SPACEPHOTOS

This photograph was taken during the static test firing of the DM-2 (Demonstration Motor) for the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) at the testing ground of Thiokol Corporation near Brigham City, Utah. As one of the major components of the Space Shuttle, SRBs provide most of the power, their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds, for the first two minutes of flight. The SRBs take the Space Shuttle to an altitude of 28 miles and a speed of 3,094 miles per hour before they separate and fall back into the ocean to be retrieved, refurbished, and prepared for another flight. MSFC has the management responsibilities with Thiokol Corporation as the prime contractor.