Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!shelby!portia!mdbomber From: mdbomber@portia.Stanford.EDU (Matt Bartley) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Blowing up the Shuttle Message-ID: <10884@portia.Stanford.EDU> Date: 6 Apr 90 22:06:59 GMT References: <10556.1574.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu> <1990Apr5.035158.23244@utzoo.uucp> Sender: Matt Bartley Organization: Stanford University Lines: 46 In article <1990Apr5.035158.23244@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <10556.1574.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu> Greg_d._Moore@mts.rpi.edu (Commander Krugannal) writes: >> This HAS been done. The Range Safety Officer, upon gaining >> information on Challanger, realized that the shuttle was >> unrecoverable and uncontrollerable and detonated charges in the >> ET and SRB's. > >Well, he pushed his button all right, which blows everything -- there >is no capability to blow just the SRBs or just the ET -- but the ET was >already in pieces and so were its destruct systems. They were recovered >unexploded. The SRB destruct system functioned as planned. I thought after the explosion the SRB`s went flying away like bottle rockets. When I first saw what happened I thought they were burning pieces of the shuttle, but I later saw they were the engines. Doesn't sound like the destruct worked there. >> depressurize the tank and dump the fuel. As long as this >> did not hit a flame source (i.e. the SRB's or SSME's) the >> shuttle would survive... >In a catastrophic failure, especially with explosives involved, plenty of >ignition sources will inevitably be present. Note that Challenger did >not "explode" in any technical sense; it went to pieces and the fuel >burned. The orbiter was destroyed not by a blast wave, but by being >thrown violently out of control at Mach 3 when the ET fell apart. What first touched off the breakup? I thought the burnthrough of the SRB caused the external tank to explode, from either burning through tank and lighting off the H2, or heating and pressurizing the stuff until the tank burst. That of course took the orbiter with it. In the video, it seemed like the orbiter was blow to bits. It didn't look like the tank blew and then the orbiter flew into pieces like you said. It looked too fast for that. I thought the thing was vaporized. -- Internet: mdbomber@portia.stanford.edu Matt Bartley Bitnet: mdbomber%portia@stanford.bitnet Kirk: "Spock! Where the hell's that power you promised?" Spock: "One damn minute, Admiral." -- Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home