[Music]
recent tests involving the orbiter
Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center
Florida were part of a comprehensive
NASA white program to certify that when
the shuttle does lift off again in early
nineteen eighty eight every conceivable
effort will have been made to ensure the
safety and reliability of the entire
system one of the most significant
modifications being made is in the
design of the solid rocket motors the
white boosters used to propel shuttles
into orbit these Rockets are made up of
segments some assembled or stacked at
Kennedy prior to a launch the joint
between these Rockets segments is being
redesigned as shown in this
cross-sectional view the new design uses
a capture latch to achieve a much
tighter fit a third o ring is also
included which allows engineers to
verify that the joint is working
properly and the insulation in the
segments separated by a putty field gap
originally is now bonded together
the new joint will be subjected to an
extensive evaluation program including
numerous rocket segment test firings in
facilities like this one and Morton
Thiokol company in Utah before it is
deemed flight-worthy the manager of the
solid rocket motor redesign team NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama
is John Thomas we're taking every step
possible
in order to ensure that the design is
safe with as many tests on as many test
articles as if treated
solid Rockets have traditionally been
test-fired in the horizontal position
the National Research Council overseeing
NASA's redesign effort has been briefed
and concurs with the agency's decision
to continue horizontal tests that
simulate launch forces this makes it
possible to subject the Rockets to even
greater stresses than they encounter
during an actual shuttle flight in an
effort to take advantage of their flight
operations experience several astronauts
including Bob Crippen a veteran of for
shuttle missions have been given key
management roles within the agency
having overseen the restructuring of
management and communications Crippen
has been named deputy director for
shuttle operations astronaut Brian
O'Connor pilot of the 23rd shuttle
flight is chairman of a newly
established Space Flight Safety panel
with oversight responsibility for all
NASA manned space program activities
recently O'Connor talked about the
panel's role the idea that people ought
to have in any flying operation is that
everyone is responsible for safety the
purpose of the safety officer or for a
safety panel like we have would be to
help the managers as advisors to point
out things that we think may be
deficiencies that they should correct
because they are responsible for the
safe operation of the of the program
the flight safety as a goal work is
continuing to improve the shuttles
landing system the greatest problems
have occurred during landings at Kennedy
where the rough textured runway has
caused excessive tread wear on the tires
at the langley research center's
aircraft landing dynamics facility
shuttle tires are mounted on a huge
carriage this 54 time frame is then
propelled down the runway at speeds up
to 250 miles per hour similar in the
forces
at this one of the clear engineers
monitor energy stress wear patterns and
burn marks
about 10,000 gallons of water are used
to drive the carriage nearly 2 million
pounds of thrust
the equivalent of almost 18 G's
the people responsible for the shuttles
main engines are busy as well
extensively reevaluating almost every
aspect in this system the main engines
have performed well during almost five
years of shuttle flights but the
Challenger accident has reset sized
everyone to flight safety issues main
engine tests are being carried out at
the National Space Technology
laboratories in Mississippi and the
Rocketdyne corporation's facility in
California
one of the hardest facts to accept is
that no matter how much retesting and
redesign is done no matter how much
effort is put into making the shuttle as
safe and reliable as possible
risk involved perhaps best summing up
the way the people within NASA or
dealing with this issue is the manager
of the shuttle main engine propulsion
projects office Joe Lombardo I
personally judge me on trying to make
the shuttle a successful long-range
program is to make v-necks launch as
safe as we can possibly make it to keep
all our efforts dedicated in our
evaluations and analysis dedicated to
the duck colt will get that one behind
us and then one o'clock the next
NASA shuttle recovery program a
comprehensive effort aimed at a
successful return to spaceflight in 1988
and beyond
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