Antares Rocket Fails At Launch

Yesterday's departure of an unmanned Orbital Sciences resupply module resulted in a large explosion shortly after liftoff. After half a dozen routine private resupply missions to the ISS and a lengthy stretch of diverse and successful exploratory ventures over the last several years, the mishap came as a bit of a shock. But it serves as a reminder of the difficulty and complexity associated with all space travel. In addition to cargo, the lost rocket also carried numerous smaller satellites and science experiments. While it can be disheartening to think about all the lost effort that went into these projects, Planetary Resources tweeted this after losing their asteroid hunting satellite: "Cheer up everybody - A3 was just a robot! We are making more. #LiveToFlyAnotherDay"