Rigorous trajectory requirements for a pair of NASA aeronautics experiments probably contributed to a loss of control that forced range-safety destruction of the experimental Alliant Techsystems ALV-X1 launcher early Aug. 22.
A man viewing the launch this morning of the scuttled rocket launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility said he watched pieces of debris fall within a mile of his home.
A suborbital rocket carrying two NASA experiments was destroyed shortly after liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia today. No injuries or property damage were reported, according to a NASA news release.
Most debris from the rocket is thought to have fallen in the Atlantic Ocean. However, there are conflicting reports of debris being sighted on land. This debris could be hazardous. People who think they may have encountered rocket debris are advised not to touch it and to report it to the Wallops Emergency Operations Center at 757-824-1300.