Page 114 - MY STORY
P. 114
Thiokol insisted on using the riskier higher strength
version of Maraging Steel, and Newport News insisted
that their welding method was more than adequate. After
some serious soul searching we decided to pull out of the
relationship—we felt the risks were beginning to mount
enough to create real problems. Ultimately Thiokol and
Newport News built a propellant stage large enough to
proof and then burst test.
The test was a complete failure!
The stage burst at much less than working pressure at one
of the weldments. They lost the competition to go
forward with their design, and we breathed a sigh of relief
that we had the sense to pull out when we did.
Incidentally, this program never went much further.
NASA decided that large pressure-fed liquid propellant
launch vehicles were not going to be competitive with the
existing technology pump-fed cryogenic liquid systems
or solid propellant boosters. We sure learned a lot, and
thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of forming a team to
work this kind of product. Ultimately it was sort of like
finding the cure for which no disease existed.