Posted: Thu, May 3, 2007, 7:42 AM ET (1142 GMT)
A train carry shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB) segments for use on a launch later this year derailed Wednesday, injuring several people. The train, en route from Utah to the Kennedy Space Center, derailed when a bridge it was crossing in rural Alabama collapsed, causing several cars to overturn. Six people riding in the train's passenger car suffered injuries. One car, carrying a single SRB segment, overturned; cars carrying seven other SRB segments and two aft exit cones remained upright. The status of the booster segments is still under investigation. The SRB segments were intended for use on a shuttle mission scheduled for launch in October or December. NASA officials said that replacement SRB segments are available for those flights if needed. The same train suffered a more minor, unrelated derailment several days earlier in Kansas.

Related Links:

•  Houston Chronicle article
•  Florida Today article
•  CBS News/Spaceflight Now article
•  Huntsville Times article
•  NASA press release