Object Details
- Manufacturer
- Pratt & Whitney
- Summary
- This is the RL10, the world's first operational liquid-hydrogen/liquid oxygen high energy rocket engine and was re-startable in space. Two RL10s, each of 15,000 pounds of thrust, made up the Centaur upper stage of Atlas and Titan launch vehicles. A cluster of six RL10s also powered the second stage of the Saturn 1, a precursor to the Saturn V manned Project Apollo lunar launch vehicle.
- The Atlas-Centaur first successfully flew in 1966 and was the first full-thrust re-start in space. Atlas-Centaur missions included Surveyor lunar probes, Mariner planetry probes, and Pioneers 10-11 to Jupiter and Saturn. This RL10 was transffered in 1966 by NASA to the NASM.
- Credit Line
- Transferred from NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center
- 1962
- Inventory Number
- A19680011000
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
- Materials
- Chamber, 347 stainless steel brazed with silver; piping, polished stainless steel; aluminum casting pump; heat exchanger of nickel alloy; pump, aluminum casting
- Dimensions
- Overall: 70 in. long x 39 in. diameter (177.8 x 99.06cm)
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A19680011000
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv934990a3d-767c-474f-84bb-1b545a90c976
