Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!nbires!boulder!cisden!lmc
From: lmc@cisden.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney)
Newsgroups: net.columbia,net.space
Subject: Re: SRB burn through
Message-ID: <489@cisden.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 17:18:33 EST
Article-I.D.: cisden.489
Posted: Fri Feb  7 17:18:33 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 06:16:19 EST
References: <2916@ut-ngp.UUCP> <156@ucdavis.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: ConTel Information Systems, Denver
Lines: 19
Xref: watmath net.columbia:2239 net.space:5743

>    Question: Do the SRB's stay with the same shuttle all the time?
>  Obviously they are interchangeable since the ET is always
>  different.  It would seem a waste to have two for every
>  shuttle, but with redundancy and quick turn around times 
>  always high on NASA's list it would not surprise me.
>  Does anyone know the history of the Challenger's SRB casings?

No they don't. The casings are broken down upon return into (I believe) 11
segemnts and shipped to Thiokol in Utah for refurb/reload. It is possible
(probable) that segments are reused in order received at the cape. Having
worked with NASA on a non-human rated program, I would be surprised in the
extreme if there were not a thick paper trail following each and every
segment (as well as all other parts) everywhere but on the mission itself.
I'm sure that they are documented to the point that the weight of the
paper may well equal the weight of the segment (only slightly facetious
there).

Lyle McElhaney
...hao!cisden!lmc