NASA Surpasses Test Facility Record with J-2X Powerpack Test

June 8, 2012

Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
jbuck@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: 12-167

NASA SURPASSES TEST FACILITY RECORD WITH J-2X POWERPACK TEST

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St.
Louis, Miss., broke its own record Friday when it conducted a test on
the new J-2X powerpack. The test lasted for 1,150 seconds, surpassing
the previous record by more than a full minute.

For NASA, the test marked a milestone step in development of a
next-generation rocket engine to carry humans deeper into space than
ever before. For Stennis, the 19-minute, 10-second test represented
the longest duration firing ever conducted in the center's A Test
Complex.

"This is the longest and the most complex J-2X test profile to date,"
said Mike Kynard, NASA's Space Launch System liquid engines element
manager. "By combining as many test objectives as we can, we aim to
get the most out of every opportunity and work as affordability and
efficiently as possible while maintaining a reasonable level of
risk."

The powerpack is a system of components on the top portion of the J-2X
engine, including the gas generator, oxygen and fuel turbopumps, and
related ducts and valves. As designed, the powerpack system feeds the
thrust chamber system, which produces engine thrust. By removing the
thrust chamber assembly, including the main combustion chamber, main
injector and nozzle, engineers can push more easily the
turbomachinery components over a wide range of conditions to
demonstrate durability and safety margins.

"Setting a new record for the longest duration test on one of our
stands in the A complex is a testament to the longevity and
versatility of our testing facilities," said Randy Galloway,
engineering and test director at Stennis. "These stands, originally
built in the 1960s to test the stages for the Apollo Program, then
used for the Space Shuttle Program, now are being used to test for
the next generation vehicle that will take us farther than we have
ever gone."

This record-breaking test explored numerous operating points required
for the fuel and oxidizer turbopumps. The results of this test will
be useful for determining performance and hardware life for the J-2X
engine turbopumps. The test also allowed operators to calibrate flow
meters on the stand, which measure the amount of liquid hydrogen and
liquid oxygen delivered to the powerpack.

Before the powerpack test, the longest firing in Stennis' A Test
Complex occurred in August 1989, with a 1,075-second test of a space
shuttle main engine. The B Test Complex still claims the record for
test duration at more than 2,000 seconds.

The J-2X engine is the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid
hydrogen rocket engine to be developed in four decades. It will power
the upper stage of NASA's evolved Space Launch System, an advanced
heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new national
capability for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is developing the J-2X engine for NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The June 8 test is part of a second series of firings on the
powerpack. NASA engineers performed an initial test of an Apollo-era
powerpack at Stennis in 2008.

For information about Stennis, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/stennis

For more information about NASA exploration, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration


-end-



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