Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Columbia - Separable Crew Cabin

Why don't you try over on the Aviation Week bulletin board?
E.P. Grondine — (archived)

These are two separate items you're talking about, and you are confusing them. One is the jettisonable crew capsule, which was considered during design and after Challenger - if memory erves, it was based on the design of the jettisonable crew capsule used with the XB-70 bomber in the early 1960s.

The other is the explosive bolt system with which Columbia was initially equipped, which was designed to separate the crew compartment from the shuttle main body in the event of catastrophic failures - there was nothing pretty about it, it simply blew up the connection between the crew cabin and the main body.

Yes, the sytem was built and flown, but later removed. As for why it did not appear in later shuttles, most likely that's because it also added to structural weakness and represented another possible failure point. But those are simply guesses.

Now as to why you don't know about it, that's not my problem - its certinaly not a NASA conspiracy, as you state: "there has been a NASA conspiracy, going all the way back to the late 1970s, to keep quiet the fact that such a system was ever built in,"

:p)

There was and is no reason for NASA to have any such "conspiracy"- just because you don't know about it, does not mean that it did not exist.

As for where you can get the information on the Columbia abort system, including the explosive bolt crew cabin/main body separation system, I can't really help you. The NASA library may have it about, or maybe not. You might happen to know someone who has a private copy of it - someone who really does not want to be bothered by most people... well, if you don't, I'm pretty sure that I can't help you there. The people who need(ed) that material, certainly have it - but they are unlikely to spare much time in answering your questions, unlees there's some real positive benefit to be gained by their spending their time answering you -

You might try over on the Aviation Week bulletin board -

ep

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