On Thu, 07 Sep 2006 01:09:51 -0700, Stephen Horgan wrote:

Ares 1 or the 'Stick' is based on the shuttle SRB. The grandfather of
manned space flight, Von Braun, was of the opinion that solid rockets
should not be used for personnel because they cannot be turned off when
ignited and they have a higher failure rate than liquid fuelled
equivalents. Of course the SRB has only failed once in STS operation,
but that was enough to cause the Challenger catastrophe.

So, does the use of the SRB for Ares make sense or not? Or are we
waiting on an accident in the future?

Solid rockets on manned vehicles only make sense if you like holding your
breath for two minutes.

--
Craig Fink
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