Experts on this forum have said Titan IIs used for launching early space missions did not need an escape tower because the propellants are hypergolic and will deflagrate instead of detonating. Further googling reveals that this 'barely' enabled the use of ejection seats.So, would you need an escape tower for a kerosene/peroxide launcher or would ejection seats be enough?
So are you saying detonation is unlikely to begin with, regardless of whether the propellants are hypergolic? What about Challenger?
To the best of my knowledge in all those years there has never been an accidental ignition of one.
Ejection seats would likely have saved most of Challenger's crew as it has been reliably reported that they were alive, and probably conscious, inside the descending crew cabin which had survived the explosion intact, all the way down to ocean impact.
We're getting close to a very sensitive subject here, so I'll try to be careful. Suppose the ejection seats for the pilot and commander had not been disabled, would they have been able to survive the disaster? I realise it is unacceptable to give some crew members an escape option others do not have, but I'm wondering how this relates to potential survivability in a future spaceplane.
Shown is the integration of a Delta first stage and the second stage/shroud structure. Note the "many registration pins" ready to be inserted in the matching holes in the first stage. Is this a common matching procedure? Why are so many pins required? And how can I improve my vernacular on these questions?
Quote from: Art LeBrun on 11/08/2009 04:01 pmShown is the integration of a Delta first stage and the second stage/shroud structure. Note the "many registration pins" ready to be inserted in the matching holes in the first stage. Is this a common matching procedure? Why are so many pins required? And how can I improve my vernacular on these questions?Those are the bolts that attach the interstage adapter to the first stage. If you look closely, there are threads at the end of each one.A few more views, showing the bolt holes from inside and adapters being mated both with and without the bolts in place:http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=24565http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=24594http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=43889
Quote from: clongton on 11/08/2009 11:44 amTo the best of my knowledge in all those years there has never been an accidental ignition of one.Here's such a story, but it was a passenger who accidentally triggered an eject, not a pilot or a malfunction:
Chris has just reported that Atlantis has raised her orbit with a burn wich was radial down (nose to the Earth).I tought that a nose-down burn would rather alter apogee/perigee then raise orbit.Could someone cast some light on this ?
IIRC, if LOX soaks into a fuel like boot polish or coal or asphalt, it can form a shock sensitive explosive. So the boot wouldn't explode immediately, it would probably wait until you stamped to attention.Coal & LOX used to a common mining explosive, but there were too many unexpected detonations.
Moved from SpaceX thread:Quote from: kkattula on 12/27/2009 12:55 amIIRC, if LOX soaks into a fuel like boot polish or coal or asphalt, it can form a shock sensitive explosive. So the boot wouldn't explode immediately, it would probably wait until you stamped to attention.Coal & LOX used to a common mining explosive, but there were too many unexpected detonations.Google Atlas 71F and oxyliquit.
Quote from: Antares on 12/28/2009 02:29 amMoved from SpaceX thread:Quote from: kkattula on 12/27/2009 12:55 amIIRC, if LOX soaks into a fuel like boot polish or coal or asphalt, it can form a shock sensitive explosive. So the boot wouldn't explode immediately, it would probably wait until you stamped to attention.Coal & LOX used to a common mining explosive, but there were too many unexpected detonations.Google Atlas 71F and oxyliquit.And you get: "Access to this server is forbidden from your client"