CONSORTIUM FAILS AGAIN

by Aaronn Alann Armstrong

Yesterday morning the Consortium’s much-hyped first attempt at launching a Vorst-11 spacecraft into orbit failed with a fuel tank explosion that killed 93 people so far.  Had passengers been aboard, the death toll would have been higher.

With the fuel tanks full and leaking, Director Dr. Emelly Rodriguez ignored workers’ concerns and ordered launch preparations to continue.  The rocket’s fuel tank ignited into a fireball that incinerated the crew, ground support equipment technicians, and the safety officers that secured the area.

The blast disbursed toxic chemicals over the launch site, rendering the space base inoperable for the moment.

According to my sources at the Space Center, technicians monitoring the launch from Mission Control noticed an abrupt surge in oxygen flow and pressure. They suspect burning fuel in the combustion chamber leaked into the fuel system through the injector head.

Trading in Consortium stock was temporarily suspended by the Earth Alliance Stock Exchange.

This latest explosion is the 13th disaster in the nine years since the Consortium commenced space flight operations.  Though the corporation heralds the terraform project as a peaceful mission, they have a long history of pursuing space technology and exploration for military use.

Consortium ballistic missiles are utilized by the armed forces in theatres around the globe.  Their geosynchronous satellites are used by battlefield commanders and in government surveillance as well as by private enterprises.

Their multi-tier space station, currently under construction in orbit, is slated for the civilian program but could harbor less benevolent applications.

Earth Government Alliance awarded the Consortium the contract to manufacture capsules and freighters to ferry supplies and passengers to Blanken 9 in 2729. The project has been plagued by setbacks and cost overruns.

Confidential sources within the Consortium have told me they cannot meet the 20-year target date of completion.

Abandoning the program would maroon scientists, engineers, and workforces presently on Blanken 9 with no lifeline to Earth.

Eight months ago the Consortium’s chief designer, Bogdan Kuznetsov, died from complications after minor surgery, leaving the program without its genius mentor. Director Emelly Rodriguez has demonstrated she is woefully inadequate to fill his boots as leader.

The Consortium’s first venture into space was an attempt to build lunar surface stations.

Efforts to establish a colony on the moon consistently failed due to myriad problems with self-contained environments.  Blanken 9 is being reconfigured to accommodate human life with no need for pressurized habitat modules, life support systems, and radiation shielding.

The Vorst-11 spacecraft is the Consortium’s newest astronaut transportation system, a 40-seat spacecraft devised to travel between planets faster than current vehicles.

Consortium-manufactured spacecraft have a troubled history.  The Exploration One successfully launched into orbit but disintegrated when it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, killing the two-person crew.  The Partnership 6 exploded five minutes after launch, killing the crew of five.  The Educator completed its mission, but the three astronauts died during re-entry from a pressure leak in the cabin.

Investigations into each of these tragedies have underscored how excessive demands from administrators induce engineers to undercut safety protocols in order to meet unreasonable deadlines.

The danger of shortcuts is increasingly evident in the corporation’s negligent safety record.  It’s past time that Earth Government Alliance reconsider their contracts with the Consortium.

Yesterday’s catastrophic incident proves the Consortium’s reckless space program needs more rigorous external regulation and oversight before they attempt their next “giant leap” for humanity.

I’m certain the families of the “affected personnel” would agree.