Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: How do they get it pointing up?
Message-ID: <1989Nov23.165606.27671@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1146@castle.ed.ac.uk> <3694@orion.cf.uci.edu>
Date: Thu, 23 Nov 89 16:56:06 GMT

In article <3694@orion.cf.uci.edu> dkrause@orion.oac.uci.edu (Doug Krause) writes:
>And how is the shuttle supported at launch time?  It seems the tank
>would be too weak to support the weight of the whole rig.

No, the tank is strong enough.  It has to be.  From assembly to launch,
the orbiter hangs on the side of the tank and the tank hangs between the
two SRBs.  Only the bases of the SRBs are supported.  (In fact, the bases
of the SRBs are bolted to the mobile pad, using pad-mounted bolts and great
big explosive nuts.  The nuts are blown at the same instant that the SRB
igniters fire.)
-- 
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu