Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster @SuomiKaataa

Solid rocket boosters part of the space shuttle stage provided the biggest thrust during the first two minutes of the flight up to the height about 45 km. After they burned out, they were jettisoned. About 75 seconds after SRB separation from the space shuttle it reached the altitude about 67 km and parachutes were deployed and impacted the Atlantic ocean in 226 km range. After that they were recovered, they were examined, and used again. 
Except one parachute malfunction and Challenger disaster all were safely recovered.  
Solid rocket boosters separation

The meaning of solid rocket booster includes the entire rocket assembly, such as rocket motor, recovery parachutes, electronic instrumentation, separation rockets, safety destruct system and thrust vector motor. 
Each booster was attached to the external tank of the space shuttle. Each booster was also attached to the mobile launcher platform on the launch pad. The space shuttle was launched vertically as rockets by the SRB and its own main 3 engines which were fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen from the single external tank. 

The rocket propellant mixture is solid fuel consisted of ammonium perchlorate as the primary oxidizer, metal-oxide catalyst, high energy fuels (aluminium, magnesium, zinc) and low energy fuels acting as binders. 


Note from NASA pages: There are 2 type of rocket engines: liquid rockets and solid rockets. In liquid rocket, the propellants, the fuel and the oxidizer, are stored separately as liquids and they are pumped in the combustion chamber. In solid rocket, the propellants are mixed together and packed into solid cylinder. Under normal temperatures, the propellants do not burn. They will burn when exposed to source of heat. When the burning process starts, it will burn until the propellant is exhausted. Liquid rockets can be stopped. There are plus and minuses on both sides. 


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