TANDEM ROCKETS TESTS CONFIRM ACTUATOR PERFORMANCE.Byline: Daily News Tests on tandem Boeing Rocketdyne XRS-2200 aerospike engines confirmed the performance of electromechanical actuators that were used in propellant pro·pel·lant also pro·pel·lent n. 1. Something, such as an explosive charge or a rocket fuel, that propels or provides thrust. 2. valving for the engines, Boeing says. EMAs are being considered for use in new rocket engines that could be developed under the Space Launch Initiative, a U.S. effort to reduce the cost of putting satellites and other objects into space. ``We were able to acquire all of the data that we wanted, which NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. and other SLI (Scalable Link Interface) A multi-GPU interface from NVIDIA for connecting two or four NVIDIA display adapters together for faster graphics rendering on one monitor or two monitors. contractors can use for SLI applications. The team did an outstanding job with limited resources and a short time line,'' said Steve Bouley, division director of propulsion development at the Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit of The Boeing Company. With a total of 120 seconds of firing at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center The John C. Stennis Space Center (or SSC), located in Hancock County, Mississippi at the Mississippi/Louisiana border, is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. in Mississippi, the dual-engine test series has been declared a success, with test objectives met, along with schedule and cost goals. ``Data from the final test completed on Aug. 6 is being thoroughly reviewed,'' said aerospike program manager Mike McKeon. ``But we've already had a good look at how the EMAs perform under hot-fire conditions, and the results confirmed our expectations.'' Instead of hydraulics, future propulsion systems might use EMAs to control major propellant valves. There are six EMAs on each aerospike test engine that are used to deliver the propellants to the thruster banks and gas generators. EMAs reduce weight and complexity by eliminating the hardware needed to store and pressurize pres·sur·ize tr.v. pres·sur·ized, pres·sur·iz·ing, pres·sur·iz·es 1. To maintain normal air pressure in (an enclosure, as an aircraft or submarine). 2. the hydraulic fluid hydraulic fluid toxic because of its high content of industrial triaryl phosphate. . Following the series, the engines will now be removed from the stand and put in storage at Stennis, awaiting National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), civilian agency of the U.S. federal government with the mission of conducting research and developing operational programs in the areas of space exploration, artificial satellites (see satellite, artificial), instructions on final disposition. Fourteen single-engine test firings of a development configuration of the unique aerospike engine were successfully completed at Stennis Space Center last year, followed by a series of dual-engine tests that was concluded late this spring. Rocketdyne developed the XRS-2200 Aerospike engine at its Canoga Park facility for the now-canceled X-33 program. A joint Boeing and NASA team at Stennis Space Center did final engine assembly. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Boeing Rocketdyne says tests of its XRS-2000 aerospike engines have confirmed the performance of its actuators. |
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