The RD-170 was very hard to prove and many designers thought it couldn t be done. The first stage strap-ons were recovered under parachutes and returned to Baikonur for study. The engine was designed for 10 reuses but tests showed they could stand up to 20 burns. The 170 kW turbo-pump is equivalent to three nuclear ice breakers. Figures are per chamber.
Diameter is per chamber.
Back to Index Last update 10 June 1999. Defintions of Technical Terms . Contact Mark Wade with any corrections, additions, or comments.