Rocket Engine, Liquid Fuel, J-2

Object Details

Summary: This is a J-2 liquid propellant rocket engine that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. It was the powerplant for the second and third stages of the Project Apollo Saturn V launch vehicle which took astronauts to the Moon. The J-2 had a thrust of about 200,000 pounds but was later upgraded to 250,000 pounds. The J-2 shown here is an early development model and was used in three test firings for a total firing duration of 291 seconds. The Saturn V's second stage used five J-2's for a combined thrust of 1,150,000 pounds while the third stage had a single J-2. This engine was transferred by to the Smithsonian in 1986 from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

Credit Line: Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Materials: Stainless steels and other metals
Dimensions: Overall: 132 in.long x 78 in. diameter, 5000 lb. (335.28cm, 2268kg, 198.12cm)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9abf782db-a858-45ce-ad44-3635d665f223