. I’ll say again: Take cover immediately from falling debris.”

In the typical dry jargon of a launch commentator, McDonnell Douglas Corp.’s Anne Toulouse calmly reported: “We have had an anomaly.”

Sheriff’s deputies advised people to stay indoors with their windows closed for about 90 minutes as a precaution against the towering cloud of smoke. But the Air Force said the cloud quickly drifted offshore and contained hardly any toxic fumes.

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Rocket Bursts Into Spectacular ‘Anomaly’

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

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