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From: rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Titan SRBs
Message-ID: <633@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Feb-86 18:18:17 EST
Article-I.D.: riccb.633
Posted: Fri Feb 21 18:18:17 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Feb-86 06:35:34 EST
References: <28@petrus.UUCP>
Organization: Rockwell International - Downers Grove, IL
Lines: 18

> 1. The Titan SRBs are segmented much like the Shuttle SRBs. The Titan III-C
> uses five 10' segments, while the newer Titan 34D SRB uses "5 1/2 segments"
> (5 10' segments plus one 5.8' segment). This is contrary to a comment
> seen in the media where somebody said "you'd never see the military
> use a solid rocket built like that" (referring to the segmented design).
> 
> 2. I cannot find any indication in my references of a Titan SRB failure,
> although they would not cover events in the past few years.
> Titan III mission failures seem to have been dominated mostly by upper stage
> failures, particularly the apparently notorious "transtage", which often
> failed to re-ignite in a sequence of multiple burns.

Yes, there was a 34D accident last summer or fall, I think it was.  It
was totally destroyed.  That made it the first bad Titan accident in quite
a long time.  I think it remains as THE costliest space vehicle incident
as far as impact on insurance goes.
--
Roger Noe			ihnp4!riccb!rjnoe