Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site alice.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!alb
From: alb@alice.UUCP (Adam L. Buchsbaum)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Fire after Discovery Shutdown? - (nf)
Message-ID: <2902@alice.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Jul-84 10:51:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.2902
Posted: Sun Jul  8 10:51:08 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Jul-84 01:08:43 EDT
References: <203@haddock.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 15

The water system is not to prevent metal from melting.  It was
installed after STS-1 to help cushion the giant shockwave resulting
from SRB ignition.  As some may recall, it was this shockwave
that ripped off most of the lost STS-1 tiles as well as bent
some support structures.  The water system, which begins to fire
seconds before SSME ignition, shoots 100,000 gallons of water
per second throughout the flame trench.  Also, there are bags of
water under the SSME's and SRB's.  These are, of course, blown
into oblivion.

I don't know whether or not the water system that was used
to put out the fire was this shockwave suppression system or
not.

Adam