Aug 22, 2008

Beth Dickey Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2087 beth dickey-1@nasa gov

Keith Koehler Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va 757-824-1579 keith a koehler@nasa gov

Kathy Barnstorff Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va 757-864-9886/757-344-8511 kathy barnstorff@nasa gov

Trina Patterson ATK Space Systems, Salt Lake City 801-699-0943 trina patterson@atk com

MEDIA ADVISORY: 08-213

NASA AND ATK INVESTIGATE FAILED LAUNCH OF HYPERSONIC EXPERIMENTS

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va -- An Alliant Tech Systems suborbital rocket carrying two NASA hypersonic experiments was destroyed shortly after liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Friday No injuries or property damage were immediately reported

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

NASA is very disappointed in this failure but has directed its focus on protecting public safety and conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify the root cause NASA is assembling a multidiscipline team, along with the rocket's maker Alliant Tech Systems, or ATK, of Salt Lake City, to begin the investigation promptly

The exact launch time was 5:10 a m EDT The anomaly that caused the failure occurred approximately 27 seconds into flight and is not known

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www nasa gov

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