A BACK-UP system saved the day for the space shuttle Endeavour on its recent
mission to the International Space Station, NASA has revealed.
On 30 November, for the first time in 100 launches, one of the explosive
charges that jettison the shuttle’s two solid rocket boosters failed to
detonate. Fortunately, only one of the two charges on each booster needs to
fire. The back-up detonated properly and the spent booster fell into the
Atlantic, where it was rescued for use in a future launch.
No one noticed the glitch until technicians examining the booster found the
charge intact. Last week…
