Massive, exploded SpaceX rocket devastated a town and a wildlife reserve -- and locals are furious [View all]

[marmar]

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But the community living near the launch site has been dealing with fallout from the launch, in both senses of the word. The explosion essentially obliterated the launch pad, carving a massive crater and sending chunks of concrete, sheets of stainless steel and other debris flying into the ocean on Boca Chica Beach. A Dodge Caravan was smashed with wreckage, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported was scattered over 385 acres, causing a fire that burned 3.5 acres on Boca Chica State Park land.

Clouds of ash and particulates rained down on residents of Port Isabel, about six miles away, settling onto homes, cars, and streets, breaking several windows. It's not clear if the particulate matter is dangerous to breathe or touch, or if it will pollute the soil. An FAA environmental assessment of the spacecraft notes that some stages of the rocket used kerosene as fuel, which is toxic to breathe; the assessment also notes over 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid in the rocket, which is often hazardous.

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One Port Isabel resident, Sharon Almaguer, told the New York Times the situation was "terrifying" and described locals as "being sacrificed."

"He just wanted to get this thing up in the air," Almaguer said of Musk. "Everybody else sort of be damned."

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"A billionaire is closing our beach to use the land to test his experimental technology putting the lives of locals at risk while destroying acres of a wildlife reserve," Emma Guevara, the Sierra Club's Brownsville Organizer, said in a statement. "Who will be held accountable for the destruction this company consistently causes when the government continues to ignore community members' very real and very serious concerns?" .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/04/28/massive-exploded-spacex-rocket-devastated-a-town-and-a-wildlife-reserve-and-locals-are-furious/