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ATK Rocket Motors Launch Space Shuttle Endeavour on Mission to International Space Station

Dec 6, 2001

ATK (Alliant Techsystems)(NYSE: ATK) said two reusable solid rocket motors manufactured by its Aerospace Group helped launch NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., yesterday.

Manufactured by ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company, Promontory, Utah -- the world's leading supplier of solid propellant rocket motors -- the Space Shuttle reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse.

"ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company has a long tradition of supporting NASA's space shuttle missions with the RSRM, beginning with the first shuttle flight in 1981," said Gerald Smith, president. "We are proud to carry on this tradition with this sixth and final shuttle mission of 2001, which is taking a new resident crew and supplies to the International Space Station."

Key facts about the Space Shuttle RSRM:
-- Each RSRM consists of 11 case segments designed for reuse up to 20 launches or static tests.
-- The RSRMs provide 71 percent of thrust at liftoff and during first-stage ascent.
-- From ignition to end of burn, each RSRM generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds and burns for approximately 124 seconds.
-- Each motor is just over 126 feet long and 12 feet in diameter. The entire booster -- including nose cap, frustum, and forward and aft skirts -- is approximately 149 feet long. Of the motor's total approximate weight of 1.25 million pounds, propellant accounts for approximately 1.1 million pounds.
-- By the time the RSRMs have completed their task, the space shuttle orbiter has reached an altitude of 24 nautical miles and is traveling at a speed in excess of 3,000 miles per hour.
-- With safety, quality, and reliability as their primary objectives, engineers from ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company direct approximately 110,000 quality-control inspections on each RSRM flight set.

In addition to the rotation of the International Space Station crew, highlights of the 11-day Endeavour mission include the fourth flight of an Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module delivering equipment and supplies to the space station, and a space walk to install thermal blankets over two pieces of equipment at the bases of the space station's solar wings.

Endeavour is also carrying 6,000 American flags that will be given to the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks after the flight -- as well as flags recovered from the World Trade Center and Pentagon and one from Pennsylvania, and the badges of 23 New York City police officers and 343 patches for the city firefighters killed at the World Trade Center.

ATK is a $1.7 billion aerospace and defense company with leading positions in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, and precision capabilities. The company, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately 9,700 people and has two business segments: Aerospace and Defense. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/

SOURCE: Alliant Techsystems

Contact: Media, Rod Bitz, +1-952-351-3063, rod_bitz@atk.com, or
Investors, Steve Wold, +1-952-351-3056, steve_wold@atk.com, both of Alliant Techsystems