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SSME Gimbal Bolt Mission: STS-55 Columbia   Crew: Steven R. Nagel Terence T. Henricks Jerry L. Ross Charles J. Precourt Bernard A. Harris Jr. Ulrich Walter Hans Schlegel Launch: April 26, 1993   Landing: May 6, 1993   Duration: 9 days, 23 hours   Comment: Fourth SSME pad abort in Space Shuttle history This bolt and nut set were part of Columbia's main engines (SSME) gimbal bearing, which acts as the thrust interface between the engine and orbiter. They were disposed after STS-55 when they were deemed to have achieved "torque cycle limits." Engineers working for the Lockheed Space Operations Company identified the bolts as uneconomical to repair. The accompanying paperwork lists the value of each bolt at $550.00 per unit, with each nut worth $161.75. back to Artifacts © 1999-2008 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. Questions? E-mail contact@collectspace.com