The Nation : Shuttle Seals to Be Tested

The company that built the malfunctioning O-ring seals that caused the Challenger space shuttle disaster will hold the fourth in a series of tests today it hopes will prove the strength of a new generation of seals. Today’s test will differ from previous ones because this time engineers from Morton Thiokol Inc.’s Wasatch Operations will use a deliberately flawed joint of a booster rocket motor in a joint environment simulator. The simulator is designed to duplicate conditions at the time of a shuttle launch. Company spokesman Rocky Raab said the deliberate faults in the bonded insulation “should allow hot gas to reach the O-ring seals.”