Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!elroy!devvax!smythsun!david
From: david@smythsun.JPL.NASA.GOV (David Smyth)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Orbiter/SRB separation
Message-ID: <2200@devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 6 Jun 88 20:20:17 GMT
References: <50665@ti-csl.CSNET> <1988Jun5.025213.23613@utzoo.uucp>
Sender: news@devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV
Reply-To: david@smythsun.JPL.NASA.GOV (David Smyth)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
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In article <1988Jun5.025213.23613@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>> [ Theory: reduce throttle on SSMEs, glide away from ET/SRB]
> [ needs to be carefully investigated, aerodynamics are non-trivial, &
>   Orbiter will have no power except a little possible from OMS,
>   so could easily be fried by SRBs]

OK:
1)  Need to see if structural loads of ET/SRB separation could
be kept safe by throttling back SSMEs and precise seperation,

2)  Need to see if Orbiter can glide away from uncontrolled ET/SRB
to avoid SRB exhaust.

3)  If gliding won't work, how much thrust would it take?  Remember
Apollos, Geminis, and Mercurys needed an escape tower to do it, 
maybe the Orbiter needs a special thruster.  Or, perhaps the
RCS and OMS could do it (I doubt it) or be made more powerful to do it.

Can anybody model this and see if its feasible?