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From: kjm@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ken Montgomery)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: SRB's
Message-ID: <3024@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 16:10:27 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.3024
Posted: Tue Mar  4 16:10:27 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Mar-86 05:46:33 EST
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Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
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[]

> > > I have a question about the SRB's. The way I understand it is that 
> > > once the are lit that the continue burning till all of the fuel is 
> > > consumed. My question is, what happens if only one SRB ignites and the
> > > other one doesn't.
> > 
> > The shuttle will tip over and explode.
>
> That may happen eventually, but not right away.  [...]
> If one [SRB] did not ignite, I suspect the
> procedure is to shut down the main engines and not release the vehicle.  The
> question is how much the launch structure can take from the heat and forces
> of an SRB burn before something lets go.
>
> [Bruce T. Lowerre]

The question is how to *hold down* a launch vehicle which has even 1 SRB
firing!  I gather that the SRB's are attached to the pad by rather hefty
bolts prior to launch, but everything has limits!

Also, I doubt the result of such a failure would be so calm as the vehicle
"tipping over"... 

--
The above viewpoints are mine.  They are unrelated to
those of anyone else, including my cat and my employer.

Ken Montgomery  "Shredder-of-hapless-smurfs"
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