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SRB Hold-Down Post Frangible Nut



Mission: STS-31 Discovery Crew: Loren J. Shriver

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

Steven A. Hawley

Bruce McCandless II

Kathryn D. Sullivan Launch: April 24, 1990 Landing: April 29, 1990 Duration: 5 days, 1 hours Comment: Deployed the Hubble Space Telescope

This half of a hold-down post frangible nut was recovered on April 24, 1990, after it secured one of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) launching the Hubble Space Telescope on space shuttle Discovery. Each booster had four hold-down posts that secured it and the mobile launch platform's posts together. Each bolt had a nut at each end but only the top nut was frangible. It had two detonators, which were ignited at solid rocket motor ignition. When the detonators went off, the nut halves were caught in a blast container.





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