The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Space => Topic started by: Elderberry on July 15, 2022, 10:59:27 pm
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By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com 7/15/2022
Texas petroleum company is fined $275,000 for selling NASA 'potentially tainted fuel' that may have been used by SpaceX to launch its Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station in 2020
• Anahuac Transport pleaded guilty in February for delivering 'possibly tainted' rocket fuel to NASA
• The company was ordered Thursday to pay a $275,000 fine and serve three years on probation
• Anahuac had delivered the fuel in tanks that had previously transported other chemicals
• The company stated in documents that the tanks were not contaminated
Anahuac Transport, a liquid petroleum company in Texas, was found guilty of a ‘criminal scheme’ in February after admitting to ‘supplying potentially tainted rocket fuel to NASA,’ and the firm’s punishment was announced Thursday.
Judge Alfred H. Bennett, with the US attorney’s office of Southern District of Texas, ordered the company to pay a $275,000 fine and serve three years on probation – the firm is banned from federal government contracting.
Anahauc delivered rocket fuel in contaminated trailers to the American space agency, which was also set to be used by SpaceX during its launches to the International Space Station (ISS).
‘During the hearing, the court noted the importance of the Johnson Space Center to the identity of the Houston area and how it was a privilege for a company like Anahuac to play a role in the US space program,’ reads a statement from the US Department of Justice,
Anahuac was also told it had ‘abused that privilege.’
More: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11018303/Anahuac-Transport-fined-275-000-selling-NASA-potentially-tainted-fuel.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11018303/Anahuac-Transport-fined-275-000-selling-NASA-potentially-tainted-fuel.html)
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"potentially tainted"?
Was it 'tainted' or not?
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"potentially tainted"?
Was it 'tainted' or not?
I'll bet they don't know, which is why the fine was only $275,000.
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The proper QA/QC term is off-specification.
So who at NASA/SpaceX at their QA job failed to do the their job, and allowed "off-spec" fuel to get to the rocket? The absolute critical nature of this fuel typicallty would go through exhustive testing.
Beleive me.... There are at least 2 parties at fault.