National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility

hen a NASA space shuttle (below) lifts by design team representatives from Pratt & Whitney Woff the launch pad, it does so with the help Rocketdyne - SSME, NASA Design Engineering, and of three reusable, high-performance rocket engines United Space Alliance. (center). The space shuttle main engine, developed in Incorporated in the design are many features that the 1970s by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in not only enhance the efficiency of engine processing, Huntsville, Ala., is the world’s most sophisticated reus- but also offer increased levels of safety to personnel and able rocket engine. reduced opportunities for damage to flight hardware. facts Each of these powerful main engines is 14 feet (4.2 Among the improvements are: meters) long and 7.5 feet (2.25 meters) in diameter at 1. Increased floor space providing additional clear- the end of its nozzle, and weighs approximately 7,000 ance for both personnel and hardware when reposition- pounds (3,150 kilograms). ing engines. Preparing the engines for safe and reliable 2. Built-in plumbing and wire runs for pneumatic, launches is the responsi- hydraulic and electrical bility of the Space Shuttle services. Main Engine Processing 3. Built-in sound- Facility (SSMEPF). It is proofing to isolate state-of-the-art, designed hydraulic pumps, fan specifically for processing rooms and the shop the space shuttle main floor, reducing noise NASA engines in support of levels for shop personnel. NASA Space Shuttle 4. Co-location of Program flight opera- control panels and test tions. stands, improving com- Completed in June munication between test 1998, the SSMEPF is directors and technicians located in part of the Or- during test operations. biter Processing Facility 5. Relocation of at Kennedy Space Center the SSMEPF outside of in Florida, and it is a sig- the Vehicle Assembly nificant upgrade over the Building, thus removing previous facility located the engine processing in the center’s Vehicle from the area where solid Assembly Building. fuel rocket motors are The 34,600 square- handled and processed. foot facility was built to The facility provides specifications provided Space Shuttle Atlantis launches Sept. 8, 2000. the capability for post- • overhead cranes for lifting, rotating, loading and unloading engines, • workstands to provide access to the engines during processing, and • specified clean areas for the inspection of critical turbo machin- ery. The facility includes a low bay with six vertical engine stands and a 10-ton crane, and a high bay with a 15-ton crane, drying cells, pump room, ground support equipment storage and a workshop. Each of the six vertical engine workstands is provided with pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical power to support engine system verification and functional checkouts that are directed from the This space shuttle main engine contains 50,000 parts, of which avionics control room (adjacent to the workstands). 7,000 are tracked periodically for replacement. Each main engine’s vital signs are measured flight inspections and maintenance, as well as functional checkout of 50 times per second dur- all engine systems prior to installation in the orbiter. ing ascent. The avionics Each of the three main engines used for a shuttle launch is com- control room is con- posed of 50,000 parts. About 7,000 of those parts are tracked for nected by ground link periodic replacement. Other parts are replaced as needed. Currently to the Launch Complex the Space Shuttle Program works with a stable of 12 engines. 39 Launch Processing The design of the SSMEPF incorporated: System data recording • special areas to accommodate engine drying to remove residual center to provide backup moisture (the byproduct of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxy- documentation and verify engine checkouts. gen propellants), Designed specifi- cally for the space shuttle main engines, but with the capability to accom- A shuttle main engine is test fired at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. modate future engines, the SSMEPF serves as the center for the coordination and integra- tion of all main engine processing activities regardless of engine location. Efficiencies achieved through the activation of the SSMEPF provide not only an improved means of processing the shuttle’s main engines, but also a better and safer work environment for the engineers and technicians. An additional, but equally important, result has been an increased level of confidence on the part of the NASA astronauts Using a horizontal engine installer, technicians in the Orbiter in KSC’s ability to provide a safe and reliable set of main engines to Processing Facility install a new turbo-charged engine in the orbiter Atlantis. support the most critical phase of their mission.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 32899 www.nasa.gov

FS-2005-09-030-KSC (Rev. 2006) NASA Facts