Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979/5241
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov / j.d.harrington@nasa.gov
Jennifer Stanfield
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
jennifer.m.stanfield@nasa.gov
Rebecca Strecker
Stennis Space Center, Miss.
228-688-3249
rebecca.a.strecker@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 12-030
NASA'S J-2X ENGINE KICKS OFF 2012 WITH POWERPACK TESTING
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- A new series of tests on the engine that will
help carry humans to deep space will begin next week at NASA's
Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi. The tests on the J-2X
engine bring NASA one step closer to the first human-rated liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen rocket engine to be developed in 40 years.
Tests will focus on the powerpack for the J-2X. This highly efficient
and versatile advanced rocket engine is being designed to power the
upper stage of NASA's Space Launch System, a new heavy-lift launch
vehicle capable of missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The powerpack
comprises components on the top portion of the engine, including the
gas generator, oxygen and fuel turbopumps, and related ducts and
valves that bring the propellants together to create combustion and
generate thrust.
"The J-2X upper stage engine is vital to achieving the full launch
capability of the heavy-lift Space Launch System," said William
Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for the Human
Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "The testing today
will help insure that a key propulsion element is ready to support
exploration across the solar system."
About a dozen powerpack tests of varying lengths are slated now
through summer at Stennis' A-1 Test Stand. By separating the engine
components -- the thrust chamber assembly, including the main
combustion chamber, main injector and nozzle -- engineers can more
easily push the various components to operate over a wide range of
conditions to ensure the parts' integrity, demonstrate the safety
margin and better understand how the turbopumps operate.
"By varying the pressures, temperatures and flow rates, the powerpack
test series will evaluate the full range of operating conditions of
the engine components," said Tom Byrd, J-2X engine lead in the SLS
Liquid Engines Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala. "This will enable us to verify the components'
design and validate our analytical models against performance data,
as well as ensure structural stability and verify the combustion
stability of the gas generator."
This is the second powerpack test series for J-2X. The powerpack 1A
was tested in 2008 with J-2S engine turbomachinery originally
developed for the Apollo Program. Engineers tested these heritage
components to obtain data to help them modify the design of the
turbomachinery to meet the higher performance requirements of the
J-2X engine.
"The test engineers on the A-1 test team are excited and ready to
begin another phase of testing which will provide critical data in
support of the Space Launch System," said Gary Benton, J-2X engine
testing project manager at Stennis.
J-2X is being developed for Marshall by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of
Canoga Park, Calif.
For more information on the J-2X engine, visit:
For more information on the Space Launch System, visit:
-end-
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