Questions tagged [srb]
Questions regarding the solid rocket boosters used to propel spacecraft, often during launch.
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How would larger solid rocket boosters have improved the space shuttle's capabilities?
I was told that the new SLS that NASA is building is using the same SRBs that the space shuttle used just with one extra segment added. Five instead of the original four.
If the shuttle had used these ...
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What is the purpose of the aft skirt on the Space Shuttle and SLS Solid Rocket Boosters?
The Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) used by the Space Shuttle and SLS have a skirt near the bottom.
What is it for? Is it only to support the stack?
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Are the Delta IV Heavy’s attachments for SRBs removable?
The Delta IV (which uses solid rockets in a couple configurations) shares a "Common Booster Core" with the Delta IV Heavy, which does not. Since Delta IV must have attachments for the solid ...
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Why do the Titan SRBs have an angled engine bell?
Looking at pictures of Titan rockets with solid rocket boosters, the bell is at an angle. Why would they do that?
https://historicspacecraft.com/Rockets_Titan.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
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How is the rocket equation affected by changing the number of engines or boosters? [duplicate]
Specific impulse is not affected by the number of boosters or engines on a rocket, correct? Let's say I take a rocket with two SRBs and add to more for the first stage. The specific impulse of the ...
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For Shuttle SRB solid fuel perforations, what is the shape of the double-truncated-cone?
I understand the 11-point star perforations in the solid fuel in the top-most SRB section. Several articles say that the remaining sections had a double-truncated-cone perforation.
Is my illustration ...
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What happens if you use an expired solid rocket booster?
Prior to the launch, there was media coverage about how the SLS solid rocket boosters were set to expire in December (which could have caused the launch to be delayed).
Was this expiration date based ...
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What was the Lockheed design solution for the shuttle SRB field joint and how was it superior to the failure prone Morton Thiokol field joint?
In an effort to quickly post this question I've elected to (for the moment) not provide links to my searches.
I've found tons of references, studies, reports, images etc to the failed Thiokol field ...
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Why were they using segmented boosters on Space Shuttle?
After learning how the solid fuel is protecting the casing of the SRB from the heat of the combustion in this answer I have to ask this question.
As we know, it's exactly this segmentation of the ...
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What is the most powerful solid rocket fuel (highest isp) and it's combustion temperature
I wanted to know what the most power full solid rocket fuel is. I do not mean theoretical once like metallic hydrogen.
Are solid rocket fuel mixtures prepared in a non-ideal mixture? In other words, ...
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Preventing backfire in rocket engines [duplicate]
In a rocket engine - specifically the SOLID FUEL ones, the "combustion chamber" burns the propellant, creates hot exhaust gases, which pass through the diverging nozzle and create thrust. In ...
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What is the cabling on the exterior of the SLS solid rocket boosters that wasn't on the shuttle solid rocket boosters?
I noticed what appears to be foamed-over cabling running roughly parallel to the systems tunnel on the exterior of the SLS Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The cabling appears to run all the way from the ...
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Why is there a need for a "forward skirt" segment on SLS solid rockets?
The SLS solid rockets have a "forward skirt segment" above the five true rocket propellent segments. What is the purpose of this segment? I believe that it contains the avionics for the ...
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In the event of SRB ignition failure, could jettison of the other “lit” SRB prevent catastrophe?
Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are popular launch boosters, used on the Space Shuttle, Ariane 5, Atlas V and SLV.
However, SRBs have a number of failure modes, most of which result in catastrophe.
...
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Why was the Atlas V's SRB kept attached for 1 minute after burnout in the OFT-2 mission?
In Boeing's OFT-2 mission, an Atlas V is the launch vehicle. The solid rocket booster burns out at T+ 1:35 minutes, but the boosters are jettisoned at T+ 2:40 minutes. Why are the boosters not ...
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What is the time sequence for SRB burn-out and separation?
I understand that SRBs cannot be throttled or shut down, they need to "burn out". Since they are often used in pairs, I assume there is a statistical spread in the burn duration of the two ...
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Why does this sounding rocket have black sooty exhaust with mach-diamond-like oscillations? Is this unusual?
File footage of a sounding rocket with a dark, non-luminescent, sooty exhaust with mach-diamond-like oscillations is shown in the video 1957-1959 IBM 704 Computer - Vanguard Satellite Program "...
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What limits pressure buildup in SRB's?
According to st. Robert's Law, propellant burn rates increase with pressure.
When an SRB is ignited, propellant starts to burn, making the pressure rise in the combustion chamber.
The flow through the ...
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Is it possible to propulsively land an SRB?
I am wondering if it is possible to propulsively land a solid rocket booster after it detaches from the core booster. I know you could use thrust termination ports to stop thrust, but it would drop ...
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Why do the Long March 3B's strap-on boosters have fins? Is this common?
I've noticed that most large launch vehicles these days don't have fins at the bottom, stabilization is implemented in other ways.
But when the Long March 3B has strap-on boosters, those seem to ...
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What are these two little valve stem-like projections from the Northrop Grumman STAR 15G upper stage rocket motor? Why doesn't the STAR 20 have them?
NASA Spaceflight's Mars Ascent Vehicle from Northrop Grumman takes shape for Mars Sample Return mission says:
For this, Northrop Grumman will provide a 3 meter tall, two-stage, solid propellant ...
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Why can solid rockets be both the skinniest and most spherical launch vehicles while liquid fuel rockets have a more limited range of aspect ratios?
Question: Why can solid rockets be both the skinniest and most spherical launch vehicles while liquid fuel rockets have a more limited range of aspect ratios? Are there fundamental engineering ...
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Can kerolox or SRB soot particles grow too large too quickly; not accelerated in expanding exhaust leading to a loss of mass-specific impulse?
In this answer to Is methyl silane CH6Si ever considered as fuel in rocketry? I argue that there's no huge loss in mass-specific impulse (Isp) when producing sand (and by extension soot) in the ...
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Is New Shepard an orbit-capable first stage? Could an (albeit small) 2nd stage with propulsion be put on top that could put a smallsat into orbit?
This answer to How is New Shepard the first suborbital booster to successfully perform a powered vertical soft landing? discusses a potential differentiation between Falcon 9's first successful ...
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Why were the SRBs rolled out of the VAB without the rest of the Shuttle stack?
This answer shows the following photo of two Shuttle solid rocket boosters, mounted on the mobile launch platform without the external tank or orbiter, and driven outside the Vehicle Assembly Building....
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How were STS SRBs disassembled
What was the process for disassembling the SRBs following their recovery?
Was it broken down to the field or factory seal level of segments, and how was it taken apart?
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How much more cost efficent are SRB's over the main engine?
Why use SRBs instead of a simpler rocket design that dispenses with SRB's and instead has a bigger main engine?
The Saturn V escaped earth's gravity just fine without boosters. Since then though SRBs ...
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Challenger hypothetical - what if the SRB breach faced outboard?
Slightly different Challenger question - what could have happened if the SRB breach had faced outboard, away from any attachment fittings or the ET? Would the SRB have failed completely prior to ...
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Why were there painted black rings on the SRBs?
There were black rings on the STS-1 SRBs.
There were even more on later flights.
But there was a period without them at all.
Why?
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How do spherical SRB's compare to long skinny ones? What do their thrust curves look like?
Most SRBs are long and skinny, probably because most are used low in Earth's atmosphere where aerodynamic drag is large.
But here are some very short SRBs, one seemingly spherical except for the ...
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What's the story behind the GEM-63 delay?
The Wikipedia page on the GEM-63 says that the Atlas V will start using it "in July 2019." But the Atlas V page says that the switch from the AJ-60A will happen "in the near future." That the switch ...
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What is the limit to which we can scale up uniformly in all directions Space Shuttle SRB before it becomes unable to take off?
Let's say we like the Space Shuttle design so much, we want to use it as a reference for our new rocket. But we want to build rocket which will be capable of launching larger payload into Earth's ...
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How does the solid rocket booster jettison system work on an Atlas V?
Is safe booster separation (they call it "jettison") without recontact assured by separation motors, pushers, or what?
The Juno Mission Overview refers to "structural thrusters" but that means ...
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Did the shuttle SRBs have separation motors?
Looking at a NASA fact sheet about the SLS SRBs and I noticed it has at the bottom around the nozzle, separation motors.
Watching shuttle launches It looks to me like the SRBs continue to fire ...
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Why were there so many icicles in this Space Shuttle launch area? (Challenger disaster)
The blogpost Lessons From NASA Disasters: When Curiosity Deficits Kill is about the importance of freedom of curiosity for members of organizations. However it contains many Space Shuttle-related ...
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Why did the Space Shuttle's SRB's float, and float vertically?
The blogpost Lessons From NASA Disasters: When Curiosity Deficits Kill is about the importance of freedom of curiosity for members of organizations. However it contains many Space Shuttle-related ...
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Features seen on the Space Shuttle's solid booster; what does "LOADED" mean exactly?
The question Please explain the time reference shown in Shuttle launch engineering video links to the very cool video Ascent - Commemorating Shuttle. After about ...
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What would happen if one Ariane V SRB did not ignite properly? (there may be no lock-down mechanism)
The excellent answers to What are these circular spots on these Ariane V SRB nozzles? tend to indicate that unlike the IV, the Ariane V simply rests on two flat surfaces under the SRBs at launch time, ...
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What are these circular spots on these Ariane V SRB nozzles?
This Space Shuttle Almanac tweet says:
Pics 1-4 of todays @Arianespace #ArianeV VA249 launch carrying the #EDRSC & #Intelsat39 comsats from Kourou
and includes the cool (hot) image below.
...
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Is there documented Space Shuttle O-ring failures excluding STS-51-L?
The most obvious failure of the Space Shuttle SRB O-rings was the Challenger disaster. The burn through location was just about in the worst possible location to cause the catastrophic damage that ...
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Are the APUs on the SLS SRBs planned to be hydrazine powered?
I recently read that the Space Launch System core stage, which uses renamed / slightly reworked Space Shuttle Main Engines and therefore requires a hydraulic system to service said engines, will use ...
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Was the Titan SRM thrust vs time curve engineered to allow for acceleration switches to initiate staging sequence events?
This answer describes the timing between the Titan III Stage 0 (SRM's) and Stage 1 events.
The Titan first stage ignited just prior to SRM separation:
Titan Stage I ignition occurs at approximately ...
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Need help understanding staging shown in infographic of Titan launch of Hexagon satellites
The NPR News item I Spy, Via Spy Satellite: Melting Himalayan Glaciers discusses use of declassified historical satellite images that include glaciers, and link to the newly published and Open Access ...
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Does the Long March-11 increase its thrust after clearing the launch tower?
The NASA Spaceflight article China conducts first Sea Launch mission with Long March 11 launch of seven satellites links to the YouTube video China’s first sea launch: Long March-11 launches from a ...
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What are they doing to this rocket following its test fire?
Watching video of today's test of Northrop Grumman's OmegA first stage SRB after the test is over and the flames have died down a bit, it looks like they are sticking something into the back end of ...
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How are SRBs and solid rocket motors transported safely? Do they ever end up on trucks driven down public highways?
The BBC News article The Rocket Scientists Mixing Up a Giant Firework begins with:
In a remote corner of tropical South American jungle, French scientists are mixing a ‘cake’ with a difference – a ...
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Source for Shuttle SRB segment history diagrams
I'm looking for a source for these ATK booster segment history images.
Sadly absent user TildalWave posted a comment with a link to an article containing this one 3 1/2 years ago.
I've finally ...
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Final results on Space Shuttle SRB reuse goal?
One of the stated goals of the Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters (SRBs) was their re-usability and cost savings from such reuse. I know that many of them were reused, but in the end, how successful ...
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Do some solid rockets burn faster at the bottom? What's an extreme case?
Discussion in comments below this answer relate to how much solid rockets or SRBs burn bottom-to-top versus radially outward.
I am sure I've seen a diagram somewhere showing that different designs ...
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Did NASA archive the audio recording of STS launches
I believe some important information could be recovered if the Launchpad audio of STS-51L still exists.
The leak in the RH aft field joint could have created a high pitched whistle between 0.678 ...
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