NASA Rules Out Vertical Testing of Redesigned Boosters for Shuttle
WASHINGTON — NASA has decided to continue testing its redesigned shuttle boosters in the same horizontal position as before the Challenger explosion, rejecting an investigative panel’s suggestion that the boosters be tested in the vertical position.
The commission, named by President Reagan to determine the cause of the Jan. 28 shuttle accident and headed by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, had suggested that vertical stands be used for firings in “the exact flight configuration.â€
Constructing a vertical test stand for full-scale firing of the 149-foot-long solid fuel rockets would have added at least a year to the time it will take to get the shuttles back into operation, said David L. Winterhalter, acting director of the space agency’s propulsion division. The cost of such a stand would be in the $30-million range, Winterhalter said.
“It is NASA’s belief that testing in the horizontal attitude is the most demanding test of the redesigned (rocket) joint for pressure and flight-induced loads, and thus best satisfies the commission’s intent,†the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement Thursday.
“We feel that we’re satisfying the intent of the (commission) recommendations,†Winterhalter said.
The first test will be in December, he said.
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