matt@frisbee.UUCP (Matt Taylor) (10/09/90)
One of our mechanical engineers used to be on the SSME team at
Rocketdyne and has a lot of PR memos which he brings in from time to
time. Although somewhat dated (1977 he says), I thought it to be of
enough interest to post. (All grammar/spelling mistakes are mine).
[ On a related note, wasn't there supposed to be a beefed up
version of the current SSME due to be incorporated into the shuttle
sometime soon? ]
============================================================
DID YOU KNOW???
The Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine operates at greater
temperature extremes than any mechanical system in common
use today. The fuel, liquified hydrogen at -423 F, is the
second coldest liquid on earth. When the liquid hydrogen
and liquid oxygen are combusted, the temperature in the main
combustion chamber is 6000 F, higher than the boiling point
of iron.
* * * * *
Even though the complete Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main
Engine weighs one-seventh as much as one railroad diesel
engine, the SSME high pressure fuel pump delivers as much
horsepower as 28 diesel locomotives while the high pressure
oxidizer pump delivers enough power for 11 more.
* * * * *
The energy released by the three Rocketdyne Space Shuttle
Main Engines at full power level, in units of watts, is
equivalent to the output of 23 Hoover Dams.
* * * * *
If water were pumped at the rate fuel is pumped by the three
Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines, an average family-
size swimming pool could be emptied in 25 seconds. This
pump develops a pressure equal to that experienced by a sub-
marine if it were three miles deep.
* * * * *
The Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine fuel turbopump
weighs approximately the same as the V-8 engine of a modern
automobile but develops 310 times the brake horsepower.
* * * * *
The Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine fuel turbopump
develops as much torque as 18 V-8 automobile engines.
* * * * *
If one Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine could be scaled
down so that it weighed less than three pounds, it could
develop enough thrust to lift a grown man.
* * * * *
The combine full power level horsepower of the high pressure
fuel and oxidizer pumps of only two of the three Rocketdyne
Space Shuttle Main Engines that will propel the Space Shut-
tle is more than adequate to operate a 91,700 ton-Nimitz
class aircraft carrier at cruising speed.
* * * * *
The fuel and oxidizer pumps of the three Rocketdyne Space
Shuttle Main Engines at full power level could propel the
battleship Iowa and have enough power left over to cruise an
additional 12 Ethan Allen class submarines. The engines are
designed to supply this power for almost four hours without
overhaul if enough propellant were supplied.
* * * * *
One Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine generates suffi-
cient thrust to maintain the flight of two and one-half
747s, the aircraft being used for Shuttle captive tests and
scheduled for use in ferry operations.
* * * * *
The combustion of the propellants of the three Rocketdyne
Space Shuttle Main Engines operating at full power releases
energy at a rate greater than that produced by the combined
foreign nuclear power plants in nine countries.
* * * * *
The power developed by the combustions or propellants in the
Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine operating at full power
is almost five times the rate of that to be generated by
seven nuclear plants being activated in the United States in
1977.
--
----------------------------------------------------------
Matt Taylor @ Maximum Storage, Inc. A haven for WORMs.
Colorado Springs, CO. 719-531-6888
{cbosgd,handel,hao,hplabs}!hp-lsd!frisbee!matthenry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (10/25/90)
In article <344@frisbee.UUCP> matt@frisbee.UUCP (Matt Taylor) writes: >[ On a related note, wasn't there supposed to be a beefed up >version of the current SSME due to be incorporated into the shuttle >sometime soon? ] There is work in progress on a new "powerhead" -- pumps, valves, and injectors -- for the SSMEs, but it's still some ways from completion, and there is no firm plan to actually use it for flight. -- The type syntax for C is essentially | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology unparsable. --Rob Pike | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
cage@fmeed1.UUCP (Russ Cage) (10/26/90)
Anybody else notice that said propaganda sheet didn't have a single hard number in it? It was all in battleship-powers or 747-thrusts or.... -- Russ Cage Ford Powertrain Engineering Development Department Work: itivax.iti.org!cfctech!fmeed1!cage (CHATTY MAIL NOT ANSWERED HERE) Home: russ@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us (All non-business mail) Member: HASA, "S" division.
schaper@pnet51.orb.mn.org (S Schaper) (10/27/90)
So, what would the velocity vector be after four hours of 100% thrust on the
SSME's?
Zeitgeist Busters!
UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper
ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil
INET: schaper@pnet51.cts.comhenry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (10/28/90)
In article <3382@orbit.cts.com> schaper@pnet51.orb.mn.org (S Schaper) writes: >So, what would the velocity vector be after four hours of 100% thrust on the >SSME's? It would be whatever it was when the first one exploded, which would be long before four hours. The world's most durable rocket motor I know of, the RL-10, is rated to fire for somewhat over one hour without maintenance. This is a design nearly 30 years old, with vast flight experience and no particular attempt to push technology. The SSME is nowhere near as dependable. This sets aside the question of where you're going to find four hours of fuel... -- The type syntax for C is essentially | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology unparsable. --Rob Pike | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
msissom@digi.lonestar.org (Marc Sissom) (11/02/90)
>Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... >Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines... Come on Matt, a little editing Please! Maybe RSSME, just SSME, Tpump, fuel pump, 02 pump...