Remix.run Logo
bombcar 15 hours ago

Was any shuttle lost to the SRBs?

_moof 15 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Yes, Challenger - although program management knew they were violating a launch constraint (temperature), and it was the low temperature that produced the conditions necessary for SRB failure.

As with any aerospace mishap, it's a chain of events, not just one cause.

dgfl 15 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yes, challenger. The O-ring failed, creating a gas exhaust that almost instantly destroyed the main propellant tank.

dboreham 3 hours ago | parent [-]

I believe what it destroyed was the strut holding the booster to the tank. When the strut burned through the assembly came apart and aerodynamic forces did the remainder of the destruction.

abstractbeliefs 15 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yes, 50% of shuttle losses were due to SRB failures (Challenger)

nominatronic 15 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That's exactly how Challenger was lost.