Space Vision For 2050 (And Today): Testimony by Tidal W. McCoy, STA Chairman, Before the U.S. Commission on the Future of the Aerospace Industry

What:

Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to fly a new high-pressure fuel
turbopump on one of its main engines when it launches Thursday, July 12 on
mission STS-104 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The turbopump – made by
Pratt & Whitney of West Palm Beach, Fla. — is one of the improvements in
the new Block II Main Engine configuration.

Atlantis will use one Block II Main Engine and two Block IIA engines to
complete its full complement of three engines.

The primary modification to the pump is the elimination of welds by using
a casting process for the housing, and a heavy integral shaft/disk with
robust bearings. This makes the pump stronger and will increase number of
flights between major overhauls.

Who:

The Space Shuttle Projects Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Ala., manages the main engines; the world’s most
sophisticated reusable rocket engine.

For additional information: News media interested in more information on
the Block II Main Engine upgrades may contact June Malone of the Marshall
Space Flight Center Media Relations Department at (256) 544-0034.