Pepcon Rocket Fuel Plant Explosion 1988

FunkPumpkin · #11 ● 02-19-2017, 11:51 PM

This one is a classic! This plant made solid-rocket fuel for the Space Shuttle boosters. Once the Challenger disaster happened, NASA grounded the shuttle fleet, but did not suspend/cancel the fuel contract with PEPCON.

So PEPCON just kept making the rocket fuel like the shuttle trips were still happening regularly. They were stockpiling the highly-volatile ammonium-perchlorate fuel in barrels on the plant site.

IIRC, it was either a spark from maintenance or an errant cigarrette butt that set off the fire that eventually burned out of control until you had one boom, and then the BIG BOOM!

FunkPumpkin · #12 ● 02-20-2017, 07:49 AM

I found a version of the original video that includes both the original footage + original sound, as well as original footage + "reconstructed" audio. The description of the video on YouTube:

"The Pepcon Disaster of 1988 was recorded by a team of engineers from approximately 3.4 kilometers away. The footage is of reasonably good quality, but the audio is quite low quality and completely contained in one single channel.

For the first part, I pulled the audio and split it into a stereo channel, then boosted the volume, but no other changes were made.

The second part is a full audio reconstruction, using the original recording as a guide. I tried to recreate, as accurately as possible, what it would have been like to stand on that hill and hear the explosions from the valley below. I also applied some slight colour/gain correction during the second part."

I highly recommend listening to the reconstructed audio. Skip to 2:10 to listen to it. You can hear more detail and it is in stereo, unlike the original. VOLUME WARNING! The reconstructed audio is more detailed, but the explosions might loosen the wax in your ears and pucker your sphincter a bit. It sounds great, but you've been warned!.

SuceMaTub · #13 ● 03-09-2017, 02:17 AM

Time for a career change

Daveroo · #14 ● 03-09-2017, 11:29 AM

my folks were in the area that day,they had stopped to eat and gamble a bit,mom had won 5 grand,so they left,didn't want to push their luck.dad saw a smoke column behind him in the mirror and turned around,the firefighter in him made him go back,they got to the place where they had eaten and all the windows had been blown out and people were in the parking lot with all sorts of cuts and bruises..several had blood coming from the ears.

zin0 · #15 ● 03-11-2017, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Daveroo ↗

my folks were in the area that day,they had stopped to eat and gamble a bit,mom had won 5 grand,so they left,didn't want to push their luck.dad saw a smoke column behind him in the mirror and turned around,the firefighter in him made him go back,they got to the place where they had eaten and all the windows had been blown out and people were in the parking lot with all sorts of cuts and bruises..several had blood coming from the ears.

Wow really blood coming from their ears? From what the noise?