Hello everybody,
by a contribution in the
ARC Forum meanwhile a few new insights to the
AFTCs resulted, over which I would like to report briefly.
First of all, there is this photo from an interesting perspective looking at the lower edge of the
SRB-Aft Skirt, where the individual ASTC segments are also glued over with silver cover strips, as in the
STS-1 photo.
Source: georgesrockets.com
And from the same source also comes this great photo here of the
Columbia, but unfortunately without specifying the mission.
Source: georgesrockets.com
This for me so far unknown source is the website
George's Rocket Pages of
George Gassaway, which according to my previous overview I deem for
the ultimate treasure trove for all shuttle scratch modelers,
if only because of the valuable collection of detailed drawings there, which are coming just in time for the modeling of the
ASTCs and especially of the
ET-Intertank,
which is why I have now modified my sketch for the third time, but of course all good things come in threes.
And therefore once more back to this awesome Hi-Res SRB photo from the
STS-121 (2006), where one can even see the cords with which the AFTCs were sewn together. But so far I did not know if these seams still were covered with stripes before the launch as one could see on the already shown
STS-1 photo.
Source: NASA
But on this photo from
Endeavour's last mission
STS-134 (2011) one can see the same kind of ASTC segments with cords but without stripes.
Source: NASA
And in this sence now to an awesome NASA video,
"Best of the Best" of Shuttle Launches, that many of you will surely know already.
This video from the
Glenn Research Center highlights in stunning imagery in slow motion the launches of three Space shuttle missions:
STS-114,
STS-117, and
STS-124.
And there one can see from
6:28 the Aft Skirts with the
ASTCs, the segments of which have no cover stripes like in this shot at
7:37.
This video is so overwhelming and unique that one can watch it again and again in full length.
