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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Pop-top SRB's
Message-ID: <7235@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Oct-86 13:43:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7235
Posted: Thu Oct 16 13:43:30 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 13:43:30 EDT
References: <861014-135105-2695@Xerox>, <758@hplabsc.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 15

> ... maybe
> blowing the top off would extinguish the fire.  Note that the SRB is
> hollow and burns from the inside out along its whole length.  But if
> blowing the cap doesn't extinguish the motor, I doubt it would help...

This may have been what NASA had in mind when they studied thrust-termination
systems for the SRBs early in the shuttle development process.  I don't have
details.  Their conclusion, according to the Rogers Commission report, was
that it could be done.  The problem is not shutting down the SRBs; the
problem is that doing so in any straightforward way involves violent
deceleration that the orbiter and external tank would not survive unless
greatly strengthened.  The strengthening cuts the payload to roughly zero.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry