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From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Range Safety System cause Challanger Explosion?
Message-ID: <35@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 29-Mar-86 17:22:22 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.35
Posted: Sat Mar 29 17:22:22 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 2-Apr-86 00:52:45 EST
References: <158@pecnos.UUCP>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 32
Keywords: Challanger, RSS, EE_TIMES, explosion, explosives
Summary: Two volitatile explosiver were within a dozen feet of failed seal
To: rod@pecnos.UUCP

> The ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TIMES, March 24, 1985, contains an article
> entitled "Did On-Board Self-Destruct System Cause Space Shuttle
> Explosion?"
> 
> According to this article, the range safety system uses a very
> powerful explosive...
> 
> According to the article, the flames escaping from the failed booster
> seal were superheated to approximately 6000 degrees F.  According to
> the article, either or both of the explosives could have detonated.
> 
> Robert Domitz          ...{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!pecnos!rod

This is one of the most questionable articles about the shuttle disaster that
I have read.  It makes a big fuss about the presence and positioning of the
destruct charges without really addressing the question of whether a SRB seal
failure would have ruptured the external tank and caused an explosion without
the presence of the destruct charges.

Those charges are there for a reason after all.  There are damn few pilots
who would have their craft plop down on a school or urban area at the cost of
saving their lives.

All this post-explosion analysis and finger pointing seems to be going downhill
with the target being no shuttle flights for years, and no space station this
century...  Anybody remember their feelings during the initial press conference
when someone popped the question of external tank damage and Jess Moore replied
something along the lines of 'we evaluated that and *I* gave the go-ahead'...
-- 
George Robbins - now working with,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)