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recent tests involving the orbiter

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Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center

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Florida were part of a comprehensive

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NASA white program to certify that when

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the shuttle does lift off again in early

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nineteen eighty eight every conceivable

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effort will have been made to ensure the

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safety and reliability of the entire

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system one of the most significant

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modifications being made is in the

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design of the solid rocket motors the

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white boosters used to propel shuttles

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into orbit these Rockets are made up of

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segments some assembled or stacked at

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Kennedy prior to a launch the joint

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between these Rockets segments is being

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redesigned as shown in this

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cross-sectional view the new design uses

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a capture latch to achieve a much

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tighter fit a third o ring is also

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included which allows engineers to

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verify that the joint is working

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properly and the insulation in the

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segments separated by a putty field gap

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the new joint will be subjected to an

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extensive evaluation program including

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numerous rocket segment test firings in

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facilities like this one and Morton

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Thiokol company in Utah before it is

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deemed flight-worthy the manager of the

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solid rocket motor redesign team NASA's

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Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama

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is John Thomas we're taking every step

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possible

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in order to ensure that the design is

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safe with as many tests on as many test

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articles as if treated

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solid Rockets have traditionally been

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test-fired in the horizontal position

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the National Research Council overseeing

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NASA's redesign effort has been briefed

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and concurs with the agency's decision

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to continue horizontal tests that

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simulate launch forces this makes it

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possible to subject the Rockets to even

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greater stresses than they encounter

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during an actual shuttle flight in an

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effort to take advantage of their flight

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operations experience several astronauts

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including Bob Crippen a veteran of for

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shuttle missions have been given key

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management roles within the agency

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having overseen the restructuring of

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management and communications Crippen

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has been named deputy director for

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shuttle operations astronaut Brian

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O'Connor pilot of the 23rd shuttle

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flight is chairman of a newly

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established Space Flight Safety panel

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with oversight responsibility for all

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NASA manned space program activities

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recently O'Connor talked about the

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panel's role the idea that people ought

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to have in any flying operation is that

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everyone is responsible for safety the

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purpose of the safety officer or for a

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safety panel like we have would be to

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help the managers as advisors to point

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out things that we think may be

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deficiencies that they should correct

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because they are responsible for the

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safe operation of the of the program

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the flight safety as a goal work is

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continuing to improve the shuttles

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landing system the greatest problems

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have occurred during landings at Kennedy

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where the rough textured runway has

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caused excessive tread wear on the tires

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at the langley research center's

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aircraft landing dynamics facility

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shuttle tires are mounted on a huge

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carriage this 54 time frame is then

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propelled down the runway at speeds up

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to 250 miles per hour similar in the

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at this one of the clear engineers

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monitor energy stress wear patterns and

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burn marks

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about 10,000 gallons of water are used

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to drive the carriage nearly 2 million

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pounds of thrust

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the equivalent of almost 18 G's

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the people responsible for the shuttles

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main engines are busy as well

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extensively reevaluating almost every

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aspect in this system the main engines

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have performed well during almost five

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years of shuttle flights but the

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Challenger accident has reset sized

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everyone to flight safety issues main

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engine tests are being carried out at

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the National Space Technology

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laboratories in Mississippi and the

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Rocketdyne corporation's facility in

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California

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one of the hardest facts to accept is

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that no matter how much retesting and

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redesign is done no matter how much

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effort is put into making the shuttle as

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safe and reliable as possible

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risk involved perhaps best summing up

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the way the people within NASA or

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dealing with this issue is the manager

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of the shuttle main engine propulsion

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projects office Joe Lombardo I

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personally judge me on trying to make

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the shuttle a successful long-range

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program is to make v-necks launch as

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safe as we can possibly make it to keep

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all our efforts dedicated in our

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evaluations and analysis dedicated to

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the duck colt will get that one behind

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us and then one o'clock the next

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NASA shuttle recovery program a

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comprehensive effort aimed at a