Report of the PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION
on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
Volume 5 Index
Hearings of the Presidential
Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident: February 26,
1986 to May 2, 1986.
MARCH 21, 1986 SESSION. (part 2 of
2)
[1343] [Ref. 3/21-53 2 of
2] Trajectory and Flight Profile Reconstruction.
TRAJECTORY AND FLIGHT PROFILE
RECONSTRUCTION
- TIMELINE AND TRAJECTORY WERE DETERMINED
USING RECONSTRUCTED
- WINDS ALOFT
- PROPULSION
- SRM LEAK WITH AERODYNAMIC
INCREMENTS
- EXCELLENT TIMELINE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN
OBTAINED WITH:
- MSFC PHOTO ACTIVITY
- JSC PHOTO AND TIMELINE
ACTIVITIES
- RECONSTRUCTED TRAJECTORY WAS SUCCESSFULLY
COMPARED WITH JSC BEST ESTIMATED TRAJECTORY
- BEST ESTIMATED TRAJECTORY IS BASED ON
RADAR AMID OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
- RECONSTRUCTED TRAJECTORY CONES FROM
SIMULATION OF THE VEHICLE IN ITS ENVIRONMENT
[Ref. 3/21-54] Flight
Dynamics Reconstruction.
FLIGHT DYNAMICS
RECONSTRUCTION
- FLIGHT DYNAMICS WERE RECONSTRUCTED
- EMPHASIS BETWEEN 50 AND 72
SECONDS
- MATCH WAS SUCCESSFUL
- DATA ACTS AS A CHECK ON SRM LEAK
MODEL
- DATA WAS NEEDED IN LOADS ANALYSES
- ALL PARAMETERS ARE WITHIN PREDICTED
ENVELOPES
- ALL PARAMETERS ARE WITHIN FLIGHT
EXPERIENCE UP TO 65 SECONDS
- PEAK SRM GIMBAL ANGLES WERE WITHIN FLIGHT
EXPERIENCE BUT TOTAL ANGULAR TRAVEL WAS NOT
- TOTAL GIMBAL TRAVEL (DUTY CYCLE) WAS
132 DEGREES
- FOUR PREVIOUS FLIGHTS HAD DUTY CYCLES
BETWEEN 120 AND 125 DEGREES
S-10
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