🚀 go-pugleaf

> Brian Stuart Thorn writes:
>
>    SRMs related to the Shuttle's SRBs? For beginners, the Titan SRM first
>    flew in 1965 (Titan IIIC) while Shuttle SRB did not first fire until
>    1977 and did not fly until 1981. Titan SRMs are manufactured by
>    Lockheed and Aerojet, I think. Shuttle SRBs by Thiokol.
>
>    Even if you are referring to the new 7-segment Titan IV SRMs, still
>    the answer is no. These were designed, but never built, for the
>    MOL program. I believe that if there is any connection, it's vice
>    versa.
>


        Correct - the Shuttle SRBs are derived from experience gained with
the Titan boosters, not the other way around.  From "Advanced Chemical Rocket
Propulsion" by Y.M. Timnat:

        " The high reliability demonstrated by the Titan III solid boosters
was the main reason that NASA decided, after studying the advantages and
disadvantages of solid versus liquid boosters, of parallel and series burning
and of various sizes, to use two solid-propellant boosters having a diameter
of 371 cm, 38.1 m long and containing 502580 kg of propellant, using a
segment configuration with the same [as the Titan] PBAN propellant."

        Both solid boosters use a segmented design, fabricated out of Ladish
D6ac high strength steel.  The thrust vector control however differs: the
Titan uses N2O4 injection into the nozzle to deflect the exhaust, while the
Shuttle boosters have a nozzle whose throat is attached to a flexible collar
which allows the nozzle to be steered by a hydraulic system.






--
Bruce Dunn    Vancouver, Canada   Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.bc.ca