The Faring

The Centaur nose faring consists of two major elements, a conical/cylindrical fiberglass 
section and the aluminum split barrel section. The faring is attached to the stub adapter 
until the faring halves are jettisoned. They are jettisoned during the first Centaur burn. 
The fiberglass section is 29 feet long and 10 feet in diameter. The split barrel is 56 
inches long and 10 feet in diameter. It has four doors, one in each quadrant, for access to 
the equipment module.

The two faring halves are held together by 12 explosive bolts mounted along the vertical 
split line. Eight explosive bolts attach the faring to the stub adapter. Separation force 
is provided by two springs held compressed by the shroud halves and located at the forward 
end of the faring.