Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!daemon From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.columbia Subject: SRB failure recovery Message-ID: <4020@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 9-Nov-83 13:59:38 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.4020 Posted: Wed Nov 9 13:59:38 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 10-Nov-83 12:03:51 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA Lines: 42 From: Ed Featherston HL01-1/P06 225-5241 Begin Forwarded Message: ------------------------------------------- Newsgroup : net.columbia >From : DVINCI::FISHER Organization : Digital Equipment Corp. Subj: SRB failure recovery Thinking about near-failures of an SRB and what might be done has led me to some interesting questions which I wonder if someone out there can answer. Suppose only a single SRB lights up on the pad. Is the shuttle released before SRB thrust is confirmed? If not, can the hold-down bolts and the ET/orbiter structure withstand the thrust of a single SRB for 2+ minutes? Now suppose a single SRB fails after the shuttle is in the air. From all I have read, RTLS abort assumes that the SRB burn can proceed to completion so that SRB sep and ET sep can occur. Can either the SRB or the SRB/ET combination be separated while one or more SRBs are still burning? Are any of the above SRB/ET configurations aerodynamically stable? Would the orbiter get completely fried in the SRB exhaust? Would that be better than umpteen million pounds of asymmetrical thrust? Would the SRB be likely to collide with the orbiter? What happens to the SRB's steerable nozzle (and its associate APU) when it gets no command input from the orbiter? Have any analyses of the above questions been done, or is an SRB failure early in the mission automatically fatal? Thanks in advance for any answers, Burns Wed 9-Nov-1983 13:31 Eastern Daylight Time Mail address : ...decvax!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher ------------------------------------------- End Forwarded Message