>shuttle booster in pieces vs. one piece>
I worked for Thiokol at Redstone Arsenal in the '80s making Sidewinder and
Maverick, among other rocket motors. Sorry, your history is a little off.
First, Sen. Hatch was not the head of appropriations back when the decisions
were made to use sections instead of one piece. The decision was made back
in the late 60's - early 70's (and actually earlier in principle). Thiokol
built a 260-inch diameter (it might have been 300-inch, can't remember for
sure) single casting motor in Glynn County, Georgia (near Brunswick). It
required continuously casting the propellant over a couple days to fill it
up. In testing it didn't work. It was too hard to do the continuous
propellant casting. Shuttle propellant is basically rubber as a binder with
aluminum powder fuel. Besides, the motor diameter was too large to be
shipped anywhere. So, NASA decided to go with the 240-inch sections, because
they are the largest that can be conveniently shipped by barge and rail
among other reasons.
>Sen. Hatch in space>
Sorry again. That was Senator Bill Nelson, and later Senator John Glenn, not
Sen. Orrin Hatch. I think there also was Jake Garn who might have become a
senator after his flights?
rockets were cool, but frankly, TR3's are a little safer....;>)
Roy
'60 TR3a TS63103LO (in restoration)
techman@metrolink.net
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