Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV

"Jorge R. Frank" <jrfrank@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:Xns9687F1A3768B0jrfrank@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

>
> However, that does not change Kim's basic point: without roll control,
> there is no way in hell that The Stick will be ready for qualification
> flights by late 2006. And honestly, I'd be pleasantly surprised if ATK
> was ready to demonstrate SRB roll control *in ground test*, let alone
> flight test, by the end of *2008*.
>

Why do we care if the initial (test) flights of the booster roll? Is
there some booster hardware that cares (APUs, maybe)? Otherwise, it's a
non-event, and early flights give us an excuse to accelerate development
of the pad infrastructure, etc. Let's see some progress early, rather
than wait years for another "all-up" launch of the complete stick+2nd
stage+CEV configuration.

Incremental development is what we should be working towards -- start
launching sticks as soon as you can get the pad ready, add the 2nd stage
when it's ready, and then you'll be ready for the CEV.

Is there any data (optically-derived, obviously) on the roll
characteristics of the Challenger boosters, post-breakup? I know they
flew solo for several seconds before range safety blew their charges.

It makes a lot more sense to put all of the roll control hardware on the
second stage. For one thing, it's a liquid stage, and will need 3D
control for its on-orbit activities. Secondly, if it can be derived --
from an existing stage design, the control hardware could be adapted from
it.

Keep the stick's booster stage as close as possible to the existing SRB
configuration...

--
I was punching a text message into my | Reed Snellenberger
phone yesterday and thought, "they need | GPG KeyID: 5A978843
to make a phone that you can just talk | rsnellenberger
into." Major Thomb | -at-houston.rr.com

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV
    ... >>I don't know why people are acting like the roll control ... >> pack hung off the side of the booster. ... > certainly not in time for a flight test in late '06. ... consequences of either an errant SRB crashing through LC39 infrastructure, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV
    ... launche of the 5-segment stick booster by late ... single SRB has no roll control. ... s.s.shuttle) -- roll control would definitely add to the development time, but would roll control be absolutely necessary to the initial test flights to qualify the booster itself? ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV
    ... >I don't know why people are acting like the roll control ... > pack hung off the side of the booster. ... The big deal is having a booster control system developed, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV
    ... >>>There's no way the avionics and the TVC system will be ready for test ... s.s.shuttle) -- roll control would definitely add to the development ... going to roll the booster 120 degrees after liftoff"), ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Griffin Wants Inline SDLV and 5 Segment SRB/CEV
    ... >flights by late 2006. ... >ready to demonstrate SRB roll control *in ground test*, ... Can't ATK buy the roll system from Atlas 2? ...
    (sci.space.policy)