REMEMBERING THE GIANTS APOLLO ROCKET PROPULSION DEVELOPMENT Editors: Steven C. Fisher Shamim A. Rahman John C. Stennis Space Center The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA History Division Office of External Relations Washington, DC December 2009 NASA SP-2009-4545 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development / editors, Steven C. Fisher, Shamim A. Rahman. p. cm. -- (The NASA history series) Papers from a lecture series held April 25, 2006 at the John C. Stennis Space Center. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Saturn Project (U.S.)--Congresses. 2. Saturn launch vehicles--Congresses. 3. Project Apollo (U.S.)--Congresses. 4. Rocketry--Research--United States--History--20th century-- Congresses. I. Fisher, Steven C., 1949- II. Rahman, Shamim A., 1963- TL781.5.S3R46 2009 629.47’52--dc22 2009054178 Table of Contents Foreword ...............................................................................................................................7 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................9 Welcome Remarks Richard Gilbrech ..........................................................................................................11 Steve Fisher ...................................................................................................................13 Chapter One - Robert Biggs, Rocketdyne - F-1 Saturn V First Stage Engine .......................15 Chapter Two - Paul Coffman, Rocketdyne - J-2 Saturn V 2nd & 3rd Stage Engine .............27 Chapter Three - Gerald R. Pfeifer, Aerojet - Attitude Control Engines ................................39 Chapter Four - Tim Harmon, Rocketdyne - SE-7 & SE-8 Engines .....................................51 Chapter Five - Clay Boyce, Aerojet - AJ10-137 Apollo Service Module Engine ...................59 Chapter Six - Gerard Elverum, TRW - Lunar Descent Engine.............................................73 Chapter Seven - Tim Harmon, Rocketdyne - Lunar Ascent Engine ....................................87 Appendix A - Event Program ...............................................................................................97 Appendix B - Speakers’ Group Photograph .......................................................................101 Appendix C - Robert Biggs’ Presentation Viewgraphs ........................................................103 Appendix D - Paul Coffman’s Presentation Viewgraphs .....................................................113 Appendix E - G. R. “Jerry” Pfeifer’s Presentation Viewgraphs ............................................123 Appendix F - Tim Harmon’s SE-7 & SE-8 Presentation Viewgraphs .................................133 Appendix G - Clay Boyce’s Presentation Viewgraphs .........................................................143 Appendix H - Jerry Elverum’s Presentation Viewgraphs .....................................................151 Appendix I - Tim Harmon’s Lunar Ascent Engine Presentation Viewgraphs ......................171 Appendix J - Event Photos and Highlights ........................................................................179 Further Reading ................................................................................................................191 Glossary ............................................................................................................................193 The NASA History Series ..................................................................................................197 Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development 3 On April 25, 2006, NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center hosted a series of lectures on Apollo Propulsion development. This monograph is a transcript of the event, held as part of the cel- ebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine test conducted at the site then known as the Mississippi Test Facility. On April 23, 1966, engineers tested a cluster of five J-2 engines that powered the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket. This transcript has been edited for readability and clarity. The opinions expressed are solely those of the individuals presented. The report does not in any way promulgate policies or state the official opinions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the U.S. government. John C. Stennis Space Center History Office B-1100 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 228.688.2646 2006 Event Title “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Apollo Propulsion Development Seminars. Moderator: Steve Fisher, Rocketdyne Speakers: Robert Biggs, Paul Coffman, Gerald Pfeifer, Clay Boyce, Gerard Elverum, and Tim Harmon Initial Transcription: Michele Beisler, Transcription/Technical Writing: B. Nicole Wells (Jacobs Technology Facility Operating Services Contract) Editors: Mr. Steve Fisher, P&W Rocketdyne, and Dr. Shamim Rahman, NASA Event Coordinator: Rebecca Strecker, NASA About the Cover – At left, the Apollo Saturn launch vehicle; middle, a J-2 engine on a static test stand operating on oxygen and hydrogen; and at right, lunar surface photographed from approaching spacecraft. Dr. Shamim Rahman began his professional career at The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, CA, in 1985 as an aerospace engineer on launch vehicle and spacecraft flight programs for the Air Force Space and Missile Command. He later joined the TRW Propulsion Research Center to work on innovative rocket propulsion devices for civil and military space applications. Dr. Rahman joined NASA in 1998. At Stennis Space Center (SSC), Dr. Rahman has provided technical leadership and oversight on national rocket propulsion test facilities, and over a variety of research and development test activities for advanced rocket propulsion development. Dr. Rahman assumed his current position in November, 2007, as the Deputy Director for the Engineering & Test Directorate at NASA SSC. Mr. Steve Fisher has spent 37 years at Rocketdyne in the design, development, testing, and evaluation of liquid rocket engines, and recently retired as a Technical Fellow from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. He initially joined North American Aviation of El Segundo to work on the original B-1 Bomber, and later transferred to the original Rocketdyne Division of the company. During his tenure, he was integrally involved in the development of the Space Shuttle Main Engine components at the Coca 1 and Coca 4 test facilities of Rocketdyne, and has further contributed to a wide variety of propulsion activities including advanced research and development projects with storable and cryogenic propellants, as well as flight engine projects such as the RS-68 engine design and development. Mr. Fisher served as a Boeing Technical Fellow prior to the Rocketdyne division being sold to Pratt & Whitney. 6 Remembering the Giants Foreword It gives us great pleasure to provide this historical compendium of what will likely be remembered as one of the most remarkable achievements in the evolution of rocket propulsion. This achievement was the simultaneous development, testing, and flight use of a series of first- ever propulsive devices that delivered Apollo 11 astronauts safely to the surface of the moon and back to Earth. These devices helped assure three individuals, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins a place in the history of humankind. From the F-1 booster engine to the lunar module ascent engine of the Apollo vehicle stack – all built and delivered by the new United States space industrial base – these individual rocket propulsion development stories provide a glimpse of how technical ingenuity rose to meet the challenge of the race to the moon. The development histories and lessons learned about the various engines are told by the engineers and project managers, and were recorded on DVD so that the lecture series held at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, could be replayed again and thus live on. Remarkably, to those who attended, it was apparent that these speakers recalled their Apollo challenges as if they had happened “just yesterday.” It was clear in their voices that the engines carried not just the hardware but also the hope of the nation that this “moon shot” could even be done at all. Although this monograph comes some years after the actual date of the lectures, and describes work from decades ago, the lessons will continue to carry space exploration forward. The story told within is not how one particular engine was built, but rather how ordinary people persisted and were driven to do extraordinary work. The country owes these resourceful and dedicated engineers a debt of gratitude for giving us the technical precedents upon which today’s space programs rest in a continuing story of human exploration. It would not have been possible without the sanction and enthusiastic support of NASA Stennis Space Center’s “front office” (center director, deputy director, and associate director), and the excellent support and facilitation of the local NASA public affairs staff. The 2006 event was officially designated at NASA SSC as “On the Shoulders of Giants”, and in this monograph is more aptly designated by the title, “Remembering the Giants.” Shamim A. Rahman, PhD, NASA Stennis Space Center Steven C. Fisher, Technical Fellow, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Retired Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development 7 8 Remembering the Giants Acknowledgments The initial transcription of these seminars was done by Michele Beisler and Shelia Reed,