Thiokol Chemical Corp. - 1930 dated Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian Banknote Company. Thiokol (variously Thiokol Chemical Corporation(/Company), Morton Thiokol Inc. (MTI), Cordant Technologies Inc., Thiokol Propulsion, AIC (Alcoa Industrial Components) Group, then part of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) Inc., then ATK Thiokol, ATK Launch Systems Group; finally Orbital ATK before becoming part of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and Northrop Grumman) was an USA corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems. The Thiokol Chemical Company was founded in 1929. Its initial business was a range of synthetic rubber and polymer sealants. Thiokol was a major supplier of liquid polymer sealants during World War II. When scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered that Thiokol's polymers made ideal binders for solid rocket fuels, Thiokol moved into the new field, opening laboratories at Elkton, Maryland, and later production facilities at Elkton and at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville produced the XM33 Pollux, TX-18 Falcon, and TX-135 Nike-Zeus systems. It closed in 1996.

In the mid-1950s the company bought extensive lands in Utah for its rocket test range. During its existence, Thiokol was involved in two notable loss of life incidents. On February 3, 1971, at a Thiokol chemical plant southeast of Woodbine, Georgia, a fire entered a storage facility holding nearly five tons of ignition pellets, flares, and other highly flammable materials. The facility exploded, killing 29 people and severely wounding more than 50 others, including many with severed limbs. Windows were shattered 11 miles (18 km) from the site and the explosion was heard for 50 miles (80 km) around. Georgia law prevented employees from suing their employer because they were covered by workers' compensation insurance. On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. An investigation found the cause was two O-ring seals in the Space Shuttle's right solid rocket booster, which had been manufactured by Morton Thiokol. Test data from as early as 1977 had revealed a potentially catastrophic flaw in the O-rings in low-temperature situations, but neither Morton Thiokol nor NASA addressed or corrected the issue. Shortly before takeoff, several Morton Thiokol engineers recommended calling off the launch until temperatures at Cape Canaveral increased, but they were overruled by company management. Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiokol

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