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

Happy Summer Solstice

By Ann Marie Trotta, NASA HQ 

Today, June 21, is the first day of summer and also is designated “National Summer Learning Day.” 

I’m sure the words “summer” and “learning” elicit groans from many students, but past experience has shown that if the content is interesting and the approach is hands on and dynamic, then summer learning can not only be a very rewarding experience, it can also open doors to many new opportunities.

In November 2009, President Obama announced a national campaign called Educate to Innovate focused on increasing the scientific and technical literacy of our student population in order to ensure that the U.S. will have the scientists, engineers and technology-savvy workforce needed for our nation to remain competitive in the future.  NASA’s Office of Education responded to this challenge with a three-year pilot program called Summer of Innovation (SOI) to engage middle school students in compelling science and engineering learning experiences during the school break. 

As NASA begins SOI’s second year, I am excited about what we are able to offer this summer to stimulate learning outside of the traditional classroom setting. We have more than 300 planned collaborations across the country to engage students and teachers in exciting NASA-themed content and experiences this summer. 

As I speak with educators and experts across the country, the huge potential for summer learning is often central to the conversation.  Many students fall victim to “summer slide,” or a loss of academic skills over the summer months. It costs both teachers and students precious time during the beginning of every school year, as they are forced to re-teach and re-learn content that has already been covered instead of moving on to new challenges.

One important goal of SOI is to keep students interested and engaged by combining learning with inspiration and a sense of fun -- but it goes deeper than that.  Just as important as addressing the “summer slide”, is presenting students with an opportunity to explore content in depth and begin to build a real passion for a topic. 

I witness regularly NASA’s incredible ability to excite and inspire students through its missions and programs of exploration and discovery.  I believe that summer learning is the perfect opportunity to target our unique assets to begin inspiring and motivating tomorrow’s astronauts, engineers and rocket scientists. I recently saw a statistic that 75% of all Nobel Prize winners attribute their interest in science to an experience that occurred outside of the classroom. 

This year, NASA’s Summer of Innovation website (www.nasa.gov/soi)  has hundreds of hours of lessons, challenges, and content for summer program providers, parents or the public to share with students during the summer months. Exciting and interesting activities that deal with how we live and work in space, our exploration pursuits of Mars and other planets, emerging robotics technology and principles of rocketry are available for use. Today, on this first day of summer 2011, I encourage you to take a few moments to check it out and share the excitement of NASA’s mission. The experience that you help create for a student or your child this summer could be the beginning of their incredible journey as a future explorer. 

Please join us in this noble effort as we encourage our young people to dream big and reach higher.

J-2X Progress: Road Trip, Baby!

By William Greene, MSFC, AL


It wasn't too many years ago that there was this thing about asking sports heroes after winning the big game, "So, what's next?"  They would always dutifully answer "I'm going to Disney World!"  I guess that that whole thing is passé since I've not heard it in awhile, so I am going offer an alternative.  Maybe it'll catch on and be the BIG THING this summer…

…or, well, maybe not.

But that is what happens next.  Our little engine is pulled out of the air-conditioned confines of its assembly area and trucked across the NASA Stennis Space Center to its test stand.  No more pleasantly cool and dry air for you, E10001.  This is Mississippi in June.  Thus, in order to make this trip out in the open like this on the back of the truck (don't try this at home!), the engine has to be sealed up tight against the humidity (and bugs) hanging in the air.  Anywhere where there is an opening, there is a cover, a closure, or a plug.  From the lot at the assembly building in picture (1) below, down the road towards the engine testing area in pictures (2) and (3), and finally arriving at the lot behind test stand A-2 in picture (4).  In picture (5), you can see that the truck backs in alongside the test stand for the next operation.

The next operation is to get the engine up into the test stand.  Years ago, this test stand was built for testing the Apollo Program S-II stage (the second stage of the Saturn V vehicle that was powered by five J-2 engines).  Back then, they basically picked up the whole stage (from a canal barge, not a flatbed truck) high into the air and lowered it down from above into the stand.  When it was converted to be an engine-only test stand for Space Shuttle Main Engine testing in the early 1970's, propellant tanks were added on top of the stand.  So you can no longer lower the test article in from way up above.  Rather, you lift it up about four or five stories and then pull it in laterally.  This is the "engine deck," the level where the engine will be installed into the stand.  In the pictures below you can see the operation of pulling the engine off the transport truck and up to the engine deck level of test stand A-2.

After the engine is lifted to the correct height, it is brought laterally into the stand and set down on the "porch."  That's what the folks on the test stand call it: the porch.  The other day somebody (obviously from out of town) mistakenly referred to it as the "veranda."  We'll have none of that fancy talk around here!  The thing onto which the engine is set is the Engine Vertical Installer (EVI).  This is a hydraulic lift table that will be used to raise the engine into place when it is to be bolted to the test stand.  So, here is the sequence: you lift the engine up to the engine deck level, you pull it into the stand and set the engine down on the EVI sitting on the porch, then you slide the EVI horizontally into the heart of the test stand (the EVI is on rails for this purpose), you then raise the engine into the test position, bolt it in place, and then you slide the EVI back out of the way.  Ta-da!  Now you've installed an engine for test!

In the pictures below you can see the technicians positioning the engine onto the EVI on the porch.  In the bottom picture of the set, you can see in the background to the left test stand A-3 still under construction and, to the right, test stand A-1 where, early next year, J-2X powerpack testing will be conducted.

So, our little baby engine is all grown up and ready to see the great big world from high up in the test stand.  The next phase of our development program is now begun: the testing phase.  After the engine is installed and the test stand is readied for hot fire, J-2X development engine E10001 will be used to demonstrate basic operations such as start, mainstage, and shutdown, to verify main chamber combustion stability, and to provide initial validation of numerous systems-level simulations and models.

Okay, somebody go carefully poke the Datadogs because soon we're going to have genuine, full-up rocket engine test data from J-2X.  And, as a final note, I offer an extra special tip of the hat to all of the folks at SSC (NASA, Pratt & Whitney, and support contractors) for doing an amazing job in terms of engine assembly and test stand readiness preparations.  Don't ever think that your extraordinary efforts go unrecognized or unappreciated.  Bravo!

J-2X Progress: Engine Assembly Complete

By William Greene, MSFC, AL

Just by chance, did you happen to see the title for this article?  If not, please allow me the indulgence of repeating it…

Okay, I'm not ashamed.  That felt good!  We've all been working a long time to get to hoot and howl a bit about this.  Wahoo!  We are now officially into the next phase for J-2X development engine E10001.

Here, below on the left, was the engine sitting all cozy where it was assembled.

And on the right is the engine being lifted up and out of the assembly deck via an overhead crane.  The techs then walked the engine out to the loading dock.  There it was carefully loaded onto and mounted to a flatbed truck.

And next, our intrepid little will engine will brave the Mississippi heat on a gonzo road trip across the NASA Stennis Space Center to take up residence at the test stand.  More on that coming soon!

Summer Interns Blogs!

Once again, our Summer STEM Experience interns will share their thoughts about their activities in a dedicated blog.  You can join in and learn about the students spending their vacations at NASA centers across the country, and the cool jobs they have been assigned.  It is not all work and no play, so you may also find out what happens after work as the interns relax and enjoy their off time!

To access the Summer Interns Blogs, click the link at the top of the left column.  Of the options available, select "Blog List".  You must then select each of the ten NASA centers, click the box in the left column, and then click the add icon (it is the middle icon above the Last Name, First Name column, the one with the star and the plus sign).  A short cut is to search for Center, and you'll get eight centers that pop up to be added.  The two remaining ones are the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Dryden Flight Research Center (which is listed as Dryden Flight Research).  After selecting the ten centers, just click on the 'Blog Watch' option and you'll find the latest blogs listed in descending chronological order. 

INSPIRE interns on the way to work at KSC

Each week, a new blog will post from each center, from each level.  Different centers will post on different days.  After reading the blog, don't forget to leave a comment!  Students are anxious to hear from you!