Shuttle Blastoff Smashed Launch Pad

The Discovery shuttle caused severe damage to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center when it blasted off Saturday, the Houston Chronicle reports. The force of the blast shattered a large section of one the trenches designed to direct shuttle exhaust away from the pad, scattering tons of concrete debris as far as 1,500 feet away.

NASA officials said the level of damage is unprecedented for a shuttle launch and are investigating. No debris is thought to have hit the shuttle itself, but the agency will need to have the launch pad back in working order in time for the next shuttle mission in October. Officials aren't sure why this launch caused so much damage but suspect the Apollo-era launch pads are simply getting old. (More NASA stories.)