On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean just 73 seconds after launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The disaster was caused by the failure of two O-ring seals in the right solid rocket booster. Record-breaking cold temperatures on the launch pad had caused the rubber rings to become brittle and lose their elasticity. This allowed superheated gas to burn through the joint like a blowtorch, eventually causing the external fuel tank to colla

🚀 Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Ring Separation During every Space Shuttle launch, one of the most dramatic moments happened just minutes after liftoff — ring separation inside the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). As the shuttle roared off the pad, the two SRBs burned solid propellant to provide most of the thrust needed to escape Earth’s gravity. Inside each booster were metal segment rings, joined together to form the long cylindrical structure. When the fuel in each segment burned out, sep

22K views · 702 reactions | Solid Rocket Boosters ✅ Following the installation of our Forward Assemblies, our Space Shuttle Team has now fully assembled our Solid Rocket Boosters! This placement is the next part of Go for Stack, the complex process of installing Endeavour’s upcoming awe-inspiring 20-story vertical display as the centerpiece of the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. Follow along as we continue to stack our space shuttle! | California Science Center | Facebook