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Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM)
ATK manufactures the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket
Motor (RSRM) — the largest solid rocket motor ever to fly, the only
solid rocket motor rated for human flight, and the first designed
for reuse, one of the most important cost-saving factors in the nation's
space program.
The RSRMs provide 90% of the thrust needed to launch the Space Shuttle.
After burnout at about two minutes, the boosters are separated pyrotechnically
and fall into the Atlantic Ocean for recovery. The RSRMs were also designed
to be used as strap-on boosters for other heavy-lift launch vehicle applications.
Description
Each RSRM consists of four rocket motor segments, thrust vector control,
and an aft exit cone assembly. Each motor is just over 126 feet long
and 12 feet in diameter. The entire booster (including nose cap, frustum,
and forward and aft skirts) is approximately 149 feet long. Of the motor's
total weight of 1.25 million pounds, propellant accounts for 1.1 million
pounds. Approximately 110,000 quality-control inspections, in addition
to static tests, are conducted on each RSRM flight set to verify flawless
operation.
Operation
Each Space Shuttle launch requires the boost of two RSRMs to lift the
4.5-million-pound shuttle vehicle. From ignition to end of burn, each
RSRM generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds and burns for
approximately 123 seconds. By the time the twin RSRMs have completed
their task, the Space Shuttle orbiter has reached an altitude of 24 nautical
miles and is traveling at a speed in excess of 3,000 miles per hour.
Before retirement, each RSRM can be used as many as 20 times. |
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