A space shuttle engineer fell to his death the morning of March 14 from an elevated level on a launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the Orlando Sentinel reported.
James D. Vanover, 53, a swing-arm engineer with contractor United Space Alliance, died shortly after his fall around 7:40 a.m. at Launch Pad 39A, where the shuttle Endeavour is being readied for its final launch, scheduled for April 19. Vanover had worked at Kennedy for 28 years.
According to a report on Space.com it was the fifth fatality from injuries at Launch Pad 39A, and the first since 1981.
All work on the launch pad was suspended after Vanover’s death, and workers are being offered counseling and other services, NASA said in a statement.
READ IT AT: [Orlando Sentinel]