Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ingr!whitehrc
From: whitehrc@ingr.com (Robert C. Whitehead)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Blowing up the Shuttle
Summary: surviving the explosion
Message-ID: <9641@ingr.com>
Date: 6 Apr 90 15:19:28 GMT
References: <10556.1574.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu>
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, Al
Lines: 45

In article <10556.1574.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu>, Greg_d._Moore@mts.rpi.edu (Commander Krugannal) writes:
> 
>       Above, Robert writes that if the Shuttle deviates to far
>    from course, the Range Safety Officer would blow it up. 
>    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. 

Not true.  The ET range safety charges were found intact after Challenger.

>      Actually, to state the the RSO would blow the shuttle up is
>    a misnomer. There is a line of charges that runs along the
>    ET. The idea is simply to open a large hole and very quickly
>    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.

I find your argument specious.  We've already stipulated that
one SRB is lit; therefore the chances that a flame source
is not present are two: fat and slim.

Care to explain how high-velocity explosive is going to be
flameless?  Hell, if the RSO hits the Button, the ET, SRBs,
orbiter, and the astronauts are *gone*, repeat, *gone*!
Write the obits!  NASA has already said, and every engineer
I can collar confirms, that from the moment the SRB(s) light(s)
until they (it) separate(s), there is no safe way home.

Since the same signal that lights the SRBs blows the holddown
bolts, if only one SRB lights, the astronaut corps is going
to lose some good friends.


 ----------------------------
| Robert C. (Bob) Whitehead  |
|         --=rcw=--          | Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville
| Direct Email Replies:      | Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are
|	ingr!b32a!rw8024!bob |  strictly mine
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