Stennis engineers conduct a test of a space shuttle main engine on March 30, 2009.

Thousands of people watch the first-ever evening public engine test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. The spectacular test marked Stennis Space Center's 20th anniversary celebration of the first Space Shuttle mission.

Approximately 13,000 people fill the grounds at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center for the first-ever evening public engine test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine. The test marked Stennis Space Center's 20th anniversary celebration of the first Space Shuttle mission.

A new NASA Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) roars to the approval of more than 2,000 people who came to John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., on July 25 for a flight-certification test of the SSME Block II configuration. The engine, a new and significantly upgraded shuttle engine, was delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for use on future shuttle missions. Spectators were able to experience the 'shake, rattle and roar' of the engine, which ran for 520 seconds - the length of time it takes a shuttle to reach orbit.

Over the past year, more than 20,000 people came to Stennis Space Center to witness the 'shake, rattle and roar' of one of the world's most sophisticated engines. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi is NASA's lead center for rocket propulsion testing. StenniSphere, the visitor center for Stennis Space Center, hosted more than 250,000 visitors in its first year of operation. Of those visitors, 26.4 percent were from Louisiana.

Workers at Stennis Space Center examine space shuttle main engine 2061 upon its arrival Oct. 1. The engine was to be the last shuttle flight engine to be scheduled for testing at Stennis.

Workers at Stennis Space Center examine space shuttle main engine 2061 upon its arrival Oct. 1. The engine was to be the last shuttle flight engine to be scheduled for testing at Stennis.

Employees watch the last planned space shuttle main engine test firing.

The last planned space shuttle main engine test firing takes place on July 29, 2009.

On the 25th Anniversary of the Apollo-11 space launch, Marshall celebrated with a test firing of the Space Shuttle Main Engine at the Technology Test Bed (SSME-TTB). This drew a large crowd who stood in the fields around the test site and watched as plumes of white smoke verified ignition.

Space shuttle main engine No. 0525 is lifted from the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center against the backdrop of the new A-3 Test Stand under construction, offering a glimpse of the past and future in the nation's space exploration program. With the shuttle program set to end in 2010, Stennis conducted the last planned space shuttle main engine test on July 29 and now is deactivating the A-2 Test Stand to a safe 'standby' status.

This close-up photo was taken during testing of a Space Shuttle Main Engine on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. The test was conducted June 19, 2003.

Steam blasts out of the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on Oct. 22 as engineers begin a certification test on engine 2061, the last space shuttle main flight engine scheduled to be built. Since 1975, Stennis has tested every space shuttle main engine used in the program - about 50 engines in all. Those engines have powered more than 120 shuttle missions - and no mission has failed as a result of engine malfunction. For the remainder of 2008 and throughout 2009, Stennis will continue testing of various space shuttle main engine components.

Steam blasts out of the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on Oct. 22 as engineers begin a certification test on engine 2061, the last space shuttle main flight engine scheduled to be built. Since 1975, Stennis has tested every space shuttle main engine used in the program - about 50 engines in all. Those engines have powered more than 120 shuttle missions - and no mission has failed as a result of engine malfunction. For the remainder of 2008 and throughout 2009, Stennis will continue testing of various space shuttle main engine components.

Water vapor surges from the flame deflector of the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center on Jan. 9 during the first space shuttle main engine test of the year. The test was an engine acceptance test of flight engine 2058. It's the first space shuttle main engine to be completely assembled at Kennedy Space Center. Objectives also included first-time (green run) tests of a high-pressure oxidizer turbo pump and an Advanced Health System Monitor engine controller. The test ran for the planned duration of 520 seconds.

The Space shuttle orbiter Challenger is given a 20-second test firing of its new main engines on December 18, 1982 on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. This test was the first time these engines ahd been tested in the clustered flight configuration.

The Stennis Space Center conducted the final space shuttle main engine test on its A-1 Test Stand Friday. The A-1 Test Stand was the site of the first test on a shuttle main engine in 1975. Stennis will continue testing shuttle main engines on its A-2 Test Stand through the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2010. The A-1 stand begins a new chapter in its operational history in October. It will be temporarily decommissioned to convert it for testing the J-2X engine, which will power the upper stage of NASA's new crew launch vehicle, the Ares I. Although this ends the stand's work on the Space Shuttle Program, it will soon be used for the rocket that will carry America's next generation human spacecraft, Orion.

A space shuttle main engine test April 21, 2006, at NASA Stennis Space Center marked the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine test at the site. The firing also marked the 25th anniversary of NASA's STS-1, the first space shuttle mission. Then called the Mississippi Test Facility, the center conducted its first test on April 23, 1966. That historic test was on an S-II (second) stage, a cluster of five J-2 engines that powered the Saturn V rockets that took America's Apollo missions to the moon.

Alvin Pittman Sr., lead electronics technician with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Janine Cuevas, a mechanical technician with PWR, perform final preparations on the space shuttle main engine tested Oct. 25, 2005, at NASA's Stennis Space Center. It was the first main engine test since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Jeff Hansell, right, explains functions of a space shuttle main engine to Pearl River Community College Aviation Maintenance Technology Program students. Christopher Bryon, left, of Bay St. Louis, Ret Tolar of Kiln, Dan Holston of Baxterville and Billy Zugg of Long Beach took a recent tour of the SSME Processing Facility and the E-1 Test Complex at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. The students attend class adjacent to the Stennis International Airport tarmac in Kiln, where they get hands-on experience. PRCC's program prepares students to be responsible for the inspection, repair and maintenance of technologically advanced aircraft. A contractor to NASA, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., manufactures the space shuttle main engine and its high-pressure turbo pumps. SSC was established in the 1960s to test the huge engines for the Saturn V moon rockets. Now 40 years later, the center tests every main engine for the space shuttle, and is America's largest rocket engine test complex. SSC will soon begin testing the rocket engines that will power spacecraft carrying Americans back to the moon and on to Mars.

Joel Perez (left) and Jay Labat, both of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, are in close quarters as they check for leaks inside the nozzle of a space shuttle main engine mounted on the A-2 Test Stand.

John C. Stennis Space Center employees remove space shuttle main engine run ducts from the A-2 Test Stand engine deck Oct. 25, 2010. Testing of space shuttle main engines concluded in July 2009. Stennis is preparing the A-2 Test Stand for testing the next-generation J-2X rocket engine being developed. Testing of the new engine is scheduled to begin in 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This close-up of Space Shuttle Endeavour's main engines shows the replacement for main engine No. 3 (lower right) ready to be installed. Following routine testing procedures on a separate test engine, analysis revealed delamination on the wall of the engine's main combustion chamber. When data revealed that one of Endeavour's engines had undergone similar testing procedures, managers opted to replace the suspect engine as a precaution. Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch at 1:11 p.m. EST Jan. 13, 2000, on mission STS-99. It will be Endeavour's 14th flight. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

John C. Stennis Space Center employees remove one-half of the A-2 Test Stand clamshell used for testing space shuttle main engines. Space shuttle main engine testing concluded July 2009; the A-2 stand now is being prepared for testing the next-generation J-2X rocket engine in development. Testing of the J-2X engine is scheduled to begin in 2011.

A Space Shuttle Main Engine undergoes test-firing at the National Space Technology Laboratories (now the Sternis Space Center) in Mississippi. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility of Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the Main Engines.

NASA's Pegasus barge arrived at Stennis Space Center on Nov. 16, delivering space shuttle main engine ground support equipment to the south Mississippi facility. Stennis tested every main engine used on all 135 space shuttle flights.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all six Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) from space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 and space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 missions sit in test cells inside the Engine Shop. To the right are three more main engines on platforms. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

A modified Space Shuttle Main Engine is static fired at Marshall's Technology Test Bed.

A modified Space Shuttle Main Engine is static fired at Marshall's Technology Test Bed.

A modified Space Shuttle Main Engine is static fired at Marshall's Technology Test Bed.

A Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) - hot and cold cycles turbine blade test firing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building move orbiter Endeavour's main engine No. 3 (in front) out of the way before moving the replacement engine into place. Following routine testing procedures on a separate test engine, analysis revealed delamination on the wall of the engine's main combustion chamber. When data revealed that one of Endeavour's engines had undergone similar testing procedures, managers opted to replace the suspect engine as a precaution. Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch on mission STS-99 on Jan. 13, 2000, at 1:11 p.m. EST. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Endeavour's replacement main engine No. 3 is moved underneath the orbiter for installation. Following routine testing procedures on a separate test engine, analysis revealed delamination on the wall of the engine's main combustion chamber. When data revealed that one of Endeavour's engines had undergone similar testing procedures, managers opted to replace the suspect engine as a precaution. Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch at 1:11 p.m. EST Jan. 13, 2000, on mission STS-99. It will be Endeavour's 14th flight. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building move orbiter Endeavour's replacement main engine No. 3 onto a work stand to prepare it for installation in the orbiter. Following routine testing procedures on a separate test engine, analysis revealed delamination on the wall of the engine's main combustion chamber. When data revealed that one of Endeavour's engines had undergone similar testing procedures, managers opted to replace the suspect engine as a precaution. Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch on mission STS-99 on Jan. 13, 2000, at 1:11 p.m. EST. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician performs a boroscope test on a high pressure oxidizer pump on one of the Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) positioned in a test cell. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician performs a boroscope test on a high pressure oxidizer pump on one of the Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) positioned in a test cell. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle main engine No. 1 is outfitted with a new turbopump. A suspect turbopump experienced an issue during torque testing and had to be removed and replaced for Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Next, all three main engines will be transported back to Orbiter Processing Facility-3 and reinstalled. The shuttle and its STS-133 crew are targeted to deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-4 filled with external payloads and experiments, as well as critical spare components to the station later this year. Photo credit: NASA_Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all six Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) from space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 and space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 missions sit in test cells inside the Engine Shop. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

A NASA scientist displays Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) turbine component which underwent air flow tests at Marshall's Structures and Dynamics Lab. Such studies could improve efficiency of aircraft engines, and lower operational costs.

Constructed in 1964, the S-IC Static Test Stand was designed to develop and test the first stage (S-IC) of the Saturn V launch vehicle. In the 1974 the test stand was modified to test the liquid hydrogen tank on the Space Shuttle External Tank. The facility was again modified in 1986 and its name was changed to the Advanced Engine Test Facility. These modifications were made to accommodate the Technology Test Bed engine which is a derivative of the Space Shuttle Main Engine.

This test conducted in May 1988 shows what happens during launch if a space shuttle main engine fails. The test was conducted in the 10X10 supersonic wind tunnel at the John H. Glenn Research Center.

This test conducted in May 1988 shows what happens during launch if a space shuttle main engine fails. The test was conducted in the 10X10 supersonic wind tunnel at the John H. Glenn Research Center.

This test conducted in May 1988 shows what happens during launch if a space shuttle main engine fails. The test was conducted in the 10X10 supersonic wind tunnel at the John H. Glenn Research Center.

A visitor to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., examines a space shuttle main engine display provided by Stennis Space Center. Since 1975, Stennis has been responsible for testing every engine used in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

The Space Shuttle's Main Engine (SSME) reached another milestone Aug. 19, 2004, when a successful flight acceptance test was conducted at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC). The engine tested was the final of three engines that will carry the next Space Shuttle into orbit. The engine will be shipped to NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida for installation on Space Shuttle Discovery for STS-114, NASA's Return to Flight mission. The engine test, which began about 8:10 p.m. CDT, ran for 520 seconds (8 minutes), the length of time it takes for the Space Shuttle to reach orbit.

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) reached a historic milestone July 16, 2004, when a successful flight acceptance test was conducted at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC). The engine tested today is the first complete engine to be tested and shipped in its entirety to Kennedy Space Center for installation on Space Shuttle Discovery for STS-114, NASA's Return to Flight mission. The engine test, which began about 3:59 p.m. CDT, ran for 520 seconds (8 minutes), the length of time it takes for the Space Shuttle to reach orbit.

The crew of the NASA tugboat Clermont II navigates a barge of super-cool liquid oxygen through the 7 -mile canal system at SSC prior to a Space Shuttle Main Engine test.

John C. Stennis Space Center employees install a new master interface tool on the A-2 Test Stand on Oct. 27, 2010. Until July 2009, the stand had been used for testing space shuttle main engines. With that test series complete, employees are preparing the stand for testing the next-generation J-2X rocket engine being developed. Testing of the new engine is scheduled to begin in 2011.

Taking off on a flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is NASA's Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), a modified Convair (CV) 990. A new landing gear test fixture representative of the shuttle's landing gear system had been installed in the lower fuselage of the CV-990 test aircraft between the aircraft's normal main landing gear. Following initial flights, static loads testing and calibration of the test gear were conducted at Dryden. Tests allowed engineers to assess the performance of the space shuttle's main and nose landing gear systems under varying conditions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle main engine No. 3 is installed in shuttle Discovery. The engine was removed to give technicians time to replace a suspect turbopump in main engine No. 1, which encountered an issue during torque testing. Discovery and its STS-133 crew are targeted to deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-4 filled with external payloads and experiments, as well as critical spare components to the International Space Station later this year. Photo credit: NASA_Jack Pfaller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician explains how test equipment -- the blue monitor -- will be used to validate the circuit on test wiring from the electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off system. The test wiring leads from the tail mast on the mobile launcher platform to the interior where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

At the test observation periscope in the Test Control Center exhibit in StenniSphere at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., visitors can observe a test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine exactly as test engineers might see it during a real engine test. The Test Control Center exhibit exactly simulates not only the test control environment, but also the procedure of testing a rocket engine. Designed to entertain while educating, StenniSphere includes informative dispays and exhibits from NASA's lead center for rocket propulsion and remote sensing applications. StenniSphere is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The first Space Shuttle External Tank, the Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA), rolls off the assembly line September 9, 1977 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The MPTA was then transported to the National Space Technology Laboratories in southern Mississippi where it was used in the first static firing of the three main engines. Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility for Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the External Tank. Martin Marietta was the prime contractor who designed and assembled the tanks at Michoud.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, technicians overlook wires and monitoring equipment that will be used to validate the circuit on the test wiring from the electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off system. The test wiring leads from the tail mast on the mobile launcher platform to the interior where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician sets up wiring for the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), lands on the Edwards AFB main runway in test of the space shuttle landing gear system. In this case, the shuttle tire failed, bursting into flame during the rollout. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy. The CV-990 used as the LSRA was built in 1962 by the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, served as a research aircraft at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, before it came to Dryden.

Gaseous hydrogen is burned off at the E1 Test Stand the night of Oct. 7 during a cold-flow test of the fuel turbopump of the Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator (IPD) at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC). The gaseous hydrogen spins the pump's turbine during the test, which was conducted to verify the pump's performance. Engineers plan one more test before sending the pump to The Boeing Co. for inspection. It will then be returned to SSC for engine system assembly. The IPD is the first reusable hydrogen-fueled advanced engine in development since the Space Shuttle Main Engine.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians attach an overhead crane to the container enclosing the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114 arrives at the KSC Engine Shop aboard a trailer. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

What better way to mark 50 years of rocket engine testing than with a rocket engine test? Stennis Space Center employees enjoyed a chance to view an RS-68 engine test at the B-1 Test Stand on April 19, almost 50 years to the day that the first test was conducted at the south Mississippi site in 1966. The test viewing was part of a weeklong celebration of the 50th year of rocket engine testing at Stennis. The first test at the site occurred April 23, 1966, with a 15-second firing of a Saturn V second stage prototype (S-II-C) on the A-2 Test Stand. The center subsequently tested Apollo rocket stages that carried humans to the moon and every main engine used to power 135 space shuttle missions. It currently tests engines for NASA’s new Space Launch System vehicle.

Stennis Space Center Director Gene Goldman (r to l) presents a commemorative photo of a space shuttle main engine test firing to STS-119 Mission Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold during the crew's May 5 visit to the facility.

NASA engineers successfully tested a Russian-built rocket engine on November 4, 1998 at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Engine Test Facility, which had been used for testing the Saturn V F-1 engines and Space Shuttle Main engines. The MSFC was under a Space Act Agreement with Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver to provide a series of test firings of the Atlas III propulsion system configured with the Russian-designed RD-180 engine. The tests were designed to measure the performance of the Atlas III propulsion system, which included avionics and propellant tanks and lines, and how these components interacted with the RD-180 engine. The RD-180 is powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, the same fuel mix used in Saturn rockets. The RD-180, the most powerful rocket engine tested at the MSFC since Saturn rocket tests in the 1960s, generated 860,000 pounds of thrust.

The Space Shuttle represented an entirely new generation of space vehicles, the world's first reusable spacecraft. Unlike earlier expendable rockets, the Shuttle was designed to be launched over and over again and would serve as a system for ferrying payloads and persornel to and from Earth orbit. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRB's), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds, that provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components. The MSFC was assigned responsibility for developing the Shuttle orbiter's high-performance main engines, the most complex rocket engines ever built. The MSFC was also responsible for developing the Shuttle's massive ET and the solid rocket motors and boosters.

The Space Shuttle represented an entirely new generation of space vehicle, the world's first reusable spacecraft. Unlike earlier expendable rockets, the Shuttle was designed to be launched over and over again and would serve as a system for ferrying payloads and persornel to and from Earth orbit. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRB's), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds. The SRB's provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components. The MSFC was assigned responsibility for developing the Shuttle orbiter's high-performance main engines, the most complex rocket engines ever built. The MSFC was also responsible for developing the Shuttle's massive ET and the solid rocket motors and boosters.

This photograph shows an inside view of a liquid hydrogen tank for the Space Shuttle external tank (ET) Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA). The ET provides liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Shuttle's three main engines during the first 8.5 minutes of flight. At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and is the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable. The ET is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Martin Marietta Corporation under management of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), is serviced on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, before a test of the space shuttle landing gear system. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy.

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), in flight over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, for a test of the space shuttle landing gear system. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy.

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), in flight over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, for a test of the space shuttle landing gear system. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy.

NASA engineer Don Beckmeyer speaks to an audience gathered at StenniSphere auditorium at Stennis Space Center to view the launch of the STS-135 space shuttle mission July 8. The mission marked the final flight for Atlantis and the final flight for the Space Shuttle Program. Viewers applauded and cheered as Atlantis headed to space, powered by a trio of main engines tested at Stennis Space Center.

This is a ground level view of Test Stand 500 at the east test area of the Marshall Space Flight Center. Originally constructed in 1966, Test Stand 500 is a multipurpose, dual-position test facility. The stand was utilized to test liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen turbopumps and combustion devices for the J-2 engine. One test position has a high superstructure with lines and tankage for testing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen turbopumps while the other position is adaptable to pressure-fed test programs such as turbo machinery bearings or seals. The facility was modified in 1980 to support Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) bearing testing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians begin removing the end of the container enclosing the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians remove the container that enclosed the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114 is secure on a stand. The engine has been returned from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Enclosed inside the shipping container, the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114 arrives at the KSC Engine Shop aboard a trailer. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114 is ready to be lifted off the trailer. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians secure on a stand the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114. The engine is returning from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

NASA Advisory Council members visited Stennis Space Center April 15 and 16, touring facilities and participating in various presentations. They also viewed a space shuttle main engine test on the A-2 Test Stand. The council of accomplished citizens advises NASA on major policy and program issues. The council includes former Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Hagan Schmitt as chair, as well as former astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The third Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) arrives in the Orbiter Processing Facility for installation on Discovery. Discovery is designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114. Recent improvements to the SSME include the introduction of redesigned high-pressure turbopumps into the SSME fleet. The new pumps are designed and built by Pratt and Whitney at West Palm Beach, Fla. SSMEs and the Pratt and Whitney turbopumps are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Engines and engine components are delivered to Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for flight.

A technician prepares a 2.25 percent scale model of the space shuttle for a base heat study in the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. This space shuttle project, begun here in July 1976, was aimed at evaluating base heating and pressure prior to the Shuttle’s first lift-off scheduled for 1979. The space shuttle was expected to experience multifaceted heating and pressure distributions during the first and second stages of its launch. Engineers needed to understand these issues in order to design proper thermal protection. The test’s specific objectives were to measure the heat transfer and pressure distributions around the orbiter’s external tank and solid rocket afterbody caused by rocket exhaust recirculation and impingement, to measure the heat transfer and pressure distributions caused by rocket exhaust-induced separation, and determine gas recovery temperatures using gas temperature probes and heated base components. The shuttle model’s main engines and solid rockets were first fired and then just the main engines to simulate a launch during the testing. Lewis researchers conducted 163 runs in the 10- by 10 during the test program.

The Apollo program demonstrated that men could travel into space, perform useful tasks there, and return safely to Earth. But space had to be more accessible. This led to the development of the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds, that provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components.

Operators fire the RS-25 engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Nov. 15, 2023, up to the 113% power level. The first four Artemis missions are using modified space shuttle main engines that can power up to 109% of their rated level. New RS-25 engines will power up to the 111% level to provide additional thrust, so testing up to the 113% power level provides a margin of operational safety.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician checks the blue monitor that will be used to validate the circuit on test wiring during the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Flames shoot from the nozzles of Space Shuttle Columbia's three main engines during the successful 20-second static firing which capped a formal rehearsal for the maiden flight of Columbia, scheduled for early April. Remotely operated cameras inside the pad perimeter snapped closeup views of the milestone event, which took place at 8:45 a.m. on February 20, 1981. The three main engines reached 100 percent power -- over 1 million pounds of thrust -- during the test. Hold-down bolts secured the vehicle to its mobile launcher platform.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Flames shoot from the nozzles of Space Shuttle Columbia's three main engines during the successful 20-second static firing which capped a formal rehearsal for the maiden flight of Columbia, scheduled for early April. Remotely-operated cameras inside the pad perimeter snapped closeup views of the milestone event, which took place at 8:45 a.m. on February 20, 1981. The three main engines reach 100 percent power -- over 1 million pounds of thrust -- during the test. Hold-down bolts secured the vehicle to its mobile launcher platform.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At a media conference following the day-long Flight Readiness Review of space shuttle Discovery for the STS-119 mission, NASA's Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon responds to a question. On the right is Mike Suffredini, program manager for the International Space Station. NASA managers decided to plan a launch no earlier than Feb. 19, pending additional analysis and particle impact testing associated with a flow control valve in the shuttle's main engine system. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At a media conference following the day-long Flight Readiness Review of space shuttle Discovery for the STS-119 mission, Program Manager for the International Space Station Mike Suffredini (right) responds to a question. At left is NASA's Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon. NASA managers decided to plan a launch no earlier than Feb. 19, pending additional analysis and particle impact testing associated with a flow control valve in the shuttle's main engine system. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Patricia Slinger (left), a test engineer, and Monica Hagley, an avionics test engineer, look at a replacement orbiter point sensor chassis. Components are being tested to determine why one of the four liquid hydrogen tank low-level fuel cut-off sensors failed in a routine prelaunch check during the launch countdown July 13. The failure caused mission managers to scrub Discovery's first launch attempt. The sensor protects the Shuttle's main engines by triggering their shutdown in the event fuel runs unexpectedly low. The sensor is one of four inside the liquid hydrogen section of the External Tank (ET).

The crew of the STS-87 mission, scheduled for launch Nov. 19 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), participates in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) at KSC. Getting a close look at one of the Space Shuttle’s main engines are, from right, Commander Kevin Kregel, Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), and Kadenyuk’s back-up, Yaroslav Pustovyi, Ph.D., also of NSAU. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight, providing the crew of each mission opportunities to participate in simulated countdown activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cut-off. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the pad and has an opportunity to view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter's payload bay

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a wiring board has been set up for the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

John C. Stennis Space Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011. NASA announced plans to build a rocket engine test facility in Hancock County, Miss., on Oct. 25, 1961. A new anniversary logo highlights the theme of the anniversary year - celebrating Stennis as a unique federal city and its five decades of powering America's space dreams. Stennis is home to more than 30 federal, state, academic and private organizations and several technology-based companies. In addition to testing Apollo Program rocket stages that carried humans to the moon, Stennis tested every main engine used in more than 130 space shuttle flights.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Flames shot from the nozzles of the Space Shuttle's three engines during the successful 20-second static firing, which capped a formal rehearsal for the maiden flight of Columbia, scheduled for early April. The milestone event took place at 8:45 a.m. on Feb. 20, 1981. The three main engines reached 100 percent power - over 1 million pounds of thrust - during the test. Holddown bolts secured the vehicle to its mobile launcher platform.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians prepare to move SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC. Move conductor Bob Brackett (on ladder) supervises the placement of a sling around the engine with the assistance of crane operator Joe Ferrante (center) and a technician. The engine will be lifted from its vertical work stand into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians lower SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC, onto an engine stand. The engine is being moved from its vertical work stand into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne crane operator Joe Ferrante (left) lowers SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC, onto an engine stand with the assistance of other technicians on his team. The engine is being moved from its vertical work stand into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians prepare to move SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC. Move conductor Bob Brackett (on ladder) and technicians secure a sling around the engine under the direction of crane operator Joe Ferrante (left). The engine will be lifted from its vertical work stand into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne quality inspector Nick Grimm (center) monitors the work of technicians on his team as they lower SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC, onto an engine stand. The engine is being placed into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.