PROBE CONTINUES INTO ROCKET FIRES AT PB ARSENAL

By Amy Riggin/THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, September 23, 2005 10:07 AM CDT

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- Testing of rocket motor assemblies shipped from the Pine Bluff Arsenal to New Jersey is ongoing, the Army reported Thursday.

The tests are being conducted to determine the cause of rocket fires that occurred during chemical weapons incineration at the Arsenal and the Umatilla Chemical Depot near Hermiston, Ore.

Fires broke out at the Pine Bluff facility on May 11 and May 22 as M55 rockets containing the nerve agent GB, or sarin, were being cut up for incineration. Similar fires occurred at Umatilla on April 7, April 23 and May 18.

Testing is expected to continue through October, and a preliminary report is expected in early November. A final report incorporating findings from tests on rockets from both depots will be released in late November. Results will be posted at www.cma.army.mil. Preliminary reports have also been posted there.

Initial findings have indicated that there are no long-term effects in storing the rockets, and they remain safe in storage and during routine handling operations.

All fires have been associated only with rockets involved in the actual disposal process, specifically when the rockets are being sheared before incineration, and occurred in explosive containment rooms designed to handle such events.

The current tests will largely mirror that of earlier analyses completed on nine other rocket motor assemblies shipped from Oregon. However, the Army has added several new analyses for a more comprehensive examination.

Experts have collaborated to provide compositional analysis and sensitivity, or friction and impact, testing on the propellant grain of the assemblies from Pine Bluff. New tests include a booster cup test, an M62 igniter friction test and an M62 igniter wire pull test.

"While previous testing has led to inconclusive evidence, testing on this new batch of rocket motor assemblies will help provide a more well-rounded approach to this issue," said Gregory St. Pierre, director of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency. "We expect that the addition of these additional tests will yield greater knowledge of the status of M55 rockets in the stockpile. Every effort is being made to ensure a comprehensive and impartial look into what is causing these fires."

As of Monday, the Pine Bluff facility had incinerated 18,352 rockets and 175,194 pounds of sarin since operations began in March.