O-ring of the type used on the booster rockets of the space shuttle

Artifact Number:

2020-060

Description

In 1986 the US space program suffered a severe setback with the tragic explosion during the launch of the Challenger space shuttle.  The cause of the explosion was traced to leakage of rocket-fuel vapour precipitated by a defect in an O-ring used in the booster rockets.  AECL was one of several organizations contracted by Morton Thiokol, the prime contractor for the booster rockets, to assist with the development of improved O-rings.  The project was successful and many additional accident-free launches of the shuttle were subsequently achieved. 

Northrop Grumman, the project managers for the entire space shuttle program, donated one of the redesigned O-rings to the Society in 2020.  The specially-formulated rubber O-rings, which sit captive in grooves around the 3.8 m diameter rocker boosters, measure 11.9 m in total circumference.  The circular cross-section of the rings is just under 8 mm in diameter.

Details

Keywords:
o-rings
Date:
~1990
Notes:

The overall redesign of the O-rings involved many organizations and a NASA expenditure of the order of $300M.  Chalk River’s Fluid Sealing Branch had a team working on aspects of the redesign for almost two years.  A paper, authored jointly by Chalk River and Morton Thiokol researchers, describing the work was published in the Canadian Aeronautical and Space Journal (Vol 24, No. 4. December 1988).  It received an award as Best Publication of the Year.

Northrop Grumman was approached by the Society for a donation of this artifact. They graciously agreed and took care of all charges and export clearances.

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