NASA Test Fires New RS-25 Engine

[Hobbes]

The RS-25, also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine, is the world’s most reliable rocket booster engine. For three decades, these liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines powered humans and payloads on all 135 Space Shuttle flights, enabling advancements such as the construction of the International Space Station, deployment and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, and furthered our scientific knowledge of the Universe.

As the nation shifts its vision toward deep space destinations, repurposed and modified RS-25 engines will support initial missions of NASA’s 70-metric ton Space Launch System (SLS). On the SLS, expendable versions of the engine will be used in a cluster of four to provide thrust for the launch vehicle’s core stage. While engines on the shuttle ran at 491,000 pounds vacuum thrust (104.5-percent of rated power level), the power level was increased for SLS to 512,000 pounds vacuum thrust (109 percent of rated power level) to augment the vehicle's heavy lift capability.

http://www.rocket.com/rs-25-engine

 

[dennishoddy]

Saw that on TV the other day. One heck of a plume coming out of that engine.

 

[CHenry]

How did they keep the building from lifting off? lol

 

[Viper16]

HNNNNNGGGGG!!!

So many questions...I could really annoy a NASA engineer right now! Not to mention the Civil engineer that designed that rig to hold that sucker back. 418,000 lbs of thrust @ 109% at sea level...my god!

 

[Hobbes]

The SLS will have 4 of those beasts AND solid rocket boosters that are 25% more powerful than the ones on the shuttle.

Artists Rendering

 

[Junior Bonner]

Academic question; in the vacuum of space, how does thrust work? I mean, there is nothing to thrust against.

 

[Hobbes]

Academic question; in the vacuum of space, how does thrust work? I mean, there is nothing to thrust against.

If you fired a firearm in space would it have any recoil? Yes.

You can fire a firearm in space by the way. Smokeless propellants contain their own oxidizer.

The only difference between pulling the trigger on Earth and in space is the shape of the resulting smoke trail. In space, "it would be an expanding sphere of smoke from the tip of the barrel," said Peter Schultz an astronomer at Brown University who researches impact craters.

Also, if you were in orbit you could theoretically shoot yourself in the back.

 

[Defnestor]

If you fired a firearm in space would it have any recoil? Yes.

You can fire a firearm in space by the way. Smokeless propellants contain their own oxidizer.

The only difference between pulling the trigger on Earth and in space is the shape of the resulting smoke trail. In space, "it would be an expanding sphere of smoke from the tip of the barrel," said Peter Schultz an astronomer at Brown University who researches impact craters.

Also, if you were in orbit you could theoretically shoot yourself in the back.

Not me. Maybe Kirsten Joy Weiss, but not me.

 

[Hobbes]

Not me. Maybe Kirsten Joy Weiss, but not me.

I don't know; you might get lucky.
The bullet would have your velocity plus it's own velocity and it would be falling around the planet just like you.

 

[Junior Bonner]

If you fired a firearm in space would it have any recoil? Yes.

You can fire a firearm in space by the way. Smokeless propellants contain their own oxidizer.

The only difference between pulling the trigger on Earth and in space is the shape of the resulting smoke trail. In space, "it would be an expanding sphere of smoke from the tip of the barrel," said Peter Schultz an astronomer at Brown University who researches impact craters.

Also, if you were in orbit you could theoretically shoot yourself in the back.

Well, I saw a movie a long time ago starring Sean Connery. It was called "Outland." There was this mining colony on one of the moons of Jupiter that is geologically active - Io, I think. So, anyways, there is a gunfight on the moon's surface. They are fighting with 12 gauge pump action shotguns in a vacuum out there on the moon's surface, using 00 buckshot. You ought to see what happens when their space suits get perforated.