KSC-05pd-0703
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, Dave Fentris, an aft mechanical technician with United Space Alliance, attaches a dome heat shield to one of three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) on the orbiter Atlantis. The shields provide protection for the orbiter against the high temperatures generated by an SSME. The liquid hydrogen fuel is - 423 degrees Fahrenheit, the second coldest liquid on Earth. When the hydrogen is burned with liquid oxygen, the temperature in the engine's combustion chamber reaches +6000 degrees Fahrenheit - that’s higher than the boiling point of iron. Each SSME is controlled by its own computer, which checks the health of the engines 50 times per second during countdown and ascent. The controller can shut an engine down if it detects a problem. Atlantis is scheduled to launch in July on mission STS-121.
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Details
NASA ID
05pd0703
Date Created
April 13, 2005
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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