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NASA Engineers Complete Engine Test Series for Ares I Rocket

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

August 18, 2008

thomas

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Engineers at
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., have completed a
series of tests on a key component of the J-2X engine. The J-2X powers the
upper stage of the Ares I rocket, which will launch human explorers to the
International Space Station and to the moon.

The test on Aug. 15 was the last of 20 in this series, concluding the
second of four planned sets of tests on the J-2X’s workhorse gas generator,
the driver for the turbopumps which start the engine.

The gas generator test program is designed to demonstrate the
component’s performance, durability and combustion environment, and to
reduce risk in the design, fabrication and operation of flight hardware.
The third phase of testing will begin in July 2009. The J-2X’s workhorse
gas generator is fabricated by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park,
Calif.

The primary objectives achieved in this series of tests were to
regulate ignition timing and address stability issues in the gas chamber.
During engine start, a pressurized helium system begins to turn the
turbopumps, which draw liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into
the system. The propellants flow into the generator’s combustion chamber,
where they are sparked into life by pyrotechnic igniters installed in the
side of the main combustion chamber.

Once combustion is initiated, hot gases flow into the turbine. The
combustion gas provided by the generator drives the turbomachinery, which
delivers high pressure propellants to the main injector during the J-2X
burn. This testing allows engineers to address stability issues that can
arise during operation of the combustion chamber and will allow engineers
to develop a clean design for the J-2X engine.

Beginning in 2015, the Ares I rocket will carry the Orion crew capsule
and as many as six astronauts and small payloads to the International Space
Station. During the first two-and-a-half minutes of flight, the first stage
booster will power the vehicle to an altitude of about 189,000 feet, or 36
miles, at a speed of Mach 4.8. After its propellant is spent, the reusable
booster will separate, and the upper stage’s J-2X engine will ignite —
powering the Orion to low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 425,328 feet,
or roughly 80 miles.

The workhorse gas generator test series is an essential step in
development of the J-2X engine. More than 50 tests have been performed on
the generator to date. This generator was manufactured to be more durable
than the generators that will be used in the J-2X engine, allowing it to
withstand numerous tests.

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston manages NASA’s Constellation
Program, which includes development of the Ares I rocket, the Ares V heavy
launch vehicle for cargo launcher, the Orion crew capsule, and the Altair
lunar lander. Marshall manages Ares projects for the agency.

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