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#21
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Vapor as rocket propellant and coolant
On 2004-07-06, Andrew Nowicki wrote:
Are you talking about the first stage, the second stage, or the third stage? The external tanks of the Space Shuttle do not survive the reentry, and even the orbiters do not always survive the reentry. On the other hand the Shuttle's solid rocket boosters do survive reentry and splashdown. There is, I believe, some concern that the ET may survive the re-entry in parts, but that aside. (It's deliberately tumbled to assist in breakup) The SRBs are dropped at about 120s into the ascent; the ET at about 510s. I can't find an indication of the speed at which the SRBs seperate, but the ET seperation is at ~17,500mph and orbital altitude; significantly different entry regimes. -- -Andrew Gray |
#22
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Vapor as rocket propellant and coolant
Andrew Nowicki wrote in message ...
Nobody mentioned electron beam welding. I am not a welding expert, but I have seen web publications claiming that it makes welds of outstanding quality. Electron beam welding dodges some of the problems of other welding methods, but it doesn't get away from others, like heat inputs and temperature controls. Everyone believes that the pressure-fed rockets must have low tank pressure to improve their mass ratio. If you're staging, it's not as much of an issue. I initially thought you were discussing SSTOs here. Mike Miller, Materials Engineer |
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