Thruster Tests Complete for NASA Partner Boeing's Crew Capsule

June 26, 2012

Trent Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0321
trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov

Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov

Susan Wells
The Boeing Co.
321-264-8580
susan.h.wells@boeing.com

Erin Dick / Carri Karuhn
Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne
818-586-4977 / 818-586-4963
erin.dick@pwr.utc.com / carri.karuhn@pwr.utc.com

RELEASE: 12-214

THRUSTER TESTS COMPLETE FOR NASA PARTNER BOEING'S CREW CAPSULE

CANOGA PARK, Calif. -- Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne has successfully
completed a series of tests on a thruster destined for Boeing's
Commercial Space Transportation spacecraft, designated CST-100.

Boeing is one of several companies working to develop crew
transportation capabilities under the Commercial Crew Development
Round 2 agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The goal of
the program is to help spur innovation and development of safe,
reliable and cost-effective spacecraft and launch vehicles capable of
transporting astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International
Space Station.

Twenty-four thrusters will be part of the spacecraft's orbital
maneuvering and attitude control system (OMAC), giving the CST-100
the ability to maneuver in space and during re-entry. The thrusters
also will allow the spacecraft to separate from its launch vehicle if
an abort becomes necessary during launch or ascent.

"Boeing and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne know what it takes to develop
safe systems and subsystems," said NASA Commercial Crew Program
Manager Ed Mango. "They're building on the successes of their past,
while pushing the envelope with next-generation ideas to create a
spacecraft for low Earth orbit transportation."

During tests conducted at the White Sands Space Harbor in Las Cruces,
N.M., an OMAC thruster was fired in a vacuum chamber that simulated a
space-like environment of 100,000 feet. The tests verified the
durability of the thrusters in extreme heat, evaluated the opening
and closing of its valves and confirmed continuous combustion and
performance.

"We're excited about the performance of the engine during the testing
and confident the OMAC thrusters will affordably meet operational
needs for safe, reliable human spaceflight," said Terry Lorier, Pratt
and Whitney Rocketdyne's Commercial Crew Development program manager.


All of NASA's industry partners, including Boeing, continue to meet
their established milestones in developing commercial crew
transportation capabilities.

NASA also is developing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System
(SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket that will provide an
entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo
missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low Earth
orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system.


For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew


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