Thiokol Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

The Thiokol Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster was the first solid fuel rocket used to propel a manned space vehicle into orbit and the most powerful rocket motor ever launched, producing more than three million pounds of thrust. Developed specifically for the Space Shuttle program in the 1970s, the first booster was ground tested in July 1977. The boosters were reusable, detaching after launch and parachuting into the Atlantic Ocean for recovery by vessel. This example combines real and replica parts: its main body has four sections, two made of steel like those used in Space Shuttle launches and two made of filament wound composite material as experimental designs intended for shuttles launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After those launches were cancelled, the redesigned sections were never used. The nose cone and rear are metal and fiberglass mockups added to complete the booster for display. It was previously displayed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before being transferred with another booster and the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the California Science Center in 2011, and in 2016 it was donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum and moved by truck to Arizona from storage at Edwards Air Force Base.

Tucson, Arizona · United States