| NASA Center: |
Johnson Space Center |
|---|
| Image # : |
51L-10144 |
|---|
| Date : |
01/28/1986
|
|---|
|
Title
Challenger
Full Description
Close-up view of the liftoff of the Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51L taken
from camera site 39B-2/T3. From this camera position, a cloud of grey-brown
smoke can be seen on the right side of the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) on a line
directly across from the letter "U" in United States. This was the first visible
sign that an SRB joint breach may have occured.
On January 28, 1986 frigid overnight temperatures caused normally pliable rubber
O-ring seals and putty that are designed to seal and establish joint integrity
between the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) joint segments, to become hard and non-
flexible. At the instant of SRB ignition, tremendous stresses and pressures
occur within the SRB casing and especially at the joint attachmentment points.
The failure of the O-rings and putty to "seat" properly at motor ignition,
caused
hot exhaust gases to blow by the seals and putty. During Challenger's ascent,
this hot gas "blow by" ultimately cut a swath completely through the steel
booster casing; and like a welder's torch, began cutting into the External Tank
(ET).
It is believed that the ET was compromised in several locations starting in the
aft at the initial point where SRB joint failure occured. The ET hydrogen tank
is
believed to have been breached first, with continuous rapid incremental failure
of both the ET and SRB. A chain reaction of events occurring in milliseconds
culminated in a massive explosion.
The orbiter Challenger was instantly ejected by the blast and went askew into
the
supersonic air flow. These aerodynamic forces caused structural shattering and
complete destruction of the orbiter. Though it was concluded that the G-forces
experienced during orbiter ejection and break-up were survivable, impact with
the
ocean surface was not. Tragically, all seven crewmembers perished.
Keywords
Challenger STS-51L Explosion O-Ring Seal Putty Solid Rocket Booster SRB External Tank ET
Subject Category
Space Shuttle,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
JSC
- Center Number:
51L-10144
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-001347
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
(Pixels) | Height
(Pixels) | Size
(KBytes) |
Thumbnail |
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69 |
95 |
15 |
Small |
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492 |
738 |
330 |
Medium |
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1154 |
1729 |
1,408 |
Large |
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2308 |
3458 |
4,880 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
• Responsible NASA Official: Steve Garber
• Author: Michael Hahn. Editor: Dwayne A. Day
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