Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Explosive Bolts
Message-ID: <1989Dec3.022232.10761@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <14459@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <1989Dec2.104842.22624@utzoo.uucp> <30704@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 89 02:22:32 GMT

In article <30704@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> cdaf@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Charles Daffinger) writes:
>What happens should one of these charges fail to detonate?  Will a
>single bolt be able to hold the shuttle down long enough to cause
>disaster, or is a single bolt insignificant enough that it would break
>without affecting the launch?

I *think* a single bolt isn't enough to hold things down.  Not sure.

>How many of these bolts actually hold the shuttle?

Well, they're not designed to hold the shuttle against SRB thrust at all.
The nuts are blown simultaneously with SRB ignition.
-- 
Mars can wait:  we've barely   |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
started exploring the Moon.    | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu