MINSKY%OZ.AI.MIT.EDU@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU (03/13/86)
I don't understand all the fuss about the seals and why it should take long to fix. Evidently, O-rings were a bad idea in this case. When they've decided that this was the trouble, surely it should take only a few weeks to invent a suitable band-aid to fix the problem for the next year or two of flights, while a better method can be perfected. The pressures and temperatures seem quite modest, until the seal breaks.
dietz@SLB-DOLL.CSNET (Paul Dietz) (03/14/86)
>I don't understand all the fuss about the seals and why it should take >long to fix. Evidently, O-rings were a bad idea in this case. When >they've decided that this was the trouble, surely it should take only a >few weeks to invent a suitable band-aid to fix the problem for the next >year or two of flights, while a better method can be perfected. The >pressures and temperatures seem quite modest, until the seal breaks. First, they have to identify why the seal failed -- lots of tests will have to be done. They have to identify all the other hidden flaws in the shuttle system (there are likely to be a lot of them, as Young's memo shows). They have to redesign the problem areas in a way that will avoid the problems. Then they have to verify the fixes actually work, and refix the ones that don't. I estimate three years until the next flight. Another explosion soon would likely ground the shuttles permanently, and NASA won't risk that.