Word: nitrosilicon
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...most important changes are a new material for the O rings (probably a nitrosilicon rubber), which NASA expects to pass tests down to 31 degrees, and a small heater installed at each joint, just in case. Another is a "capture latch," a metal lip containing an added O ring, which would force escaping gas to turn an extra corner and lose momentum. The maximum distance that joints can pull apart under the stress of launch will be reduced from the current one thirty-thousandth of an inch to one-fifth that figure. A "vulcanized, rubbery substance" will replace the putty...
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