J-2X Progress: Pardon Me

By William Greene, MSFC, AL

I've lived in the South for about 20 years now. Over that time, I've heard and learned all kinds of quirks of regional dialect and colloquial sayings. I'm quite sure that I've even picked up a few myself. Oh well. One particular expression shared with me by a former training partner in the gym was a compliment. She told me that I had good "home training." That is a shorthand way of saying that my parents taught me to have good manner.

With that in mind, and in consideration of what we've been calling the first hot-fire test of J-2X development engine E10001 (i.e., the "burp test"), I respectfully and bashfully declare:

In the early evening of Thursday, 14 July, E10001 generated a burst of ignition and thrust with something like a 30,000 pounds of force -- enough to toss five or six crew-cab pickup trucks into the air. That's one heck of a burp. Yep, we were successful. NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, coordinating with the Upper Stage Engine office at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in Los Angeles, California conducted a full-duration, 1.9-second test. Here is a picture of what a burp that big looks like:

Here are a couple of pictures of the engine prior to the test. These are taken from a deck inside the test stand basically looking down on the engine. The nozzle extends through the deck to the next level below.

You'll note that there's some misty fog hanging around the engine in those pictures. While it is true that most of the time you can almost see the thickly humid air of southern Mississippi in July, this is something different. This fog is being created by the presence of cryogenic propellants in the lines. These lines are so cold that they effectively condense water in the air around them, even at a distance, to create a fog. Here are some close-up frosty pics of lines chilled down prior to test:

Out of one end comes smoke and fire while the other end is frosty cold. This is a good illustration of the broad span of environments that exist within a rocket engine.

So, what's next?

As exciting at this brief test was, what we didn't do is light the gas generator and get the turbomachinery up to full speed. That's the goal for the next test. In addition to spinning up the turbopumps with helium and lighting the propellants in the main chamber, as we did for the burp test, we'll take the next step in the start sequence and light off the propellants in the gas generator. This will provide the turbopumps with the power necessary to reach mainstage, steady-state operation. And that -- those initial few seconds of mainstage -- will be our first glimpse at genuine engine operation like that which will propel spacecrafts into orbit and then outwards across our solar system.

Saluting the Final Shuttle Mission and Looking to the Future

By NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden




Click above to see my message about today's final space shuttle launch and what's ahead for NASA.

By Michael Lin, 12th Grade OLC, Leaderboard High Score

(Note: I asked Michael to write something to lead off next year's OLC, but it is so good I wanted to share it now with everyone.  Thanks Michael, for your hard work and dedication!  JG)

Hi everyone on INSPIRE!

I hope you are having a great summer! I am certainly having a blast here at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Technically, I’m not actually on-site most of the time, but right across the street. I am working with Lockheed Martin on the Orion/MPCV (Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle), more specifically the Flight System Platform, which is a cooling system to help keep the avionics of the Orion/MPCV cool. Anyways, my one and only year in INSPIRE has been certainly more than I ever expected. It has no doubt helped me cap off my high school years with a bang, as well as start my college career a few steps ahead of everyone else. This summer I have met numerous amazing people from

1. My mentors and coworkers: Dan, Barbara, Nicole, Randy, Tim, Huan, Larry, Ann, and the rest of Lockheed Martin IS&GS-Civil
2. The INSPIRE staff: the world-famous Mr. Gerard, Ms. Ingrum, Ms. Griffin, and Ms. Smith
3. My roommates: Rubik, Ian, and Kam, who are also NASA civil servants/co-ops 
4. And a number of NASA civil servants, including the ISS Expedition-26 Crew and the STS-134 Crew, both led by one of the Kelly twins

During my encounters with the astronauts/space crew I got a picture with Mark Kelly, Scott Kelly, and Greg Shamitoff. All whom are very nice. At the STS-134 debriefing, led by Commander Mark Kelly, his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, made her first public appearance, which was definitely a heart-warming and touching experience. I no doubt will have more encounters with brilliant and unique individuals, either working at NASA or a contractor of NASA, the next few weeks as I am writing this in late-June.

Anyways, I wish all of you the best of luck this coming year in INSPIRE. Definitely, give it all you got. A lot of people ask me, “How did you get so many points?” Well the answer is simple. It is dedication. For me, I have had to go through way too many ups and downs in life, which I’m sure you all have had to, too. I have had to battle through the life-threatening illnesses of some of my closest family members, several injuries I had when playing basketball, and the racial stereotypes that come from being a minority on the basketball court. Although I could go into much detail on each of these topics, I will not. They all boil down to one point. When you face conflict, whether physical, mental, and/or emotional, you HAVE to re-commit yourself to what you want to do and where you want to go in life. For me, playing basketball for my school and working at NASA were/are two of the many I have. No one is going to hand you anything, no matter how nice, cool, or whatever he/she thinks you are, so you are going to have to earn it. After INSPIRE OLC began in September and October of 2010, I was committed to working through as many projects as possible and committed to giving it all I had for a chance at a Summer STEM Experience (SSE). I blocked off every Monday and Thursday of each week to do INSPIRE from my part-time, nearly full-time, job. I spent several hours on Monday doing the projects, and then finishing them by Thursday if necessary. Then, I tried my best to listen to the online chats. Granted, I was a senior so I only had five classes, but they were all AP courses, so I worked extremely diligently to finish my schoolwork at school. So the answer to the question was: it was pure dedication and heart!

So, my advice to you is: don’t ever give up something you love and want to do. NASA might not be w hat’s right for you. If not, pursue other passions with the same intensity and determination that I have done. If so, what are your goals for the OLC and INSPIRE. Set yourself up to succeed. The SSEs are definitely something YOU CAN control, but it’s how well you do on the OLC, on the application, in/out of the classroom. So do your best and give it your all if you want to do the SSE next summer. You NEVER want to doubt yourself, if you didn’t get in by thinking…”could I have done more?” So this is a new year and a fresh start to INSPIRE. Didn’t do so hot last year? Well, you have a second chance. New to INSPIRE? I was too!

I loved INSPIRE for what it has taught me and provided me with. I wake up every morning here at JSC in a dream. Am I really at NASA? Am I really breathing the same air as the astronauts and the super intelligent scientists? Every time I put on that NASA badge, I am amazed. Sometimes, I go to work on days I don’t have to. Sometimes, I do extra work by asking my coworkers if they need help. When you think about what you are doing, who you are doing it with, who you are working for, and how this will help humanity…you realize what an INCREDIBLE place NASA and JSC are. I don’t even want to go to college anymore. I can co-op and intern at JSC for the rest of my life and I think I would be fine with it. If they asked me, I would even scrub the floors, mow the grass, and clean the restrooms here at JSC. It’s that same passion that I see in everyone around me that makes me want to never have to leave. (I have to admit NASA is the second most amazing place to be ON EARTH behind Disney World.)

I’m going to end with a quote from Rudy Tomjanvich, coach of the 1994, 1995 NBA champion Houston Rockets, who said, “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.” Well, each of us is a champion at something. Me, I was a district champion in basketball. I have a close family member, who is a champion of cancer. My brother, a champion musician. If you want to be with NASA, well INSPIRE has laid a golden opportunity in front of you. How much heart and effort are you going to give? That’s for you to answer.

Good luck and respectfully yours,

Michael Lin