American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME Nozzle Test at Propulsion Systems Laboratory, PSL
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME Nozzle Test at Propulsion Systems Laboratory, PSL
This plaque, located on the grounds of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,commemorates the designation of the Saturn V Rocket as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1980.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME Nozzle Test at Propulsion Systems Laboratory, PSL Documentation Photographs
Nyla Trumbach, a NASA lead mechanical engineer, broke barriers as the first female to conduct a J-2X powerpack engine test at Stennis Space Center. She currently works on testing of the RS-25 rocket engine, shown installed on the A-1 Test Stand at SSC.
The Allison Engine Company's A.G. Covell instructs mechanics from various divisions at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory on the operation of the Allison Basic Engine. The military had asked that the laboratory undertake an extensive program to improve the performance of the Allison V–1710 engine. The V–1710 was the only liquid-cooled engine used during World War II, and the military counted on it to power several types of fighter aircraft. The NACA instituted an Apprentice Program during the war to educate future mechanics, technicians, and electricians. The program was suspended for a number of years due to the increasing rates of military service by its participants. The laboratory continued its in-house education during the war, however, by offering a number of classes to its employees and lectures for the research staff. The classes and lectures were usually taught by fellow members of the staff, but occasionally external experts were brought in. The students in the Allison class in the Engine Research Building were taught how to completely disassemble and reassemble the engine components and systems. From left to right are Don Vining, Ed Cudlin, Gus DiNovo, George Larsen, Charles Diggs, Martin Lipes, Harley Roberts, Martin Berwaldt and John Dempsey. A.G. Covell is standing.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed atop NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Mechanical Engineer I Breanne Stichler is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed with NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Mechanical Engineer I Breanne Stichler is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, stands atop NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed in front of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, stands atop NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, stands atop NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed inside the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Breanne Stichler, mechanical engineer I, is photographed next to the cab of NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
Mechanical Engineer I Breanne Stichler is photographed atop NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2019. Stichler started working at Kennedy in June and is among one of the few females to have ever driven the crawler. CT-2 will carry the agency’s mobile launcher with the Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the launch of Artemis 1, the first in a series of complex missions that will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration.
The Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) is the longest running, icing facility in the world and has been in operation since 1944. Most ice protection technologies in use today were largely developed at this facility. In this facility, natural icing conditions, such as the clouds being created here, are produced to test the effects of icing conditions on aircraft components such as wings tails and engine inlets.
A mechanic watches the firing of a General Electric I-40 turbojet at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The military selected General Electric’s West Lynn facility in 1941 to secretly replicate the centrifugal turbojet engine designed by British engineer Frank Whittle. General Electric’s first attempt, the I-A, was fraught with problems. The design was improved somewhat with the subsequent I-16 engine. It was not until the engine's next reincarnation as the I-40 in 1943 that General Electric’s efforts paid off. The 4000-pound thrust I-40 was incorporated into the Lockheed Shooting Star airframe and successfully flown in June 1944. The Shooting Star became the US’s first successful jet aircraft and the first US aircraft to reach 500 miles per hour. NACA Lewis studied all of General Electric’s centrifugal turbojet models during the 1940s. In 1945 the entire Shooting Star aircraft was investigated in the Altitude Wind Tunnel. Engine compressor performance and augmentation by water injection; comparison of different fuel blends in a single combustor; and air-cooled rotors were studied. The mechanic in this photograph watches the firing of a full-scale I-40 in the Jet Propulsion Static Laboratory. The facility was quickly built in 1943 specifically in order to test the early General Electric turbojets. The I-A was secretly analyzed in the facility during the fall of 1943.
S74-25394 (10 July 1974) --- A group of American and Soviet engineers of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project working group three examines an ASTP docking set-up following a docking mechanism fitness test conducted in Building 13 at the Johnson Space Center. Working Group No. 3 is concerned with ASTP docking problems and techniques. The joint U.S.-USSR ASTP docking mission in Earth orbit is scheduled for the summer of 1975. The Apollo docking mechanism is atop the Soyuz docking mechanism.
As the sun sets across the Alabama country side, engineers at Marshall's Test Stand 116 perform an endurance test on a 750K experimental engine.
As the sun sets across the Alabama country side, engineers at Marshall's Test Stand 116 perform an endurance test on a 750K experimental engine.
A modified Space Shuttle Main Engine is static fired at Marshall's Technology Test Bed.
A Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, unfolds a solar panel array that was designed using the principles of origami.
750 K motor test firing at Marshall's Test Stand 116 developing 650 pounds of thrust. The motor was tested for the Air Force Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) project.
24 inch Hybrid motor test firing at Marshall's Test Stand 500. Liquid/gas are mixed with solid propellents to investigate materials, propellents, and nozzle stability characteristics.
24 inch Hybrid motor test firing at Marshall's Test Stand 500. Liquid/gas are mixed with solid propellents to investigate materials, propellents, and nozzle stability characteristics.
The roman candle effect as seen in this picture represents the testing of a solid rocket booster (SRB) for unexplained corrosion conditions (EUCC) which have occurred on the nozzles of redesigned solid rocket motors (RSRM). The motor being tested in this photo is a 48 M-NASA motor.
Fuels used in the 11 inch and 24 inch lab-scale hybrid motors are ignited at Marshall's test cell 104.
750 K motor test firing at Marshall's Test Stand 116 developing 650 pounds of thrust. The motor was tested for the Air Force Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) project.
A 60 K Bantam Fastrac Gas Generator test at Marshall's Test Stand-116.
The Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine was designed with no moving parts. The concept of Solar Thermal Propulsion Research uses focused solar energy from an inflatable concentrator (a giant magnifying glass) to heat a propellant (hydrogen) and allows thermal expansion through the nozzle for low thrust without chemical combustion. Energy limitations and propellant weight associated with traditional combustion engines are non-existant with this concept. The Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine would be used for moving from a lower orbit to an upper synchronous orbit.
A sub-scale Vernier hydrogen engine firing at Marshall's Test Stand 116. The Vernier engine is being tested for sub-orbital flight use.
Mechanical engineering and integration technician, Lucas Keim, stands inside the Acoustics chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Aug 24, 2023. This photo has been reviewed by OSAM1 project management and the Export Control Office and is released for public view. NASA/Mike Guinto
This is a photo of an engineering model of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer TEGA instrument on board NASA Phoenix Mars Lander. This view shows a TEGA oven-loading mechanism beneath the input screen.
Solid fuel test performed on the Fastrac II engine cell at Marshall's Test Stand 116.
A J-2 Gas Generator (GG) engine's duration test at Marshall's Test Stand-116.
An eleven inch (11) hybrid motor gaseous oxygen (GOX) fuel firing at Marshall's test cell 103.
An 11 inch (11) hybrid motor fuel grain variation test firing at Marshall's Test Stand 500.
750 K motor is test fired at Marshall Test Stand 116 for the Air Force Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) project.
A 40 K Fastrac II duration test performed at Marshall Test Stand 116. The purpose of this test was to gauge the length of time between contact of TEA (Triethylenealuminum) and LOX (liquid oxygen) as an ignitor for the Fastrac engine.
Joel Steinkraus, MarCO lead mechanical engineer from JPL, makes an adjustment on the CubeSat prior to integration in a deployment box as seen inside the cleanroom lab at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Monday, March 12, 2018. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22321
Engineers test the mechanical landing system for the proposed Europa Lander project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sept. 15, 2022. This test, using the Europa Lander landing gear testbed, fully exercises the Europa Lander landing gear mechanism through a simulated dynamic landing. Europa Lander is a concept for a potential future mission that would look for signs of life in the icy surface material of Jupiter's moon Europa. The moon is thought to contain a global ocean of salty water beneath its frozen crust. If life exists in that ocean, signs of its existence called biosignatures could potentially find their way to the surface. In this mission concept, a spacecraft would land on Europa and collect and study samples from about 4 inches (10 centimeters) beneath the surface, looking for signs of life. The Europa Lander landing gear testbed was developed to test and inform the design of the landing gear for the spacecraft: It mimics the landing loads and ground interaction forces that a single flight landing gear would experience when touching down on the Europan surface. It does this by using gravity offloading to simulate the reduced gravity on Europa, and by replicating the mass and inertial properties of a flight lander as well as all the degrees of freedom that the landing gear would experience. Video available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26199
Astrobotic employees Troy Arbuckle, at far left, Planetary Mobility lead mechanical engineer; Takuto Oikawa, mechanical engineer; and Taylor Whitaker, flight software engineer, monitor the progress of the Astrobotic CubeRover during its test run in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab regolith at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 10, 2020. The regolith bin simulates the mechanical properties of the Moon’s surface. NASA and Astrobotic employees put the CubeRover through a series of more than 150 mobility tests over several days to evaluate and improve wheel design.
Ames and Moffett Field (MFA) historical sites and memorials Unitary Plan Wind Tunned plaza; display and historical site plaques with the NASA logo on the Wind Tunnel valve as a backdrop. shown is the Unitary International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark Dedication plaque (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) May 5, 1995
Astrobotic employees Troy Arbuckle, at left, Planetary Mobility lead mechanical engineer, and Taylor Whitaker, flight software engineer, prepare the Astrobotic CubeRover for its test run in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Laboratory regolith bin at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 10, 2020. The regolith bin simulates the mechanical properties of the Moon’s surface. NASA and Astrobotic employees put the CubeRover through a series of more than 150 mobility tests over several days to evaluate and improve wheel design.
Engineers for NASA's MarCO technology demonstration display a full-scale mechanical mock-up of the small craft in development as part of NASA's next mission to Mars. Mechanical engineer Joel Steinkraus and systems engineer Farah Alibay are on the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, preparing twin MarCO (Mars Cube One) CubeSats for a March 2016 launch. MarCO is the first interplanetary mission using CubeSat technologies for small spacecraft. The briefcase-size MarCO twins will ride along on an Atlas V launch vehicle lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with NASA's next Mars lander, InSight. The mock-up in the photo is in a configuration to show the deployed position of components that correspond to MarCO's two solar panels and two antennas. During launch, those components will be stowed for a total vehicle size of about 14.4 inches (36.6 centimeters) by 9.5 inches (24.3 centimeters) by 4.6 inches (11.8 centimeters). After launch, the two MarCO CubeSats and InSight will be navigated separately to Mars. The MarCO twins will fly past the planet in September 2016 just as InSight is descending through the atmosphere and landing on the surface. MarCO is a technology demonstration mission to relay communications from InSight to Earth during InSight's descent and landing. InSight communications during that critical period will also be recorded by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for delayed transmission to Earth. InSight -- an acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport -- will study the interior of Mars to improve understanding of the processes that formed and shaped rocky planets, including Earth. After launch, the MarCO twins and InSight will be navigated separately to Mars. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19389
Nathaniel Brown, a mechanical design engineer, works the structure design and interfaces for the Lunar Pallet Lander.
BYRON L. WILLIAMS, FACILITIES MECHANICAL ENGINEER, STANDING ON THE ROOF OF BUILDING 4220 IN FRONT OF THE SOLAR ENERGY PANELS.
The Harvard Halogen Instrument (HAL) is prepared for integration on NASA's ER-2 by electrical engineer Marco Rivero and mechanical engineer Michael Greenberg for the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere, or DCOTSS, 2022 campaign.
jsc2021e063273--Mechanical Engineering team assembling mounting plate in the Makerspace From left to right: Kalpana Ganeshan, Gaurav Kulkarni Image courtesy of Alfonso Ussia
jsc2021e063274 (3/17/2021) --- Preflight imagery for the Characterizing Antibiotic Resistance in Microgravity Environments (CARMEn) experiment, part of Nanoracks Module-96. CARMEn observes how spaceflight affects the growth of a culture of two species of bacteria. The Mechanical Engineering team is pictured in the Mechanical Engineering Shop with connector piece. From left to right: Deanna Duqmaq, Alfonso Ussia, Gaurav Kulkarni, Kalpana Ganeshan.
Engineers for NASA's MarCO (Mars Cube One) technology demonstration inspect one of the two MarCO CubeSats. Joel Steinkraus, MarCO lead mechanical engineer, left, and Andy Klesh, MarCO chief engineer, are on the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, preparing twin MarCO CubeSats. The briefcase-size MarCO twins were designed to ride along with NASA's next Mars lander, InSight. Its planned March 2016 launch was suspended. InSight -- an acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport -- will study the interior of Mars to improve understanding of the processes that formed and shaped rocky planets, including Earth. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20343
Mechanical engineering and integration technician Ivan Pratt installs brackets onto the static load testing platform in preparation of an OSAM-1 ground support equipment proof test at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., July 19, 2023. This photo has been reviewed by OSAM1 project management and the Export Control Office and is released for public view. NASA/Mike Guinto
A Mechanical and Environmental Testing Lab engineer examines samples at the corrosion engineering test site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2020. The corrosion lab is a network of people, equipment, and facilities that provides engineering services and technical innovations in all areas of corrosion for NASA and external customers.
A Mechanical and Environmental Testing Lab engineer examines samples at the corrosion engineering test site on Oct. 6, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The corrosion lab is a network of people, equipment, and facilities that provides engineering services and technical innovations in all areas of corrosion for NASA and external customers.
Inside the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians hold a banner marking the successful delivery of a liquid oxygen test tank called Tardis. From left, are Todd Steinrock, chief, Fabrication and Development Branch, Prototype Development Lab; David McLaughlin, electrical engineering technician; Phil Stroda, mechanical engineering technician; Perry Dickey, lead electrical engineering technician; and Harold McAmis, lead mechanical engineering technician. Engineers and technicians worked together to develop the tank and build it at the lab to support cryogenic testing at Johnson Space Center's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The 12-foot-tall, 3,810-pound aluminum tank will be shipped to White Sands for testing.
NASA mechanical test operations engineer Briou Bourgeois speaks with a visitor to the NASA Stennis booth during solar eclipse activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana on April 8.
James Randolph, Mechanical Engineering, Boeing, Portrait, Friday, June 28, 2019 at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) Working Group members examine mechanical response simulations of proposed stress rupture test articles
Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel N-227 (new) NASA Logo with Unitary International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark commemorative plaques in front. Date: June 16, 1998 Photographer: Tom Trower
Briou Bourgeois is a mechanical test operations engineer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, where he enjoys working on a variety of projects to support NASA’s efforts of leading the way in space exploration for humanity.
James Randolph, Mechanical Engineering, Boeing, Portrait, Friday, June 28, 2019 at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
3/4 lower front view of DC-9 lift/cruz fan transport model. Pictured with Eloy Martinez (left, mechanic) Leo Hall (right, engineer).
Brian Cheshire, an engineer in the Mechanical and Environmental Testing Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, works in front of an Instron inside a lab at the Florida spaceport’s Operations and Checkout Building on Oct. 6, 2020.
In this photograph, Marshall Space Flight Center Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun, presents a Co-Inventor’s award to MSFC employee Martin Hall of the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory during the NASA Anniversary ceremony.
James Randolph, Mechanical Engineering, Boeing, Portrait, Friday, June 28, 2019 at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Lucas Keim, a mechanical engineering and integration technician, flexes after helping move ground support equipment into a cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Feb 20, 2023.
Astrobotic employee Troy Arbuckle, at right, Planetary Mobility lead mechanical engineer, and NASA employee A.J. Nick, with Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration and Research and Technology programs, observe the Astrobotic CubeRover during its test run in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab regolith bin at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 10, 2020. The regolith bin simulates the mechanical properties of the Moon’s surface. NASA and Astrobotic employees put the CubeRover through a series of more than 150 mobility tests over several days to evaluate and improve wheel design.
TATHAN COFFEE (EM10 MATERIALS TEST ENGINEER, JACOBS ESTS GROUP/JTI) ADJUSTS A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE
HORACE STORNG (AEROSPACE ENGINEER, ER31 PROPULSION TURBOMACHINERY DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT BRANCH) ADJUSTS A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE
AYMAN GIRGIS (EM10 MATERIALS TEST ENGINEER, JACOBS ESTS GROUP/JTI) ADJUSTS DUAL LENSES FOR A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE
ERIC EARHART (AEROSPACE ENGINEER, ER41 PROPULSION STRUCTURAL & DYNAMICS ANALYSIS BRANCH) DISCUSSES DATA PRODUCED BY A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE
An apprentice at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory shown training on the altitude supply air systems in the Engine Research Building. An ongoing four-year apprentice program was established at the laboratory in 1949 to facilitate the close interaction of the lab’s engineers, mechanics, technicians, and scientists. The apprentice school covered a variety of trades including aircraft mechanic, electronics instrumentation, machinist, and altitude systems mechanic, seen in this photograph. The apprentices rotated through the various shops and facilities to provide them with a well-rounded understanding of the work at the lab. The specialized skills required meant that NACA apprentices were held to a higher standard than those in industry. They had to pass written civil service exams before entering the program. Previous experience with mechanical model airplanes, radio transmission, six months of work experience, or one year of trade school was required. The Lewis program was certified by both the Department of Labor and the State of Ohio. One hundred fifty of the 2,000 hours of annual training were spent in the classroom. The remainder was devoted to study of models and hands-on work in the facilities. Examinations were coupled with evaluation by supervisors in the shops. The apprentices were promoted through a series of grades until they reached journeyman status. Those who excelled in the Apprentice Program would be considered for a separate five-year engineering draftsman program.
ISS003-E-6623 (14 October 2001) --- Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, Expedition Three flight engineer representing Rosaviakosmos, works with hardware for the Micro-Particles Capturer (MPAC) and Space Environment Exposure Device (SEED) experiment and fixture mechanism in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). MPAC and SEED were developed by Japan’s National Space Development Agency (NASDA), and Russia developed the Fixture Mechanism. This image was taken with a digital still camera.
Taylor Whitaker, flight software engineer, monitors the progress of the Astrobotic CubeRover during its test run in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab regolith bin at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 10, 2020. The regolith bin simulates the mechanical properties of the Moon’s surface. NASA and Astrobotic employees put the CubeRover through a series of more than 150 mobility tests over several days to evaluate and improve wheel design.
Ben Burdess, mechanical engineer, observes NASA’s RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) excavation testing of simulated regolith, or lunar dust found on the Moon’s surface, inside of the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. RASSOR is designed to work in low-gravity situations, using counter rotating bucket drums on each arm to collect and dump regolith for the extraction of hydrogen, oxygen, or water, resources critical for sustaining a habitable presence.
The electro-mechanical actuator, a new electronics technology, is an electronic system that provides the force needed to move valves that control the flow of propellant to the engine. It is proving to be advantageous for the main propulsion system plarned for a second generation reusable launch vehicle. Hydraulic actuators have been used successfully in rocket propulsion systems. However, they can leak when high pressure is exerted on such a fluid-filled hydraulic system. Also, hydraulic systems require significant maintenance and support equipment. The electro-mechanical actuator is proving to be low maintenance and the system weighs less than a hydraulic system. The electronic controller is a separate unit powering the actuator. Each actuator has its own control box. If a problem is detected, it can be replaced by simply removing one defective unit. The hydraulic systems must sustain significant hydraulic pressures in a rocket engine regardless of demand. The electro-mechanical actuator utilizes power only when needed. A goal of the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program is to substantially improve safety and reliability while reducing the high cost of space travel. The electro-mechanical actuator was developed by the Propulsion Projects Office of the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mechanical engineering students from Louisiana State University joined engineers and scientists at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the students toured the facility to have a look at the flame trench. Designers are looking for new, flame and vibration-resistant materials to line the trench. To help in the search, a team of mechanical engineering students at Louisiana State University are to build a scaled-down version of the flame trench that Kennedy's scientists can use to try out sample materials for the trench. If the samples work in the lab, they can be tried out in the real flame trenches at Launch Pad 39A and 39B. The launch pad has been refurbished extensively and work is continuing to modify the pad to support a variety of launch vehicles in the future. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mechanical engineering students from Louisiana State University joined engineers and scientists at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the students toured the facility to have a look at the flame trench. Designers are looking for new, flame and vibration-resistant materials to line the trench. To help in the search, a team of mechanical engineering students at Louisiana State University are to build a scaled-down version of the flame trench that Kennedy's scientists can use to try out sample materials for the trench. If the samples work in the lab, they can be tried out in the real flame trenches at Launch Pad 39A and 39B. The launch pad has been refurbished extensively and work is continuing to modify the pad to support a variety of launch vehicles in the future. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mechanical engineering students from Louisiana State University, the group on the left, joined engineers and scientists at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the students toured the facility to have a look at the flame trench. Designers are looking for new, flame and vibration-resistant materials to line the trench. To help in the search, a team of mechanical engineering students at Louisiana State University are to build a scaled-down version of the flame trench that Kennedy's scientists can use to try out sample materials for the trench. If the samples work in the lab, they can be tried out in the real flame trenches at Launch Pad 39A and 39B. The launch pad has been refurbished extensively and work is continuing to modify the pad to support a variety of launch vehicles in the future. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Joel Steinkraus, lead mechanical engineer for the MarCO (Mars Cube One) CubeSat spacecraft, adjusts a model of one of the two spacecraft. The mock-up in the photo is in a configuration to show the deployed position of components that correspond to MarCO's two solar panels and two antennas. During launch, those components will be stowed for a total vehicle size of about 14.4 inches (36.6 centimeters) by 9.5 inches (24.3 centimeters) by 4.6 inches (11.8 centimeters). The briefcase-size MarCO twins were designed to ride along with NASA's next Mars lander, InSight. Its planned March 2016 launch was suspended. InSight -- an acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport -- will study the interior of Mars to improve understanding of the processes that formed and shaped rocky planets, including Earth. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20344
NATHAN HORACE STRONG (AEROSPACE ENGINEER, ER31 PROPULSION TURBOMACHINERY DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT BRANCH) AND NATHAN COFFEE (EM10 MATERIALS TEST ENGINEER, JACOBS ESTS GROUP/JTI) ADJUST A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE. COFFEY, AT RIGHT, WORK IN A LAB IN BUILDING 4612 ON A BEARING TEST
Paul Scott, interim executive director, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), speaks on a panel on "igniting NOVA K-12 engineering and maker education", at a pop-up makerspace hosted by Future Engineers with support from NASA and ASME, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
AYMAN GIRGIS (EM10 MATERIALS TEST ENGINEER, JACOBS ESTS GROUP/JTI) AND ERIC EARHART (AEROSPACE ENGINEER, ER41 PROPULSION STRUCTURAL & DYNAMICS ANALYSIS BRANCH) DISCUSS DATA PRODUCED BY A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE.
Founder and CEO of Future Engineers, Deanne Bell, speaks at a pop-up makerspace hosted by Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Ryan Heitz, co-founder and head of school, Ideaventions Academy, speaks on a panel on "igniting NOVA K-12 engineering and maker education", at a pop-up makerspace hosted by Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Marit Meyer, research aerospace engineer, Aerosol Science and Instrumentation, NASA, speaks on a panel on improving air quality for health in space and on Earth, at a pop-up makerspace hosted by Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), hosted a future engineers pop-up makerspace where youth were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Marit Meyer, research aerospace engineer, Aerosol Science and Instrumentation, NASA, speaks on a panel on improving air quality for health in space and on Earth, at a pop-up makerspace hosted by Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants were able to create digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watch objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
ISS040-E-091918 (13 Aug. 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, prepares to remove the docking mechanism to gain access to the hatch of the newly attached "Georges Lemaitre" Automated Transfer Vehicle-5 (ATV-5).
ISS040-E-091922 (13 Aug. 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, prepares to remove the docking mechanism to gain access to the hatch of the newly attached "Georges Lemaitre" Automated Transfer Vehicle-5 (ATV-5).
ISS037-E-001084 (15 Sept. 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 37 flight engineer, installs the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) inside the International Space Station’s Harmony node.
In the Swamp Works laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Maddy Olson are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of Exploration Research and Technology. Olson is majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.