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58-473: The first static test-firing of a Common Booster Core was conducted on 17 March 2001, and the final test of the initial program was conducted on 6 May. Testing was conducted using Test Stand B-2 of the Stennis Space Center , a facility originally constructed for testing of the first stages of Saturn V rockets during the 1960s. The first launch of a Common Booster Core was the maiden flight of

116-573: A "round of main injector testing in late 2014," and a "full-power test of the oxygen preburner component" for Raptor by June 2015. The E3 test stand consists of two test cells for component and pilot scale combustion device testing: A series of tests conducted in the late 1990s eventually led to the commercialization of hybrid rocket motors. Test firing an American Rocket Company (AMROC) hybrid rocket motor at NASA's Stennis Space Center in 1994 . The E4 test stand consists of four 32 foot tall concrete-walled cells and an associated concrete foundation;

174-429: A 1,344 square foot hardened and conditioned Signal Conditioning Building; a 12,825 square foot high bay with 10 ton bridge crane, shop area with 1 ton bridge crane, and a 7,000 square foot blast hardened Test Control Center; and two 1,400 square foot raised-floor control rooms. The site also includes underground deluge water piping; underground power, data, and control duct banks; and potable water. The E4 hard stand system

232-416: A hydrogen link leak caused automatic cutoff. At time of the explosion, technicians were trying to determine cause for the hydrogen leak. No hydrogen was in the tank when the explosion occurred. Under the direction of MSFC, a Board of Inquiry headed by Dr. Kurt H. Debus, Director of Kennedy Space Center, convened on the night of May 28. Immediate investigation revealed that the second shift crew, not knowing that

290-552: A mainstage duration of 29 seconds. On March 31, failure of a prevalve to close caused program officials to scrub the first attempt to static fire the S-II-2 stage. Battleship testing of the S-II battleship test stage equipped with five uprated J-2 engines ended in late March 1967 with a full-duration test of approximately 360 seconds mainstage operation. These two test stands tested and flight-certified S-II stages and J-2 engines until

348-652: A one-room school house, still exist within the facility. The 13,500 acres (55 km ) site was selected on October 25, 1961, on the Mississippi Test Facility or Pearl River Site . On December 18, 1961, NASA officially designated the facility as NASA Mississippi Test Operations . The test area (officially known as the Fee Area ) is surrounded by a 125,000 acre (506 km ) acoustical buffer zone . The facility's large concrete and metal rocket propulsion test stands were originally used to test-fire

406-450: A one-room school house. On August 29, 2005 at 10   am CDT (1500 UTC ), Hurricane Katrina made a third landfall on Pearlington. The eye of the hurricane made direct contact with Pearlington, halfway between Biloxi and New Orleans . Hurricane Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 8:01   am, raising flood waters +2.2 feet more. Hurricane Katrina damaged more than 40 Mississippi libraries. The Pearlington Public Library

464-779: A pair of AJ26 engines. The first test of the RS-25 engine for use on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was conducted January 9, 2015. Stennis completed testing of all 16 heritage RS-25 engines that will help launch the first four SLS missions as part of NASA's Artemis program on April 4, 2019. The A-1 Test Stand was designated the Fred Haise Test Stand in March 2020, in honor of the Apollo 13 astronaut and Biloxi, Mississippi , native. The first test of

522-540: A static test stand and for use in static firings. Workmen loaded the huge booster aboard the barge Poseidon for the 1,000-mile river journey. Six days later the S-IC-T reached SSC. All future firings would be accomplished at the B-2 stand. An all-systems test version of Apollo/Saturn V first stage, S-IC-T, went into the B-2 test stand at the Mississippi Test Facility on December 17, 1966. Stage electrical and mechanical hook-up to

580-411: Is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility . It also provides testing facilities for more than 30 different state, national, international, public, and private rocket developers and manufacturers. Remnants of the portion of Pearlington and the other five communities still exist inside the testing buffer zone at SSC. These include such features as city streets. now overgrown with grasses and shrubs, and

638-634: Is a NASA rocket testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi , United States , on the banks of the Pearl River at the Mississippi – Louisiana border. As of 2012 , it is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility . There are over 50 local, state, national, international, private, and public companies and agencies using SSC for their rocket testing facilities. The initial requirements for NASA's proposed rocket testing facility required

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696-534: Is a rocket testing complex which was built in 1965 as a component of the John C. Stennis Space Center. The Rocket Propulsion Test Complex played an important role in the development of the Saturn V rocket. The A-1, A-2 and B-1/B-2 test stands were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985. The NASA Engineering & Science Directorate (ESD) at SSC operates and maintains SSC's rocket test stands. The smaller two of

754-869: The AR-1 rocket engine could be tested there, with a goal of first flight of the new AR-1 engine after 2019. The stand is composed of three individual test "cells": The E2 test facility at Stennis has multiple test cells that support three separate test stands (Cell 1 and Cell 2), for testing horizontally-mounted engines and for vertically mounted vehicle stages and/or engines. Cell 1 can support engines with up to 100,000 pounds-force (440 kN) of thrust while Cell 2 can support vehicle stages with up to 324,000 pounds-force (1,440 kN) of thrust. The facility can provide liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid hydrogen, liquid methane , rocket-grade kerosene (RP1), H 2 O , gaseous hydrogen, "hot" gaseous hydrogen, gaseous oxygen and gaseous nitrogen. E2 Cell 1, originally known as

812-486: The Gulf of Mexico . The town was reduced to a site for survivors to get water, ice and military-issued meals from aid stations. There was no Red Cross or shelter. The houses were heaps of debris, and broken trees and nail-studded boards littered the roads. The people - perhaps 600 of the 1,700 residents - had to live in tents and under tarps. The elementary school buildings that were still standing were opened as shelters after

870-555: The Gulfport – Biloxi , Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 1,684 at the 2000 census . On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall just south of Pearlington. Pearlington is located at 30°15′0″N 89°36′18″W  /  30.25000°N 89.60500°W  / 30.25000; -89.60500 (30.249994, -89.604939). According to the United States Census Bureau ,

928-520: The RS RocketShip to either Vandenberg Air Force Base or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where they were integrated with the spacecraft and other components such as strap-on boosters and a Delta Cryogenic Second Stage . John C. Stennis Space Center Test Stand B 30°21′45.96″N 89°36′00.72″W  /  30.3627667°N 89.6002000°W  / 30.3627667; -89.6002000 The John C. Stennis Space Center ( SSC )

986-618: The A-3 stand to develop and test their Archimedes reusable rocket engine. In the 1990s, a new test complex named "E" was constructed to test a variety of new small engine and single/multiple components and concepts. The E test stand complex consists of four distinct test stands In 2012, Blue Origin tested the thrust chamber assembly at the E-1 test cell for its new 100,000 pounds-force (440 kN) thrust BE-3 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen rocket engine. As part of Blue's Reusable Booster System (RBS),

1044-463: The CDP has a total area of 9.6 square miles (25 km ), of which 9.1 square miles (24 km ) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km ) (4.91%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,153 people, 371 households, and 215 families residing in the CDP. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,684 people, 648 households, and 460 families residing in the CDP. The population density

1102-491: The CDP was $ 14,040. About 18.2% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over. Pearlington is served by the Hancock County School District . All of Hancock County is in the service area of Pearl River Community College . In 1961, Pearlington was one of six communities in Hancock County acquired by

1160-666: The Delta IV, which was launched from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on 20 November 2002. The first flight of the Delta IV Heavy, featuring three Common Booster Cores, was conducted on 21 December 2004. On this flight all three CBCs malfunctioned, cutting off prematurely due to cavitation in their oxidizer lines, and resulting in the rocket reaching a lower orbit than that which had been planned. In response to

1218-555: The E2 test stand had been a 2012 NASA test of chemical steam generators . Beginning in 2014, SpaceX conducted component tests of their liquid methane/liquid oxygen Raptor rocket engine on the E2 test stand. This testing was limited to components of the Raptor engine, since the test stand is not large enough to test the full Raptor engine, which is rated to generate more than 661,000 lbf (2,940 kN) vacuum thrust. SpaceX completed

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1276-654: The High Heat Flux Facility (HHFF), was constructed in 1993 to support materials development for the National Aerospace Plane (NASP). The E2 test stand was modified after 2013 to support liquid methane engine testing, with funds being provided by SpaceX , the Mississippi Development Authority ( US$ 500,000 using funding from state bond issues), and NASA (up to US$ 600,000 ). As of October 2013 ,

1334-515: The S-II-1 stage ended at MTF. On January 27, 1967, the S-II-2 stage left Seal Beach, California, to pass through the Panama Canal and on to MTF. After its journey lasting 16 days, the S-II would arrive at MTF for two static tests. The S-II-2 stage arrived on dock at MTF on February 11, 1967. The S-II-2 stage, part of the second Saturn V vehicle (AS-502) scheduled for launch from KSC late in 1967,

1392-487: The Saturn V second stage S-II-T ruptured during pressure tests at SSC on 28 May 1966, and five North American Aviation technicians monitoring the test received minor injuries. The accident occurred when the hydrogen fuel tank failed under pressure. S-II-T, which had five hydrogen-oxygen J-2 engines capable of generating one million pounds of thrust, had been tested May 25 in ground firing but stopped firing after 195 seconds when

1450-515: The SpaceX funding commitment to the methane modification project has not yet been disclosed, as the contract has not yet been finalized and executed. The methane modifications will become a permanent part of the Stennis test infrastructure and will be available to other users of the test facility after the SpaceX facility lease is completed. As of October 2013 , the most recent test completed on

1508-419: The age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under

1566-460: The age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 31,224, and the median income for a family was $ 36,711. Males had a median income of $ 32,450 versus $ 25,948 for females. The per capita income for

1624-518: The end of the Apollo program in the early 1970s. It was announced in 1971 that the center would be performing tests on the engines for the new Space Shuttle program (called the SSME ). The A-1 and A-2 test stands, originally designed to accommodate the physically much larger S-II J-2 engines, were modified to accept the smaller SSME, and testing officially began on May 19, 1975, when the first such engine

1682-466: The engines are designed eventually to launch the biconic-shaped Space Vehicle the company is developing. On 22 May 2014, an AJ26 rocket engine under test on the Stennis E-1 test stand, for a future Orbital Sciences Antares launch, failed and caused major damage to the E-1 test stand. As of 10 June, neither NASA, Orbital, nor Aerojet Rocketdyne have released any additional information on

1740-448: The extent of the damage, nor time frame when the three test cells in the E-1 test stand will return to operational status. As of early June 2014, the E-1 test stand was non-operational pending the completion of an investigation into a rocket engine failure on the test stand on 22 May 2014. In June 2015, Aerojet Rocketdyne signed a contract with NASA to upgrade the E-1 test stand so that the "multi-element pre-burner and main injector" of

1798-681: The failure, additional pressure valves were installed on future launches. The Delta IV made 45 flights; 29 in Medium and Medium+ configurations, and 16 in the Heavy configuration, resulting in a total of 77 Common Booster Cores being launched. Delta IV retired on April 24 2024. The CBCs were manufactured in United Launch Alliance 's 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m) manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama and then transported by

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1856-503: The federal government either wholly (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia) or in part (a section of northern Pearlington), to provide a 125,000 acres (506 km ) acoustical buffer zone for what was envisioned to be NASA 's main rocket testing facility, the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). These communities had a total population of 700 families, who were fully relocated from their former properties. As of 2012 , SSC

1914-501: The first MTF S-IC firing, proved the total compatibility of stage, mechanical support equipment, and S-IC test facilities. A second S-IC-T firing lasted for 60 seconds on March 17, 1967. This firing validated the flame-bucket-water-flow pattern of the B-2 test stand and ended the facilities checkout test series at MTF. Boeing personnel removed the S-IC-T from test stand B-2 on March 24, 1967, following post-static checkout, test stand refurbishment, and facilities modification. During

1972-540: The first and second stages of the Saturn V rockets. The facility was renamed again to Mississippi Test Facility on July 1, 1965, became a part of the Marshall Space Flight Center . Starting in 1971, all Space Shuttle Main Engines were flight-certified at Stennis. On June 14, 1974, the site was renamed National Space Technology Laboratories , a name that continued until May 20, 1988, when it

2030-619: The first operational use of the A-2 stand. The first full-duration firing of the S-II flight stage occurred 20 May 1966 when S-II-T test-fired on the A-2 test stand for 354.5 seconds. LOX cutoff sensors initiated cutoff automatically. The firing passed all major test objectives with the exception of the propellant utilization system. This was the fourth static firing of the S-II-T. The stage developed one million pounds of thrust from its five hydrogen-oxygen-powered J-2 engines. A static test version of

2088-524: The first quarter of fiscal year 2002. The facility was to be used to evaluate beam quality, efficiency, and power levels for a prototype megawatt-class hydrogen fluoride laser. Pearlington, Mississippi Pearlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hancock County , Mississippi , United States, on U.S. Route 90 , along the Pearl River, at the Louisiana state line. It is part of

2146-561: The first such test occurring on December 18, 2007. Stennis tested Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 rocket engines for Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., which partnered with NASA to provide commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station. Orbital's maiden flight to the space station launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia September 18, 2013. Orbital's Antares rocket was powered by

2204-449: The liquid hydrogen pressure sensors and switches had been disconnected, had attempted to pressurize the tank. Believing that a liquid hydrogen vent valve was leaking, the technicians closed the facility by blocking valves. This had caused the vehicle tank to become over-pressurized and burst. On 30 May 1966 the board released its findings after two days of inquiry. The fuel tank of the S-II stage had been pressurized beyond design limits. There

2262-446: The newly redesigned RS-25 engine was completed December 14, 2022. The B-1/B-2 test stand is a dual-position, vertical, static-firing stand supporting a maximum dynamic load of 11M lbf. It was originally built in the 1960s to simultaneously test the five F-1 engines of a complete Saturn-V S1-C first stage from 1967 to 1970. On October 17, 1966, MSFC shipped its S-IC all-system test booster, S-IC-T , to SSC for use in checkout of

2320-411: The northern portion of a sixth ( Pearlington ), and a combined population of 700 families had to be completely relocated off the facility. The effort acquired more than 3,200 parcels of privately owned land – 786 residences, 16 churches, 19 stores, three schools and a wide assortment of commercial buildings, including nightclubs and community centers. Remnants of the communities, including city streets and

2378-821: The original three test stands at Stennis Space Center, the A-1 and A-2 stands were built to test and flight-certify the second stage of the Saturn V , the S-II (pronounced "ess two"), the launch vehicle for the Apollo program . The two stands are similar steel and concrete structures are roughly 200 ft (61 m) tall, and capable of withstanding thrust loads of more than 1 million pounds and temperature of up to 6,000  °F (3,320  °C ). Each test stand can provide Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) in addition to support fluids, gaseous helium (GHe), gaseous hydrogen (GH2) and gaseous nitrogen (GN2) as purge or pressurizing gasses. Construction began in 1963 and

Common Booster Core - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-507: The recording of about 800 measurements of the stage's performance, including propellant tank temperatures, engine temperatures, propellant flow rates, and vibrations. On December 30, 1966, MSFC technicians at the MTF test stand conducted a static firing of the first flight version of the Saturn V second stage, S-II-1. This second test firing, like an earlier firing, lasted more than six minutes. On January 11, 1967, initial post-static checkout of

2494-595: The shuttle era it was modified to test the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). Stennis now leases the B-1 test position to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for testing of RS-68 engines for the Delta IV launch vehicle. NASA has prepared the B-2 test position to test the core stage of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), which it first did in early 2021. The SLS Core Stage, with four RS-25D rocket engines,

2552-613: The site to be located between the rockets' manufacturing facility at Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana , and the launch facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Also, the site required barge access as the rocket stages to be tested for Apollo were too large for overland transport. Additionally, the Apollo motors were too loud to be tested at Marshall Space Flight Center 's existing test stands near Huntsville, Alabama . A more isolated site

2610-462: The stage into the S-II stage service and checkout building for inspection and preparation for static firing. On December 1, 1966, North American Aviation conducted a successful 384-second captive firing of five J-2 engines, the first flight hydrogen-fueled engines, developing a total one million pounds of thrust. During the test, number 2 and 4 engine SLAM arms did not drop, resulting in the successful gimballing of engines 1 and 3 only. The test included

2668-536: The stand is expected to be unused after its completion. The A-3 stand may however, be able to be refurnished to test a new mission when needed. In 2014, journalists writing for Bloomberg News and the Washington Times criticized the continued construction work on the $ 350 million test stand, and characterized it as a wasteful earmark by Mississippi U.S. senator Roger F. Wicker . American-New Zealand launch service provider Rocket Lab intends to use

2726-576: The test stand began immediately. Static firing would occur in early 1967 to demonstrate the facility checkout system. On 13 February 1967 Corps of Engineers personnel completed construction of the S-IC B-2 test stand at MTF. Following an extensive systems, subsystems, and total integrated systems checkout of the B-2 test stand at MTF on March 3, 1967, workmen successfully fired the S-IC battleship/all-systems stage (S-IC-T) for 15 seconds. This S-IC-T test,

2784-444: Was 184.9 inhabitants per square mile (71.4/km ). There were 830 housing units at an average density of 91.1 per square mile (35.2/km ). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.55% White , 20.43% African American , 0.36% Native American , 0.12% Asian , 0.12% from other races , and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population. There were 648 households, out of which 31.5% had children under

2842-441: Was a need for tighter controls over MTF test procedure. Following the destruction of S-II-T, NASA extended the S-II battleship program until July 1967. S-II-1, the first flight S-II stage scheduled for static firing at MTF, left Seal Beach on July 31, 1966. The first flight model (S-II-1) of the Saturn V vehicle's second stage arrived August 13, 1966 at MTF completing its 4,000-mile voyage from Seal Beach. Workmen immediately moved

2900-467: Was a total loss, and it required a complete rebuild. Almost a year later, a member of C.O.D.R.A. (Coalition of Disaster Relief Agencies) in Pearlington noted that all (but 2) homes, every building, and every vehicle in the town of 1600 was destroyed. The storm surge travelled 4.5 miles (7.2 km) inland to drown what little was left under 12–20 feet of toxic stew from the saltwater storm tide off

2958-535: Was designed to accommodate up to 500,000 pounds-force (2,224 kN) engines and powerpack systems testing in a horizontal configuration. The E4 test stand was proposed in the year 2000 to be located near the H1 test stand. In 2001, the Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization proposed construction of a $ 140 million facility at Stennis H-1 test stand to test its proposed Space-Based Laser (SBL) to begin in

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3016-571: Was finished in 1966. The A Test Complex also includes a Test Control Center, observation bunkers, and various technical and support systems. On 23 April 1966 workmen at the A-2 test stand successfully captive-fired for 15 seconds the S-II-T, Structural and Dynamic Test Vehicle for the Saturn V second stage, in an all-systems test. This was the first test of a flight-weight S-II stage. The stage, largest and most powerful liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen stage known, developed one million pounds of thrust from its five Rocketdyne J-2 engines. This test also marked

3074-476: Was installed on the stand for propellant fill and drain testing and two hot-fire tests. In August 2007, NASA began construction of the A-3 test stand at SSC. The A-3 stand was to be used for testing J-2X engines under vacuum conditions simulating high altitude operation. A-3 will also be operable as a sea-level test facility. However, because the Constellation Program was cancelled in 2010,

3132-885: Was needed. After an exhaustive site selection process that included reviews of other coastal locations including Eglin Air Force Base in Florida plus islands in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, NASA announced formation of the Mississippi Test Facility (now known as Stennis Space Center) on Oct. 25, 1961, for testing engines for the Apollo Program. A high-terrace area bordering the East Pearl River in Hancock County, Miss.,

3190-435: Was renamed for Mississippi senator and space program supporter John C. Stennis . With the end of the Apollo and Shuttle programs, use of the base decreased, with economic impact to the surrounding communities. Over the years, other government organizations and commercial entities have moved to and left from the facility, in the balance providing a major economic benefit to the communities. The Rocket Propulsion Test Complex

3248-524: Was scheduled for testing at MTF late in March 1967. On February 17, 1967, the first full-duration test of a cluster of uprated J-2 engines, S-II battleship test No. 041, lasted 360 seconds. On February 25, 1967, workmen completed construction of the S-II A-1 test stand, and the Corps of Engineers accepted beneficial occupancy with exceptions. On March 17, 1967, technicians fired the S-II battleship stage for

3306-414: Was selected for its location. NASA entrusted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the difficult task to procure each land parcel either by directly purchasing the land or through acquisition of a perpetual easement. The selected area was thinly populated and met all other requirements; however before construction began, five small communities (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia), plus

3364-512: Was tested on the A-1 stand. The center continued to test engines for the duration of the shuttle program, on the A-1 and A-2 stands with the final scheduled test occurred on July 29, 2009, on the A-2 stand. As the shuttle program is phased out, the A-1 and A-2 test stands are seeing new use testing the next generation of rocket engines, including the J-2X engine designed to power the SLS upper stage, with

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