Soyuz rocket accident could spell trouble for space station
Though the crew is unharmed, the malfunction puts a strain on the people already in space and could jeopardize the station's continued use.
Two astronauts' planned trip to the International Space Station (ISS) was cut short on Thursday, after a booster on their Soyuz rocket failed and forced the crew to abort the mission. The Soyuz accident will likely put a strain on the ISS's current crew—and may even threaten to interrupt use of the orbiting laboratory, which has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000.
The Soyuz MS-10 launch was slated to carry U.S. astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to the ISS for a six-month mission. But almost two minutes after liftoff, Hague and Ovchinin reported feeling weightless—a sign that the rocket was starting to fall back down.
The vehicle's emergency abort system then kicked in, jettisoning the crew capsule
