The already beleaguered Omani Space Program was dealt another blow yesterday afternoon when their primary team of six space-cadets were involved in a training accident at Space Camp Al Khoudh.
The incident was centered around the testing of spacesuits that the Omastronauts have to wear, in order to withstand the high temperatures that they will be subjected to on the surface of the Moon.
Reports state that some members of the team started to become dizzy and lose consciousness, with all Omastronauts eventually passing-out while gasping for air, in a desperate attempt to clamber back on-board Baisa Bus Three - which replaced the ill-fated Baisa Bus One which was tragically lost in an accident a few weeks ago.
(It also replaced Baisa Bus Two which, having been bought at the Toyota garage at Mawaleh last week, was accidently sold again to someone else by an over-zealous Keralan salesman.)
It was originally thought that problems with the suit's oxygen filtration systems were responsible, however, a subsequent investigation has discovered that criminal activity was to blame.
Detectives today arrested Saif Al-Lotakash, from Muscat-based "Ruwi Lunar Project Services LLC", for attempting to cut costs by using aluminium foil and duct tape instead of high-grade Kevlar composite weave on the spacesuits, causing severe broiling of four space-cadets in the afternoon sun.
Two more are still in intensive care at the Royal Hospital in Muscat, where their condition has been described by doctors as "medium rare".
Mr. Al-Lotakash denies any wrong-doing and states that the Omani Space Program's chief engineer, Mr. George Alexander Gupta told him that the foil was "Same, same sir! No problem!"
Nasser Bin Tumoon, Press Officer for the Omani Space Program, said in a meeting this morning that "everything is fine, mafi mushkala, all ok here my friends" and that he had every confidence that the team would recover, in due course.
.jpg)
