/sci/ - Science & Math

>>14774115
>What actually is the performance difference?

-The 5 segment solid boosters that SLS Block 1 and Block 1B use produce 6.5 million pounds of thrust. The four F-1B engines of the SLS boosters would produce 7.2 million pounds of thrust.

-The 5 segment solid boosters have an ISP of 269 seconds. The F-1B has an ISP of 272 seconds.

The improved thrust and ISP would have allowed SLS to lift 150 tons to LEO instead of the 130 tons of the Block 2, would allow the boosters to throttle and would not suffer from the combustion instability caused vibrations that cost SLS the Europa Clipper launch.

>>14665549
Ah it’s one of the “dark Knight” boosters. In another world, where SLS started flying in 2017, this would be badass

>>10825945
The dynetics proposal was one of the options for the advanced boosters for Block 1A and Block 2.

The contest got called off when Block 1A was replaced by Block 1B, which uses the STS-derived 5-segment solids, and the advanced boosters were no longer needed so soon.

Now it's a bit confusing because you have the Booster Obsolesce and Life Extension (BOLE) program working on replacing the 5-seg SRBs with the OmegA SRBs once they run out of old shuttle casings after 8 SLS flights, but those are considered to be a different thing than the advanced boosters.

I've heard from a reliable source at MSFC that the advanced booster design would be brought into consideration for a Mars campaign with Block 2.

>>10594353
>It's a real shame F1b's were shelved in favor of goddamn SRBs again, fuckin' firework pieces of shit.
Again: SRBs are a legitimate tradeoff. Their bad reputation comes from being used in absolutely idiotic situations.

Remember, while the SRB failing is what led to Challenger happening, what actually caused the explosion was it puncturing the LH2/LOX tank. All of the thrust-producing parts of a spacecraft are liable to explode horribly in the wrong situation: LRBs are no exception.

The aforementioned stupid design uses were:
A) Sticking the shuttle on the side of an ET
B) Not installing any viable abort system on the shuttle
C) Using an SRB as the ONLY booster (Ares I)

They're big cans of boom. Used wisely, they're no more dangerous than any other booster, liquid or otherwise.