12.18.07

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-2087/4997 
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov 

Kim Newton 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
256-544-0034 
kimberly.d.newton@nasa.govRELEASE: H-07-281

NASA TO BEGIN TESTING ENGINE THAT WILL POWER ARES ROCKETS

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-2087/4997 
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov 

Kim Newton 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
256-544-0034 
kimberly.d.newton@nasa.gov 

News release: H-07-281 


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - In December, NASA will begin testing core 
components of a rocket engine from the Apollo era. Data from the 
tests will help NASA build the next generation engine that will power 
the nation's new Ares launch vehicles on voyages that will send 
humans to the moon. 

NASA will test the engine's powerpack, a gas generator and turbopumps 
that perform the rocket engine's major pumping and combustion work. 
These components originally delivered propellants to the Apollo-era 
J-2 engine that fueled the second stage of the Saturn V rockets. 

NASA is using these heritage parts to develop a new engine, known as 
the J2-X, to power the upper stages of both the Ares I crew launch 
vehicle and the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. Results from the tests 
will help engineers modify the machinery to meet the higher 
performance requirements of these two next-generation rockets. 

"The J-2X engine will incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher 
thrust and efficiency requirements for Ares," said Mike Kynard, 
manager of the upper stage engine in the Ares Projects Office at 
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "That's why 
we're taking a new look at these components -- to gather performance 
data, test their limits, and reduce risks down the road when we're 
building and testing the engine." 

The powerpack tests will be conducted at NASA's Stennis Space Center 
near Bay St. Louis, Miss., where the components were installed in 
late September 2007. 

"The final checkouts of the test article and facility are in work," 
said Gary Benton, test project manager of the Ares upper stage engine 
at Stennis. "The test team at Stennis has put a lot of effort into 
this project and looks forward to getting these first tests 
completed." 

During the initial trials, engineers will run propellants through the 
powerpack, monitoring its ducts, valves and lines while simulating 
conditions as if it were attached to a rocket upper stage and main 
combustion chamber. Engineers will be able to preview conditions that 
might be present during an engine test fire. 

The first test in the series will be a chill test, during which 
engineers will verify the tightness of seals in the fuel lines and 
pumps at propellant temperatures as low as minus 425 degrees 
Fahrenheit. Engineers also will verify accuracy of the chill 
procedure and determine the amount of time required to chill the 
pumps. 

Later tests in the series will progress to include test fires at a 
variety of power levels and durations ranging from 12 seconds to 550 
seconds. Testing is set to continue through February 2008. 

The Ares rockets support NASA's goal of providing safe, reliable, 
affordable transportation to support sustainable, long-term 
exploration. The Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will 
transport the Orion crew vehicle to low Earth orbit. Orion will 
accommodate as many as six astronauts on missions to the 
International Space Station or as many as four crew members on lunar 
missions. The Ares V, a heavy-lift launch vehicle, will enable NASA 
to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads and key 
components needed to go to the moon. 

The J-2X is an evolved version of two historic predecessors: the J-2 
engine that propelled the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, and the 
J-2S, a simplified version of the J-2 that was developed and tested 
in the early 1970s. 

Marshall manages the J-2X upper stage engine for NASA's Constellation 
Program, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Under a 
contract awarded in July 2007, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of 
Canoga Park, Calif., will design, develop, test and evaluate the 
engine. 

For more information about Ares launch vehicles, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/ares 

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation 

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov 


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