During the past two years, almost at regular intervals, we hear news about the failure of a Russian rocket launch. A few weeks ago, on July 2, 2013, a three-stage Proton-M took off from Baikonour Cosmodrome. The rocket started veering off course right after leaving the pad, deviating from the vertical path in various directions and then plunging to the ground, nose first, less than 40 seconds after liftoff. The fragmenting and still-thrusting vehicle crashed approximately 2.5 km from the launch pad. The impact created a 40 m by 25 m crater with a depth of up to 5 m.

The immediate safety concern was the 600 tons of fuel: unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, a toxic chemical compound that can be absorbed through the skin, and dinitrogen tetroxide, an inhalation and contact hazard causing edema and skin burns. Toxic clouds began drifting over the Kazakh plains following the crash. The Cosmodrome was evacuated, and the inhabitants of Baikonour were instructed not to leave their homes, to deactivate air conditioners, and tightly close all doors and windows to avoid breathing contaminated air. During the days following the launch failure a total area of 13,100 sq. meters had to be treated with detoxifying chemical solutions.

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