spacetoday.net: Explosion disrupts solid rocket fuel production

Posted: Sun, Aug 10, 2003, 3:06 AM ET (0706 GMT)
An explosion that leveled a building at a California plant has caused the company to suspend production of solid rocket propellant. The explosion late Thursday at the Pratt & Whitney facility south of San Jose took place while a new batch of solid fuel was being mixed. The explosion destroyed the three-story building where the fuel was being produced and touched of a small brush fire, but caused no serious injuries. Company officials decided in the aftermath of the explosion to suspend fuel production at two similar facilities until they can determine what the cause of the accident is. The company produces a number of solid motors for NASA and the Defense Department, including small motors used to separate the shuttle's boosters from the external tank.