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From: ray@rochester.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: SRB Telemetry Clues
Message-ID: <15137@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 11:22:18 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.15137
Posted: Fri Feb  7 11:22:18 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Feb-86 08:39:45 EST
References: <8602011714.AA03500@s1-b.arpa>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 26

> 
> Does anyone know if the shuttle was in a position to return to Kennedy,
> or did it already have too much lateral velocity to glide back on its
> own?  Also, how close is the oxygen line to the right SRB?  If it runs
> down the right side of the ET this could be considered a serious design
> error (similarly for the range safety charges).

  According to a NASA spokesman, there is virtually no chance of successfully
aborting the mission until the SRBs have used up their fuel and are jettisoned.

  NASA has no viable abort plans for the shuttle until the SRBs have been
normally jettisoned.  Until this point in the liftoff, the shuttle is too low
to return to Kennedy and would have to ditch in the Atlantic at a speed of
220 mph +.  At this speed, NASA believes the shuttle would break up on impact
and sink rapidly.  NASA also believes it is unlikely the shuttle would escape
serious damage from the exhausts of the SRBs as it jettisoned them while they
were still functioning at full power.
 
  I'm not sure of this, but several days ago I thought I read where NASA had
bits of debri from one of the SRBs that showed the exploding bolts had not
been activated indicating no attempt by the crew to jettison the SRBs.
Has anyone heard any more on this?  An earlier posting surmised the reason   
the SRBs escaped the explosion intact was because they were jettisoned by
the crew moments before the explosion.

ray