MATERIALS AND PROCESSES FOR SHUTTLE ENGINE, EXTERNAL TANK, AND SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER

Abstract

The Space Shuttle will provide a low cost delivery system for Earth orbital payloads by amortizing launch costs through system reusability. The Shuttle flight system is composed of the Orbiter, an External Tank (ET) **Contractor — Martin Marietta Corporation.that contains the ascent propellant to be used by the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME),****Contractor — Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International. and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB)******Contractors — Thiokol Corporation and MacDonnell Douglas Corporation.. The ET is expended on each launch; the Orbiter and SRB's are reusable. It is the requirement for reuse which poses the exciting new materials and processes challenges in the development of the Space Shuttle. This paper deals with the materials and processes for the SSME, the ET, and the SRB. A brief description of the Space Shuttle and the mission profile is given. The Shuttle configuration is then described with emphasis on the SSME, ET, and SRB. The materials selection, tracking, and control system used to assure reliability and to minimize cost is described, and salient features and challenges in materials and processes associated with the SSME, ET, and SRB are subsequently discussed.