Новости P&W Rocketdyne

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http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/09/14/01.xml&headline=PWR%20Plans%20Next-Gen%20Engine%20Test%20Rig

PWR Plans Next-Gen Engine Test Rig
Sep 14, 2011
 
By Guy Norris

LOS ANGELES – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) is assembling parts for an RLXX demonstrator rig that it hopes will be a pathfinder for a next-generation U.S. upper-stage engine by around 2017.

Progress on the rig comes as the U.S. Air Force studies requirements for a next-generation engine (NGE) and as competitors such as Aerojet call for a competition to succeed PWR's venerable RL10.

The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center issued a request for information in 2010 for an NGE to replace the RL10 by 2017 amid concerns that the engine is reaching its design limits and costing more as PWR's customer base shrinks with the retirement of the space shuttle. Two variants of the RL10 power the upper stages of the Air Force's Atlas V and Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV).

"We think the RLXX is the evolutionary path to the NGE. We don't think starting from scratch is the right way to go," says Steve Bouley, PWR's vice president for launch vehicle and hypersonic systems. The company has completed assembly of an advanced single-shaft turbopump and smooth-walled, copper-milled combustor, similar to those used in the RS-68 and J-2X. "We have hardware ready to go and we're putting together the demonstrator RLXX rig," Bouley says.

Aimed at a 35,000-lb.-thrust-class "sweet spot," the rig is a systems-level demonstrator, Bouley says, rather than a flight-weight prototype.

"Seeing as there isn't a hard configuration as far as the Air Force goes yet, we're building a systems-level demonstrator. We've been spending internal research and development money to reach a technology readiness level [TRL], and we'll be at TRL 6 [ready for full-scale development] at the entry point."

Testing is set to take place next year over the second and third quarters at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., facility. "We're probably at the TRL 4-5 level today and we're honing them into a representative systems level," Bouley says. "The RLXX and NGE ought to capture as much of the heritage as they can, and we want to stay with the current cycle. It is right and the closest match to what the upper-stage capabilities are today."

PWR is testing an RL10C development engine as part of a program to convert RL10Bs for use in Atlas V launchers (Aerospace DAILY, April 13).

The conversion effort, which PWR views as forming part of the evolutionary path to NGE, also "gives us a chance for a production break," Bouley says.

PWR is meanwhile reworking the large number of excess RL10B-2 engines in the inventory into a new common RL10C variant that incorporates the best of the B-2 and A-4, and can be used on the Atlas V and potentially the Common Centaur.

The first RL10C development engine is running at West Palm Beach, and completed its sixth test in early September. "The engine is performing well and meeting predictions, so we're happy," Bouley says. The effort "will facilitate RL10C-1 conversion, which will allow the B-2 configuration to be converted and fly on the Atlas V," he adds. The C-2 conversions will fly on the Delta IV.

The Air Force plans to continue using the EELV family through 2030 and, according to the request for information, wants a new "upper-stage engine utilizing modern design and manufacturing methods ... that will demonstrate state-of-the-art operating margin and reliability and minimize life-cycle costs."

Bouley says that EELV-operator United Launch Alliance "does not see a hard requirement for an NGE." ULA has, however, begun a joint effort with XCOR Aerospace to develop a low-cost, flight-ready liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen upper-stage engine.

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http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18898237

Rocketdyne set to build engines to power rocket
By Gregory J. Wilcox, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/15/2011 01:00:00 AM PDT


The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne next-generation J-2X engine undergoes a combined chill test and 1.9-second ignition test on July 14, 2011 at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. (Photo courtesy Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne)

When and if astronauts finally blast off for deep space, their monster rocket would be powered by liquid-hydrogen engines designed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in Canoga Park.

According to plans unveiled Wednesday by NASA, five Rocketdyne RS-25D/E engines producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust would launch the 34-story rocket, while the company's J-2X engine would propel the second stage of the spacecraft.

"It was a long time coming, but we are really glad," Rocketdyne Vice President John Vilja said. "There is a lot open to question, but this is a great first step."


The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne next-generation J-2X engine 10001 is fully installed in the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. (Photo courtesy Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne)

Vilja said that is too early to estimate what kind of an economic impact Rocketdyne could receive from the Space Launch System, which depends on congressional approval and funding. The company also manufactured engines for the space shuttle, and had a round of layoffs after that program ended this summer.

"It depends on the launch rate more than anything else," he said. "It would be nice to recall some of those people we've laid off, but we'll just have to see how much funding comes from NASA."

The RS-25D/E engine is similar to those that launched the shuttle. It is being re-engineered to be only a single-use engine, which Vilja said will significantly reduce the production cost.

The company also is designing the new heavy-lift J-2X engine, which has had three successful tests at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

According to NASA, the giant rocket will be powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel.

NASA's timetable calls for the first unmanned test flight in 2017, a manned mission in 2021 and then voyages to an asteroid and Mars.

Vilja thinks testing could start sooner since the engine technology is close to ready.

"We'd like to work with NASA to see what we could do to bring that forward ... to get more bang for the buck," he said.

John Blank, deputy chief economist at the Kyser Center for Economic Research in Los Angeles, said NASA's decision could boost the region's economy.

"This is great news. We certainly need to have something turn around and this has to be part of that story. It's a shred of optimism," he said.

And the region is already participating in the privatization of space, he noted.

"However this evolves, we're part of both now. It's the perfect spot to be in," he said.

But blasting into space's next frontier comes with a $35 billion price tag and, given the current political landscape, is sure to generate sharp debate.

Blank said that price should not be an issue despite the nation's financial challenges.

"Thirty-five billion over the years is peanuts, frankly. It not going to change that (economic) dynamic one way or the other," he said.

In its announcement NASA said that the decision to go with the same fuel system for the core and the upper stage was based on an analysis demonstrating that the use of common components can reduce costs and increase flexibility.

That is going to be a hard sell to some.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, the only Californian on the congressional subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, is dead set against the new NASA launch system.

"This program is just fundamentally wrong," said Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach.

"What we're doing is investing, from my perspective, in old technology," he said. "This might as well be a Saturn rocket that we used in the 1960s."

He would like to see a system that uses space-based fueling platforms for NASA's next-generation effort.

"There are more viable and more creative ways of approaching the creation of a space transport system," Rohrabacher said.

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/j2x/
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/528269main_J-2X_Facts2011.pdf

[Космос-3794]

Pratt & Whitney рассматривает возможность продажи Rocketdyne, купленного в 2005 за $700 млн. Потенциальные покупатели - Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) или GenCorp Inc.

With support to explore outer space waning in Congress, Pratt & Whitney's president said the company is considering a sale of its Rocketdyne division.
David Hess, president of East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney, told reporters at Reuters annual Aerospace and Defense Summit, that Pratt had fielded interest in the California rocket-making division.
Later, Hess clarified that the sale was not imminent, but was a possible option, matching comments by a local analyst that does not expect Pratt to let the company go at a bargain price.
"With the lack of a clearly defined future path for human space exploration we are exploring all of our options with Rocketdyne," Hess said in an emailed statement Wednesday. "Clearly we like the Rocketdyne technology that we've been able to leverage into our business and the highly skilled workforce. But, given the uncertainty in the space business today, we need to evaluate all our options and make decisions to ensure we're best positioned for profitability and future growth."
Pratt, a division of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp., acquired Rocketdyne in 2005 for $700 million. A sale of Rocketdyne would not impact Connecticut's work force, as Rocketdyne's facilities are in California, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.
Shares in UTC gained $2.46, or 3.5 percent, to close at $72.96 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
...there are really only two companies that could probably buy Rocketdyne: Alliant Techsystems Inc. or GenCorp Inc. Other space operations are too new and lack the financial strength to buy Rocketdyne

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Pratt-might-jettison-Rocketdyne-2159907.php#ixzz1YBsVP012

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http://www.pratt-whitney.com/media_center/press_releases/2011/03_mar/3-14-2011_12012115.asp

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Successfully Hot-Fire Tests Launch Abort Demonstration Engine for Boeing's CST-100 Spacecraft

CANOGA PARK, Calif., March 14, 2011 – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests of the Bantam demonstration engine for an innovative "pusher" launch abort system on The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft. The launch abort engine is a critical component of future commercial crew transportation to low-Earth orbit. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.

A pusher launch abort system "pushes" or propels a spacecraft toward safety if a launch abort is needed and, if unused for an abort, the propellant can be used for other portions of the mission. The tests were conducted on a new test stand in the California desert.

"The successful engine test series was Boeing's last major milestone under our current Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement with NASA. It validates our technical approach for a pusher launch abort system," said Keith Reiley, deputy program manager, Commercial Crew programs, Boeing. "With this system, we can use the abort fuel to re-boost the space station orbit, which is an added benefit to NASA and Bigelow Aerospace. This is a significant step in our plan to provide safe, reliable and affordable crew and passenger transportation to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations."

"The engine performance was stable during the full-duration tests, achieving 52,000 to 54,000 pounds of thrust, and the hardware was in excellent condition after the tests," said Terry Lorier, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Bantam program manager supporting Boeing's Commercial Crew programs. "The tests validated operating conditions during engine start-up and shut down, provided key thermal and analytical data, and met or exceeded all contract requirements. We are extremely pleased with the latest test demonstration's rapid success in validating a key element of Boeing's launch abort system, and look forward to continuing our partnership with Boeing in pursuit of the next-generation, commercial human-rated spacecraft."

Boeing is advancing the design of the CST-100 under a Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement with NASA. When development is completed, the vehicle will be capable of transporting people to the International Space Station and other future low-Earth orbit destinations. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is operating under a fixed price contract to Boeing to reduce risk and demonstrate the applicability of the Bantam engine to Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft.

View related .

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is headquartered in Canoga Park, Calif., and has facilities in Huntsville, Ala.; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Stennis Space Center, Miss. For more information about Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, go to www.prattwhitneyrocketdyne.com.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries

[Космос-3794]

Pratt & Whitney Chief Applauds SLS Decision[/u]

NASA's announcement that it will move forward with a heavy-lift launch vehicle that takes advantage of previous investments in the space shuttle and a now-defunct follow-on program could breathe new life into Pratt & Whitney's rocket propulsion division, a senior company executive said.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a major contractor on the now-retired space shuttle program, has been in limbo ever since the White House canceled a follow-on program dubbed Constellation, which was to leverage propulsion hardware built or under development by the company. Industry officials have acknowledged in recent months that Pratt & Whitney was considering a sale of the business.

Pratt & Whitney President David Hess said that while the company's liquid-fueled rocket engine business has been forced to lay off personnel, NASA's Sept. 14 Space Launch System (SLS) announcement offers new hope. Hess was speaking that same day here at a luncheon organized by the Aerospace Industries Association during which industry executives urged the government to spare the Defense Department from the deep |budget cuts apparently in |store for U.S. government |agencies.

"Looks like there is the new Space Launch System announcement going on as we speak right now," Hess said. "Maybe there is a direction now."

The multibillion-dollar Space Launch System, coupled with the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, is intended to support astronaut missions to deep space destinations while serving as a government-owned backup to commercially operated crew taxis for the international space station. Both vehicles were mandated by Congress in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, which U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law in October.

Hess cautioned that even though NASA now appears to be moving forward on the Space Launch System, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is not yet ready to commit to rehiring employees who were laid off as the space shuttle program wound down. The space shuttle's last flight occurred in July.

"When we started letting go our engineers, those who worked on these model programs will retire or move on to other industries. Those reductions will continue until there is something that succeeds the [Space Shuttle program]," he said.

[Salo]

Космос-3794 пишет:

NASA PR — NASA conducted a 40-second test of the J-2X rocket engine Sept. 28, the most recent in a series of tests of the next-generation engine sel ected as part of the Space Launch System architecture that will once again carry humans into deep space. It was a test at the 99 percent power level to gain a better understanding of start and shutdown systems as well as modifications that had been made fr om previous test firing results.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=22941&media_id=113620611

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Видео:
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/09/30/nasa-conducts-j-2x-engine-test-firing/

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http://www.spacenews.com/military/111007-aerojet-pw-contracts-interceptor.html

Fri, 7 October, 2011
Aerojet, Pratt & Whitney Win Contracts for Components of Next-gen Interceptor
By Rachel Bernstein

 WASHINGTON — Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will design competing steering-thruster mechanisms for a planned next-generation missile interceptor under contracts announced Oct. 3 by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

 Each company will design a divert and attitude control system thruster assembly for possible use on the planned Standard Missile (SM)-3 Block 2B interceptor, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said. The thruster assemblies are used to steer the interceptor's warhead, or kill vehicle, to its target.

 The SM-3 Block 2B, also known as the Next Generation Aegis Missile, is an upgraded variant of the Raytheon-built SM-3 Block 1A interceptor currently deployed aboard U.S. Navy ships. Slated for deployment around 2020, the Block 2B would have greater capability than previous SM-3 variants and is slated for a key role in protecting Europe in a ground-basing mode.

 Aerojet of Sacramento will design and test components for its Block 2B steering assembly under a $15.4 million contract. Canoga Park, Calif.-based Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's competing contract is valued at $13.9 million.

 The contracts run from September of this year through September 2013. At that point, one company's control system will be sel ected by the MDA's director for the final missile project.

 Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the SM-3 incumbent, are developing competing designs for the Block 2B upgrade. The MDA hopes to select a prime contractor for the next-generation interceptor in 2013.

 The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed canceling development of the Block 2B missile in its version of the 2012 defense spending bill, which was drafted in September. The committee said the MDA has enough on its hands with two other SM-3 upgrades, the Block 1B and Block 2A, already in development.

 The House version of the defense spending bill recommends fully funding the Block 2B program next year at $123.5 million.

 MDA spokesman Richard Lehner said in an emailed response to questions that the agency is pressing ahead with Block 2B development despite the budgetary uncertainty.

 "There is no [final] defense bill yet, so speculation about future funding for the 2B is pointless," Lehner said.

 The MDA has developed guidelines to ensure the free flow of technical information between the companies competing for the SM-3 Block 2B prime contract and prospective component suppliers like Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Lehner said.

 By early 2013, Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne are expected to have developed and tested parts of the control system. The companies also are expected to deliver prototype designs.

 Meanwhile, the MDA awarded a $9 million contract to Alliant Techsystems (ATK) of Minneapolis to develop and test third-stage rocket motor technologies for the Block 2B. That contract runs through December 2012, according to the MDA. The agency has a previously announced contract with Aerojet for similar third-stage design work.

 Lehner said the MDA opted to do early risk reduction work on the Block 2B third stage because it is expected to be more technologically challenging than the first two stages of the vehicle.

 "Data fr om both Aerojet and ATK concepts will be made available to all three of the prime contracting teams," Lehner said. "The prime contractor who eventually gets the missile contract will determine who builds the third stage rocket motor."

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instml пишет:

The Past, Powering the Future

All six Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines fr om Endeavour's STS-134 and Atlantis' STS-135 missions sit in test cells inside the Engine Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time, all 15 shuttle main engines are in the shop at the same time, being prepped for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, wh ere they are being repurposed for use on NASA's next generation heavy lift rocket, the Space Launch System.

Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2084.html

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http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/11/08/01.xml&headline=NASA%20To%20Try%20Full-Duration%20J-2X%20Engine%20Test

NASA To Try Full-Duration J-2X Engine Test

 Nov 9, 2011

 By Frank Morring, Jr.

Rocket engineers at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi are slated to attempt a 500-sec. hot-fire test of the J-2X engine this week, running the Saturn-heritage upper-stage propulsion system through a full-duration burn for the first time.

Formerly the pacing item in the development of the terminated Ares I crew launch vehicle, testing of the human-rated J-2X is being slowed to free funds for development of a throwaway version of the space shuttle main engine (SSME) that is also baselined for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) that NASA is building in lieu of the Ares launch family started under the Constellation program. But the upcoming test is a critical milestone in the development of what is planned to be the next U.S. government space launch vehicle.

The test comes after an unexpected automatic shutdown earlier this month 140 sec. into a hot-fire test of the sole J-2X development engine. The shutdown was attributed to a programming error. Mike Kynard, a NASA manager for liquid-propellant engine developments on the SLS, says the problem occurred when a redline designed to protect hardware during some propellant-pressure variations that started at the 140-sec. mark in the test was entered as a maximum rather than a minimum. As a result, the redline triggered the shutdown at the beginning of the planned pressure excursion. "It was simply human error," Kynard tells Aviation Week in an interview here.

With the redline reset and other specifics checked carefully, the program is ready to go for the full-duration burn on Nov. 9. "The engine was running strong, and we didn't have any indication that the engine couldn't have run for the full 500" sec. in the most recent test, Kynard says.

That test will set up a two-year trial series with four J-2X development engines and other test articles that will lead to a milestone the engine program calls "basic development complete." After that, the J-2X development essentially will be put on hold until 2017-18.

The change of pace from rapid development of the J-2X for Ares will allow the reorganized liquid-fueled engines office here to stay within its expected $250 million annual budget as it completes the upper-stage engine, prepares the 15 surplus RS-25D reusable SSMEs for early flights of the SLS, and works with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to develop a less-expensive RS-25E variant to power the core stage of the big new rocket.

"Because we don't know exactly what SLS will need from a certification standpoint now, we've taken the certification segment and said we'll push that out a little bit," Kynard says. "That allows us to get the yearly budget profile down to the point that we can focus on 25D and E and get those guys up and going."

The engine office will continue testing the J-2X at Stennis, running through the test series with the first engine — No. 10,001 — before moving on in January to detailed testing with a powerpack article consisting of the gas generator and turbomachinery.

After that work, which will push the powerpack to "the corners of the envelope," Kynard says, the program will move on to testing with the next three development engines: 10,002, 10,003 and 10,004

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/11/11/11.xml&headline=J-2X%20Engine%20Goes%20Full%20Duration%20In%20Test

J-2X Engine Goes Full Duration In Test

Nov 11, 2011
 
By Frank Morring, Jr.

NASA's J-2X upper-stage engine ran through a 500-sec. hot-fire test Nov. 9, achieving full duration for the terminated Ares I crew launch vehicle it was designed to power and passing a crucial hurdle for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) that will use it instead.

"Based on a quick look, it performed exactly as we expected it to," said Mike Kynard, SLS engines element manager at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, after the test at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. "If we find issues we'll take care of it; first look, it ran great."

The test came less than two weeks after another one cut short at 140 sec. because of what Kynard termed "human error" in setting software redlines to prevent damage to the sole J-2X development engine. Even so, the earlier test demonstrated that the engine was ready for a full-duration burn and cleared the way for the Nov. 9 test.

Based on the upper-stage engines developed for the Saturn V Moon rocket, the J-2X is designed to produce 294,000 lb. of thrust on ascent to orbit, and 242,000 lb. of thrust to move an upper stage beyond low Earth orbit.

The test was the eighth in the series with the engine designated 10001. Each development engine is built to withstand 28 tests.

Four complete engines are scheduled for the development-test series, plus an assessment with a powerpack article that includes the gas generator and turbomachinery.

During the test, the engine burned some 100,000 gal. of liquid hydrogen and 30,000 gal. of liquid oxygen, at a one-time cost Kynard put at $350,000.

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NASA Fleshes Out SLS Development Schedule
 
 Nov 14, 2011
 
 By Frank Morring, Jr., Jefferson Morris
 Marshall Space Flight Center, Washington

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awst/2011/11/14/AW_11_14_2011_p39-392423.xml&headline=NASA%20Fleshes%20Out%20SLS%20Development%20Schedule&next=10

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/12/09/video-nasa-conducts-stability-test-firing-of-j-2x-engine/

Video: NASA Conducts Stability Test Firing of J-2X Engine

Posted by Doug Messier on December 9, 2011, at 6:42 am



NASA conducted a key stability test firing of the J-2X rocket engine Dec. 1, marking another step forward in development of the upper-stage engine that will carry humans farther into space than ever before.

The Dec. 1 test firing focused on characterizing the new engine's combustion stability, a critical area of development. During the test firing, a controlled explosion was initiated inside the engine's combustion chamber to introduce an energetic pulse of vibrations not expected during nominal operations. Data from this and future combustion stability tests will help engineers understand more about the engine's performance and robustness during engine operation.

The J-2X engine was test fired on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center, in south Mississippi. The engine is being developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It will provide upper-stage power for NASA's new Space Launch System. The SLS will carry the Orion spacecraft, its crew, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space — providing a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching the moon, asteroids and other destinations in the solar system.

[Salo]

instml пишет:

NASA Performs First J-2X Powerpack Test of the Year
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/j2x/12-016.html

Видео:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=132719361

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=132719361

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http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2169

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2012/03/13/05.xml&headline=PWR%20Analyzing%20CST-100%20Abort%20Engine%20Tests

PWR Analyzing CST-100 Abort Engine Tests

 Mar 13, 2012

 By Guy Norris

LOS ANGELES — Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) is analyzing data from the first hot-fire tests of a development launch abort engine (LAE) for Boeing's CST-100 commercial crew vehicle.

The engine is a lighter, higher-performance evolution of the Bantam demonstration engine tested in March 2011 for the "pusher" launch abort system, a critical component of the planned transport. Unlike the tower-mounted tractor abort system used by Apollo and other programs, a pusher system propels a spacecraft toward safety if an abort occurs. Tractor systems are ejected after launch, but pusher systems remain with the vehicle to orbit, and the unused propellant can go toward other portions of the mission, developers say.

The initial hot-fire tests, conducted at the Polaris-operated Mojave Test Range north of Edwards AFB, Calif. on March 8-9, were completed with a 5.5-sec. run on March 9. Fueled by pressure-fed nitrogen tetroxide/monomethyl hydrazine, the LAE is treated with ablative materials in the nozzle, throat and injector. "The original Bantam had film-cooling, so that decreased performance. With ablatives, we don't have that," says Terry Lorier, PWR launch abort program manager.

The LAE's heritage goes back to the 1990s when it was originally launched as part of NASA's search for a super lightweight engine under the Fastrac program. A derivative of the Bantam was later developed by Rocketdyne as the RS-88 for use on Lockheed Martin's Pad Abort Demonstration vehicle. Powered by four RS-88s, this was designed as the abort system for NASA's Orbital Space Plane planned as part of the Space Launch Initiative Cycle 2 TA-10 program.

Although the RS-88 ran a series of 14 successful hot-fire tests, the program was later canceled. "When Boeing approached us on CST-100, we looked at our heritage programs to see what would be the most logical bridge program and had the lowest risk. We pulled the Bantam engine out of storage at NASA Marshall," Lorier says.

The Bantam engine was "heavyweight and not optimized for performance, but rather for cost. So to adopt it to this application we need to improve performance a little and reduce the weight. So this is an incremental test along the way," Lorier adds. "We'll take the data from these tests and the next step will be a flight-weight engine."

PWR was selected by Boeing to help design the CST-100 service module and integrated launch abort propulsion system under Boeing's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Space Act Agreement with NASA. As well as the four main LAE engines, the system includes orbital maneuvering/attitude control engines and reaction control thrusters. A preliminary design review (PDR) for the service module was passed in January and Boeing completed the overall CST-100 PDR in February.

Companies pursuing NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative, the follow-up to the current CCDev 2 phase, are expected to submit bids by March 23

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SFN пишет:

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aviationweek:

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Alexandrc пишет:

NASA J2X engine no.10001 is back in the test stand at the Stennis Space Center. Testing of this engine for SLS will resume in the coming weeks.
около 7 часов назад

Alexandrc пишет:

Продолжая новость про J-2:

J-2X Engine 10001 at Stennis Space Center

J-2X engine 10001 is returning back to the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center for its second round of tests. The developmental engine underwent an initial series of tests last year. Both the engine and test stand have been modified to begin simulated altitude testing in the coming months.

The J-2X engine is designed and built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. It is the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen rocket engine to be developed in 40 years. The J-2X will provide upper-stage power for NASA's Space Launch System, a new heavy-lift vehicle capable of missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

[G.K.]

А что это за огромная металлическая конструкция на заднем плане?