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From: jlg@lanl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: SRB Telemetry Clues
Message-ID: <856@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 12:59:53 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.856
Posted: Fri Feb  7 12:59:53 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Feb-86 08:40:45 EST
References: <8602011714.AA03500@s1-b.arpa> <440@tekred.UUCP>
Reply-To: jlg@a.UUCP (Jim Giles)
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 16

In article <440@tekred.UUCP> joels@tekred.UUCP (Joel Swank) writes:
>   The SRBs cannot be jettisoned before burn is complete, and burn cannot
>be stopped. One astronaut was quoted as saying: "If the SRBs fail, it's
>just curtains."

All the reports I've heard say that the SRBs and the ET *CAN* be seperated
before the burn is complete.  It's just a matter of throwing a switch and
pushing a button (arm and fire I would guess).  The only problem is, no one
knows whether the Shuttle can survive the trip through the SRB exhaust
plumes or whether the ET may fold up under the change of stress.  Trying
to seperate early might cause the same kind of explosion as they were
trying to avoid.  These, at any rate are the facts according to the Shuttle
test pilot interviewed by CBS.

J. Giles
Los Alamos