Space Shuttle solid rocket booster joint
E32279
The Space Shuttle solid rocket booster joint was a critical structural connection in the shuttle’s boosters whose flawed O-ring sealing design contributed to the Challenger disaster.
Aliases (3)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
rocket motor joint
→
structural connection → |
| affectedBy |
SRB internal pressure during ignition and ascent
→
low ambient temperature at launch → |
| associatedWithEvent |
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
→
|
| contributedTo |
loss of STS-51-L mission
→
loss of Space Shuttle Challenger → loss of seven astronauts on STS-51-L → |
| evaluatedBy |
Rogers Commission
→
|
| failedOn |
1986-01-28
→
|
| failureMode |
breach of right-hand solid rocket booster field joint
→
hot gas leak through primary O-ring → |
| hasComponent |
O-ring seal
→
clevis → field joint insulation → joint putty → tang → |
| hasDesignFeature |
field-assembled joint
→
pressure-actuated O-ring sealing → tang-and-clevis configuration → |
| hasDesignFlaw |
insufficient O-ring squeeze at low temperature
→
joint rotation under internal pressure → reliance on putty to protect O-rings from hot gases → sensitivity to low-temperature performance of O-rings → susceptibility to O-ring blow-by → susceptibility to O-ring erosion → |
| hasFunction |
maintain structural continuity between booster segments
→
seal internal combustion gases in solid rocket booster → |
| influenced |
NASA safety and risk management practices
→
later solid rocket motor joint design standards → |
| locatedOn |
right-hand Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
→
|
| manufacturedBy |
Morton Thiokol
→
|
| operatedAt |
high internal pressure
→
|
| operatedWith |
Viton O-rings in later configurations
→
|
| originalO-RingMaterial |
nitrile rubber
→
|
| partOf |
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
→
Space Shuttle launch vehicle → |
| redesignedAs |
post-Challenger SRB capture joint
→
|
| redesignIncluded |
improved joint insulation
→
metal capture feature to limit joint rotation → third O-ring capture feature → |
| riskCategory |
catastrophic failure mode
→
|
| safetyConcernIdentifiedBy |
Morton Thiokol engineers
→
|
| safetyConcernRaisedBefore |
STS-51-L launch
→
|
| subjectOf |
NASA post-Challenger redesign program
→
Rogers Commission Report → |
| usedBy |
NASA
→
|
| usedIn |
Space Shuttle launches
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
NASA Space Shuttle program
("Solid Rocket Booster")
→
|
component |
|
Space Shuttle solid rocket booster joint
("Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster")
→
|
partOf |
|
NASA Space Shuttle program
("Solid Rocket Boosters")
→
|
propulsion |
|
Feynman O-ring ice water demonstration
→
|
relatedToComponent |