At left, an IKONOS satellite image shows the aftermath of the explosion that destroyed the Brazilian VLS-1 V-03 rocket designed to carry two satellites into orbit. The Aug. 22, 2003, explosion killed 21 people after an engine ignited by mistake while on its launch pad. The rocket exploded at its jungle base of Alcantara, in the northeastern state of Maranhao, Brazil. The image shows the burned vegetation and the collapsed launch pad. At right, an earlier IKONOS image, taken Sept. 5, 2001, shows the launch site intact.

Images courtesy: Space Imaging