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Conference 7.286::space

Title:Space Exploration
Notice:Shuttle launch schedules, see Note 6
Moderator:PRAGMA::GRIFFIN
Created:Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:974
Total number of notes:18843

229.0. "Shuttle SRB Leak Reproduced" by VINO::DZIEDZIC () Thu Nov 06 1986 08:22

    AW&ST of November 1 has an interesting article that Morton-Thiokol
    has succeeded in reproducing an SRB joint leak which is identical
    (as far as they can determine) to the one in the RH SRB which was
    responsible for the Challenger disaster.  I believe they subjected
    the joint to 25 degree (Farenheit) temperatures and created some
    "blow holes" in the joint putty in order to simulate the conditions
    believed to exist before the STS-51L SRBs ignited.  The test was
    done using a "short stack" with segments which are shorter than
    the operational ones, but with the same joint set-up (and same
    physical joint dimensions).
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
229.1Hurray for reproducing bugsSKYLAB::FISHERBurns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO1-1/D42Fri Nov 07 1986 12:3910
    Yes, that is great news.  I, for one, don't feel comfortable saying
    that a bug is fixed until I can reproduce it on the original system,
    and not reproduce it on the fixed system.  It is a bit spooky seeing
    the black smoke coming out of the joint in the picture, though.
    
    BTW, they only used a few hundred pounds of propellant, so I imagine
    the joint did not have time to actually burn through.  I assume
    that it was enough to see that the o-rings leaked and burned.
    
    Burns