(comments deleted) ... likewise, thanks.
JT
I think it reasonable to discuss any incident which takes lives.
Lu, I found it slightly difficult to follow the 3d geometry of the fuel layout of the SRBs. What I do recall is that they are cast in a tube shape, with some sort of hole in the middle, I think the hole expands the nearer the tail of the rocket. The SRB burns throughout its WHOLE length for the full 2 minutes, the burn gradually reaching the casing in the lower areas first. That way the casing only experiences minimal heating before the SRBs burn out. The references to cigarettes may be misleading as the burn does not start at one end and finally reach the top. I assume that as the burn is well progressed, the fuel is consumed in the lower stages and the burn reaches the casing earliest in the bottom section. This is why I expect the failure occured low down the SRB well into the burn (75secs of its 120 sec duration). The makers obviously have the fuel arrangement down to a fine art- I notice both SRBs burn out simultaneously. I recall seeing the flame that was apparently blowtorching the main fuel tank. I find it difficult to take issue with the findings. The SRBs seem to be a very reliable system for extracting very high thrust for short periods.
Last edited by john_tullamarine; 5th Feb 2003 at 16:42.