Atlas SRBs

For those who chose not to read my dazzling account of last night's launch,
I have a question. Are the SRB's used for Atlas and Delta launches recovered?
And/or reused? I wasn't completely sure of "HELL NO".
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No Atlas SRBs, whether for the IIAS or Atlas V 4XX/5XX configurations are
reusable. So far, none has even been found floating long enough to bring
back for post-flight study. There was an attempt with the last Atlas V
launch (521) to try and recover a SRB for study, but it didn't pan out.
There might be an attempt with the next Atlas V (431), but that hasn't been
finalized yet.

"LooseChanj" wrote in message
m...
For those who chose not to read my dazzling account of last night's
launch,
I have a question. Are the SRB's used for Atlas and Delta launches
recovered?
And/or reused? I wasn't completely sure of "HELL NO".
--
This is a siggy | To E-mail, do note | Just because
something
It's properly formatted | who you mean to reply-to | is possible, doesn't
No person, none, care | and it will reach me | mean it can happen

LooseChanj wrote:

For those who chose not to read my dazzling account of last night's launch,
I have a question. Are the SRB's used for Atlas and Delta launches recovered?
And/or reused? I wasn't completely sure of "HELL NO".


I think that they are completly throw-away; they don't have any
parachutes on them, so they hit the water mighty hard.
they are basically souped-up RATO bottles, far less sophisticated than
the Shuttle's SRBs.

Pat

On or about Sat, 7 Feb 2004 03:46:13 -0800 (PST), Pat Flannery made the sensational claim that:
I think that they are completly throw-away; they don't have any
parachutes on them, so they hit the water mighty hard.
they are basically souped-up RATO bottles, far less sophisticated than
the Shuttle's SRBs.

Thanks guys!
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As a side note, it has been observed through high resolution ground video
that the SRBs from an Atlas 2AS's might actually break in two, or at least
get a bit crushed, before ever hitting the water.

"LooseChanj" wrote in message
...
On or about Sat, 7 Feb 2004 03:46:13 -0800 (PST), Pat Flannery
made the sensational claim that:
I think that they are completly throw-away; they don't have any
parachutes on them, so they hit the water mighty hard.
they are basically souped-up RATO bottles, far less sophisticated than
the Shuttle's SRBs.

Thanks guys!
--
This is a siggy | To E-mail, do note | Just because
something
It's properly formatted | who you mean to reply-to | is possible, doesn't
No person, none, care | and it will reach me | mean it can happen

As a side note, it has been observed through high resolution ground video
that the SRBs from an Atlas 2AS's might actually break in two, or at least
get a bit crushed, before ever hitting the water.

That's interesting- I wonder if the motor casing softens from the heat
of the fuel burn reaching it at the end of combustion?

Pat

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
As a side note, it has been observed through high resolution ground video
that the SRBs from an Atlas 2AS's might actually break in two, or at
least
get a bit crushed, before ever hitting the water.

That's interesting- I wonder if the motor casing softens from the heat
of the fuel burn reaching it at the end of combustion?

Pat


I have a feeling no one will ever know for sure. It's thought that dynamic
pressure plays a big roll, but who knows? Maybe you've got a good point and
the interior heat plays a factor as well!

Paul

The Ruzicka Family wrote:




I have a feeling no one will ever know for sure. It's thought that dynamic
pressure plays a big roll, but who knows? Maybe you've got a good point and
the interior heat plays a factor as well!


One thing I could see happening is that the residue of the fuel clogs
the nozzle throat at burnout, and the cooling of the heated gas
remaining in the interior of the motor casing combined with the
increasing atmospheric pressure collapses it as it descends like the old
tin can full of steam lab trick- a can with a screw-on cap has a small
amount of water placed in it which is made to boil; once the can is full
of steam the heat is removed and the cap screwed on...as it cools, the
can collapses...due to the steam condensing into water and creating a
partial vacuum in it. Early steam engine worked on this principle;
sucking the piston into a steam-filled cylinder as the steam was
condensed by a spray of cold water introduced into the cylinder.
It wasn't the greatest thing in regards to horsepower for weight- but it
didn't have a danger of exploding either.
What I find odd is that something that has a casing tough enough to
withstand the pressure of the burning solid propellant would deform
under aerodynamic stress as it falls back to earth.
I looked up the data on that particular strap-on; it's the Castor 4A and
has a casing made of HT polymer:
http://www.asi.org/adb/04/03/09/01/thiokol.html#09-01 ...so maybe it
does soften after burnout, unlike a steel or titanium one would.

Pat

Pat Flannery wrote:

The Ruzicka Family wrote:




I have a feeling no one will ever know for sure. It's thought that dynamic
pressure plays a big roll, but who knows? Maybe you've got a good point and
the interior heat plays a factor as well!


One thing I could see happening is that the residue of the fuel clogs
the nozzle throat at burnout, and the cooling of the heated gas
remaining in the interior of the motor casing combined with the
increasing atmospheric pressure collapses it as it descends like the old
tin can full of steam lab trick-

This is astonishingly unlikely.


What I find odd is that something that has a casing tough enough to
withstand the pressure of the burning solid propellant would deform
under aerodynamic stress as it falls back to earth.

Easy to see. A pressure vessel like this can withstand several thousan
psi internal pressure, because the pressure is even, and the case walls
are in tension... but like an empty beer can, it's easily squashed by
uneven external pressure. Think of the Atals. Supported by internal
pressure.




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Scott Lowther wrote:

Easy to see. A pressure vessel like this can withstand several thousan
psi internal pressure, because the pressure is even, and the case walls
are in tension... but like an empty beer can, it's easily squashed by
uneven external pressure. Think of the Atals. Supported by internal
pressure.


Yeah, but this thing is very small compared to the Atlas; it's a little
over 3 feet in diameter by about 30 feet long; and it seems to me that
any material capable of taking the internal pressure of the burning fuel
would be able to take the stress of freefall, given that the
casing/nozzle weighs over 3,000 pounds minus fuel...is the damage
caused by aerodynamic stress when the thing gets jettisoned during the
rocket's ascent? It burns for 53 seconds; what altitude and speed is the
Atlas at after 53 seconds?

Pat