Object Details
- Manufacturer
- Rocketdyne Division, Rockwell International
- Summary
- This is the Redstone rocket engine and was the U.S.'s first operational large-scale rocket engine. Development began in 1950 by North American Aviation. The engine used liquid oxygen and alcohol and developed 75,000 pounds of thrust.
- On January 31, 1958, a modified Redstone rocket called the Jupiter-C, using more powerful fuel, launched Explorer 1, the first successful U.S. satellite, into orbit. On May 5, 1961, a Redstone launched Alan B. Shepard, the first American astronaut into space. The Redstone was the forerunner of other important large-scale U.S. engines, including those for the Thor, Jupiter, and Atlas missiles, the Saturn V launch vehicle, and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). This object was donated to the Smithsonian in 1991 by the U.S. Army.
- Alternate Name
- Redstone Missile Rocket Engine
- Credit Line
- Transferred from the U.S. Army.
- Inventory Number
- A19910078000
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
- Materials
- Combustion chamber, injectors, and some tubing, 4130 steel; propellant lines, pumps, impellers, and valves, aluminum alloys including heat exchanger; harness manifold and other parts, steel.
- Dimensions
- Other (outer): 2 ft. 8 in. diameter x 10 ft. 9 in. long x 4 ft. 1 in. wide (81.3 x 327.7 x 124.5cm)
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
- Exhibit Station
- Rockets & Missiles
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A19910078000
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9afbd8370-50f9-4088-a416-eae1ea7089a0
