Roger Coppock wrote in news:1178139620.873487.126930
@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com:

On May 2, 12:03 pm, kT wrote:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5090

Free perchlorate for everybody, whether you want it or like it or not.

NASA's original plan was to make the SRBs at
the Cape. However, Utah's Senator Jake Garn
had other ideas. If NASA had stuck with it's
original plan, this accident would not have happened.
Also NASA's made on-site boosters would not
have had any seams. Seams in SRB's were the
cause of the Challenger disaster.

Of course, you're trading that for a whole set of *other* problems... such
as how to pour monolithic solids that large such that both have exactly the
same thrust, within tight tolerances. At the time the decision was made,
*no one* knew how to do that, though Aerojet thought they did.

There's a lot of "grass is always greener" mentality regarding this. But it
definitely was not all politics.

--
JRF

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