Space Shuttle (SRB) gurus...

PRB

PRB

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Ok, what's the deal with the dark band around the top of the port Solid Rocket Booster? They are (were...) configured this way on every launch. Obviously the two giant fire crackers are not identical units, although one might have guessed that they would be.
 
if i recall it's an avionics ring containing 3 Gyros..... these with onboard sensors should keep the thing pointed where it should plus assist with the deployment of the parachutes for the SRB's after separation, mounted just forwards of the Fore IEA (Integrated Electronic Assembly).... but as you say could be painted black for identification in case of a TLO (Total Loss of Orbiter) or on recovery...
 
That's very interesting. I'm surprised that such guidance avionics are not all contained within the orbiter part, but if there are sensors that are only needed during the SRB phase of the "up-hill" climb, I guess it would make sense to put them on the SRBs. Thanks, Smoothie!
 
I agree with the above statements. I also believe that it's for identifying which SRB the recovery crew is recovering in the ocean during after launch operations. If you look at pictures of the SRB's floating in the water they act like a bobber. With the nose sitting above the water surface.

With the gyros being in the SRB, why carry a piece of equipment to space that is only used for the first 3 minutes of the total mission? That is the only thing that I could come up with. Like everything else on the Orbter, weight and space cost money.

Brian
 
Hmm... I have a hard time believing the purpose is for identifying which SRB is being pulled out of the water. Who cares, at that point? There are endless methods for identifying which side of the "stack" the SRB rocket was screwed on to, anyway, like serial numbers of other parts, etc. It has to be flight related, seems to me.
 
after doing further (A little bit of) research an Avionics ring was fitted to the Saturn V rockets at the top of the S-IVB Stage.... the gyros theory may be correct, it is used at launch for positional alignment, but also may be used for the parachutes, the bootsers seem to re-orient themselves more upright on return, this'll be due to the fact that a parachute cannot be opened beneath the thing or it'll just form a shroud and will still plummet, and after watching the recent Endeavour SRB Video you'll notice a plume of what looks like flame as the thing purges that last little bit past the vectoring controls inside that 'tailcone'...... i'm gonna keep digging.....
 
I'm thinking it is because the boosters are 'recycleable', could be just 2 different models of the same design rocket ??
 
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