ATK's Solid Rocket Boosters Help Launch Space Shuttle Discovery

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Feb. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK's (NYSE: ATK) Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM) ignited at 4:53 p.m. EST, launching the Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew on their 11-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).  Since the inaugural flight of the space shuttle, 266 space shuttle solid rocket motors have been launched to date, with 53 full-scale ground tests allowing ATK and NASA to constantly improve safety, techniques and processes.

"As we near the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, we reflect on the dedicated workforce that has provided the most reliable, human-rated propulsion system in the world for more than two decades," said Blake Larson, ATK Aerospace Systems Group President. "With the future of human space flight unfolding, it is critical to leverage proven technology to ensure a safe and robust transportation system as we explore outside of Low Earth Orbit."

The 149-foot-tall solid rocket boosters each produced more than 15 million horsepower, safely launching the shuttle to approximately 28 miles in altitude in just over two minutes. After the flight, the RSRMs were jettisoned from the orbiter and external tank by ATK's 16 Booster Separation Motors (BSMs). Each booster has eight BSMs: four on the forward skirt and four on the aft skirt. The separation motors propelled the RSRMs to a safe distance from the shuttle orbiter, enabling the spent boosters to parachute down through the Earth's atmosphere where they splashed down into the ocean for recovery.

In addition, ATK supplied the titanium hydrazine propellant tanks for the space shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Three APU tanks house the hydrazine fuel that generates power for the shuttle's hydraulic system. These tanks have performed perfectly for each of the shuttle's three decades of operations.

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