[wolfpat]

IIRC, NASA wanted to use a liquid booster, but the solid boosters were manufactured in Walter Mondale’s district, so that’s what they had to use.

[Atlas Sneezed]

IIRC, NASA wanted to use a liquid booster, but the solid boosters were manufactured in Walter Mondale’s district, so that’s what they had to use.

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Mondale was a Senator, and Senators have states, not Districts.

Mondale was from Minnesota. Morton-Thiokol isn’t in that state.

Try again.

[Nik Naym]

No. Walter Mondale was not from Utah.

But it WAS politics that made them require multi section solid boosters. The boosters had to be made in sections so they could be transported from Utah. I can’t remember which pork grabbing congresscritter was in Utah at the time (early 70s) that got this pushed through as a price for his support.

The boosters could have been single piece if they were made near the point of use.

Solid boosters are scary because they can not be stopped or even throttled once they ignite. But they easier and cheaper to handle.