Those birds were fully cooked by the time they hit the ground
Dang!
That’s how I want to die!
Probably some endangered species bird. Then the wacko enviromentalists are going to sue NASA and have them move the space shuttle or figure out a way to blast off while protecting the birds.
I think NASA already does a lot to try and run off as much wildlife as possible before a shuttle launch.
According to their information (as best as I can remember it), if you happen to be standing within 400 feet of a shuttle launch the blast will kill you.
If you are within 800 feet of the launch, the SOUND will kill you.
And, if you’re within a mile or two, they say the danger from frenzied, terrified wildlife (alligators I suppose) would be pretty significant. So they spend some time buzzing around the swamps and marshlands in helicopters beforehand, I imagine to spot any dumbasses wandering around but also to frighten off whatever critters they can.
I think they were serving fried chicken at the launch…