RS - 25 Rocket Engine from NASA Marshal Space Flight Center

The RS-25, also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), is a remarkable liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine. It powered NASA’s Space Shuttle for over 30 years and continues its legacy on the Space Launch System (SLS). Here are some key details about the RS-25:
Thrust: Up to 512,300 pounds in a vacuum and 418,000 pounds at sea level.
Size: Approximately 14 feet long and 8 feet in diameter.
Weight: Around 7,800 pounds.
Operational Thrust: Adjustable between 67% and 109% of its rated power level.
Operational Time: Approximately 8 minutes per flight.
Operational Temperature Range: From −253°C to 3,300°C (−400°F to 6,000°F) 1.
The RS-25’s impressive performance and reliability have made it one of the most tested large rocket engines in history, with over 3,000 starts and more than 1 million seconds of total ground test and flight firing time 2. If you have any more questions or need further information, feel free to ask!
Certainly! The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a vital part of NASA, located in Huntsville, Alabama. Here’s what you need to know:
Mission and Contributions:
MSFC delivers crucial propulsion systems, hardware, and flagship launch vehicles for NASA.
It also handles world-class space systems, engineering technologies, and cutting-edge science and research projects.
MSFC plays a key role in human spaceflight, space science, and understanding our world and beyond 1.
Legacy and Achievements:
Since its founding in 1960, MSFC has been instrumental in various space endeavors:
Providing Saturn rockets for the Apollo moon missions.
Developing Skylab, America’s first space station.
Creating space shuttle propulsion systems and experiments.
Building the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Contributing to the International Space Station 1.
Current Focus:
MSFC continues to contribute to NASA’s missions in three key areas:
Space Vehicles: Lifting payloads from Earth.
International Space Station: Enabling living and working in space.
Advanced Scientific Research: Understanding our world and beyond