Investigation Continues Into Deadly Accident

The investigation continues into a deadly accident affecting India's space program earlier this week. At least six people were killed and three injured in a fire in India's main space center Monday, an official said. The fire broke out in the fuel testing area of the center in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, said the official. The spaceport, the launching center of the country's satellite-bearing rockets, is located on Sriharikota island, 60 miles north of the southern city of Madras. At around 3.15 p.m. the crew were attending to the removal of the bottom plate of a propellant casting assembly. During this procedure, the propellant in the segment inadvertently caught fire and caused the subsequent damage.