Xref: utzoo sci.space:23511 sci.space.shuttle:6115
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!pacbell!pacbell.com!lll-winken!rml!jack
From: jack@rml.UUCP (jack hagerty)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: SRB Transport Hazard
Keywords: SRB, ignition
Message-ID: <198@rml.UUCP>
Date: 8 Sep 90 08:26:39 GMT
Followup-To: sci.space
Organization: Robotic Midwives, Ltd., Livermore, CA
Lines: 18

A strange sense of forboding came over me when I heard of the Titan
SRB accident at Edwards today. When I did my short posting yesterday
comparing the relative merits of the Shuttle SRB to a hypothetical LRB
I left off, for the sake of brevity, one important point: transport safety.

An LRB, from the time it leaves the factory, is transported to the
launch site, assembled into a vehicle and transported out to the pad,
is essentially a big pile of machinery. It doesn't become dagerous (in
an explosive sense) until loaded with propellants just before launch.

An SRB, on the other hand, is a loaded bomb (fuel and oxidizer already
mixed) for all of those operational stages.

I decided not to mention it because, to the best of my knowledge, there
had never been a transportation accident with a large solid motor that
caused ignition.  Oops.

- Jack