Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Solid Rocket Boosters - quantity
Message-ID: <1989Mar10.175309.954@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1526@ubu.warwick.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 89 17:53:09 GMT

In article <1526@ubu.warwick.UUCP> arg@warwick.UUCP (Ruaraidh Gillies) writes:
>What *is*, is, "How many SRBs are there?" The parts of the status reports
>about the SRBs seem to imply (to me, anyway) that there are 2, ie one pair.
>... Now, how long
>does ~it take for SRB turnaround? Could they be fished out, checked,
>refuelled, shipped to KSC or VAFB (wherever there is another shuttle ready for
>lift-off) in a day, say? I was always under the impression that there were 3
>pairs of SRBs?

There is no fixed number of SRBs; indeed, the same sets of segments aren't
necessarily re-used together.  The casings have to go back to Utah for
reloading, so it's not a fast-turnaround operation.  I don't know exactly
what the NASA inventory of casings is, but it's probably enough for a
couple of dozen SRBs.  In any case, they are good for only a few flights,
so new ones have to be produced regularly.

>PS: When is the next mission planned for? Nothing appears on the news in
>Britain until the day before the launch nowadays.

Tentative date is March 13.  It must be clear of the pad by about March 18
if it is not to interfere with the Magellan launch; if serious delays
appear, it will be postponed until later in the year rather than risk
that.
-- 
Welcome to Mars!  Your         |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
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