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Portrait of a moon buggy | Space photo of the day for May 19, 2025

Space.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 11:59am
NASA's prototype for a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) is seen lit in white and blue in an award-winning photograph.
Categories: Astronomy

Dark streaks on Mars may not come from water after all, scientists say

Space.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 11:00am
Satellite images of the Red Planet suggest scientists were wrong about these strange Martian features.
Categories: Astronomy

14,000 years ago, the most powerful solar storm ever recorded hit Earth. 'This event establishes a new worst-case scenario'

Space.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 10:00am
Scientists have found evidence of the most powerful storm in history, which hit Earth in 14,300 years ago. It would cause mayhem in today's technology-dependent world.
Categories: Astronomy

A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

NASA News - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 9:51am
6 Min Read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

The numbers are notable – 34 years of testing space shuttle main engines at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 3,244 individual tests, more than 820,000 seconds (totaling more than nine days) of cumulative hot fire.

The story behind the numbers is unforgettable.

“It is hard to describe the full impact of the space shuttle main engine test campaign on NASA Stennis,” Center Director John Bailey said. “It is hundreds of stories, affecting all areas of center life, within one great story of team achievement and accomplishment.”

NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines from May 19, 1975, to July 29, 2009. The testing made history, enabling 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.

The testing also:

  • Established NASA Stennis as the center of excellence for large propulsion testing.
  • Broadened and deepened the expertise of the NASA Stennis test team.
  • Demonstrated and expanded the propulsion test capabilities of NASA Stennis.
  • Ensured the future of the Mississippi site.
The first space shuttle main engine is installed on May 8, 1975, at the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1). The engine would be used for the first six tests and featured a shortened thrust chamber assembly.NASA Assignment and Beginning

NASA Stennis was not the immediate choice to test space shuttle main engines. Two other sites also sought the assignment – NASA’s Marshall Flight Center in Alabama and Edwards Air Force Base in California. However, following presentations and evaluations, NASA announced March 1, 1971, that the test campaign would take place in south Mississippi.

“(NASA Stennis) was now assured of a future in propulsion testing for decades,” summarized Way Station to Space, a history of the center’s first decades.

Testing did not begin immediately. First, NASA Stennis had to complete an ambitious project to convert stands built the previous decade for rocket stage testing to facilities supporting single-engine hot fire.

Propellant run tanks were installed and calibrated. A system was fashioned to measure and verify engine thrust. A gimbaling capability was developed on the Fred Haise Test Stand to allow operators to move engines as they must pivot in flight to control rocket trajectory. Likewise, engineers designed a diffuser capability for the A-2 Test Stand to allow operators to test at simulated altitudes up to 60,000 feet.

NASA Stennis teams also had to learn how to handle cryogenic propellants in a new way. For Apollo testing, propellants were loaded into stage tanks to support hot fires. For space shuttle, propellants had to be provided by the stand to the engine. New stand run tanks were not large enough to support a full-duration (500 seconds) hot fire, so teams had to provide real-time transfer of propellants from barges, to the run tanks, to the engine.

The process required careful engineering and calibration. “There was a lot to learn to manage real-time operations,” said Maury Vander, chief of NASA Stennis test operations. “Teams had to develop a way to accurately measure propellant levels in the tanks and to control the flow from barges to the tanks and from the tanks to the engine. It is a very precise process.”

NASA Stennis teams conduct a hot fire of the space shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article in 1979 on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand. The testing involved installing a shuttle external fuel tank, a mockup of the shuttle orbiter, and the vehicle’s three-engine configuration on the stand, then firing all three engines simultaneously as during an actual launch.NASA Testing the Way

The biggest challenge was operation of the engine itself. Not only was it the most sophisticated ever developed, but teams would be testing a full engine from the outset. Typically, individual components are developed and tested prior to assembling a full engine. Shuttle testing began on full-scale engines, although several initial tests did feature a trimmed down thrust chamber assembly.

The initial test on May 19, 1975, provided an evaluation of team and engine. The so-called “burp” test did not feature full ignition, but it set the stage for moving forward.

“The first test was a monstrous milestone,” Vander said. “Teams had to overcome all sorts of challenges, and I can only imagine what it must have felt like to go from a mostly theoretical engine to seeing it almost light. It is the kind of moment engineers love – fruits-of-all-your-hard-labor moment.”

NASA Stennis teams conducted another five tests in quick succession. On June 23/24, with a complete engine thrust chamber assembly in place, teams achieved full ignition. By year’s end, teams had conducted 27 tests. In the next five years, they recorded more than 100 annual hot fires, a challenging pace. By the close of 1980, NASA Stennis had accumulated over 28 hours of hot fire.

The learning curve remained steep as teams developed a defined engine start, power up, power down, and shutdown sequences. They also identified anomalies and experienced various engine failures.

“Each test is a semi-controlled explosion,” Vander said. “And every test is like a work of art because of all that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, and no two tests are exactly the same. There were a lot of knowledge and lessons learned that we continue to build on today.”

NASA Stennis test conductor Brian Childers leads Test Control Center operations during the 1000th test of a space shuttle main engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1). on Aug. 17, 2006.NASA Powering History

Teams took a giant step forward in 1978 to 1981 with testing of the Main Propulsion Test Article, which involved installing three engines (configured as during an actual launch), with a space shuttle external tank and a mock orbiter, on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand.

Teams conducted 18 tests of the article, proving conclusively that the shuttle configuration would fly as needed. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia launched on the maiden STS-1 mission of the new era. Unlike previous vehicles, this one had no uncrewed test flight. The first launch of shuttle carried astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen.

“The effort that you contributed made it possible for us to sit back and ride,” Crippen told NASA Stennis employees during a post-test visit to the site. “We couldn’t even make it look hard.”

Testing proceeded steadily for the next 28 years. Engine anomalies, upgrades, system changes – all were tested at NASA Stennis. Limits of the engine were tested and proven. Site teams gained tremendous testing experience and expertise. NASA Stennis personnel became experts in handling cryogenics.

Following the loss of shuttles Challenger and Columbia, NASA Stennis teams completed rigorous test campaigns to ensure future mission safety. The space shuttle main engine arguably became the most tested, and best understood, large rocket engine in the world – and NASA Stennis teams were among those at the forefront of knowledge.

NASA conducts the final space shuttle main engine test on July 29, 2009, on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA Stennis. The Space Shuttle Program concluded two years later with the STS-135 shuttle mission in July 2011.NASA A Foundation for the Future

NASA recognized the effort of the NASA Stennis team, establishing the site as the center of excellence for large propulsion test work. In the meanwhile, NASA Stennis moved to solidify its future, growing as a federal city, home to more than 50 resident agencies, organizations, and companies.

Shuttle testing opened the door for the variety of commercial aerospace test projects the site now supports. It also established and solidified the test team’s unique capabilities and gave all of Mississippi a sense of prideful ownership in the Space Shuttle Program – and its defining missions.

No one can say what would have happened to NASA Stennis without the space shuttle main engine test campaign. However, everything NASA Stennis now is rests squarely on the record and work of that history-making campaign.

“Everyone knows NASA Stennis as the site that tested the Apollo rockets that took humans to the Moon – but space shuttle main engine testing really built this site,” said Joe Schuyler, director of NASA Stennis engineering and test operations. “We are what we are because of that test campaign – and all that we become is built on that foundation.”

Share Details Last Updated May 19, 2025 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms Explore More 9 min read 45 Years Ago: First Main Propulsion Test Assembly Firing of Space Shuttle Main Engines

The development of the space shuttle in the 1970s required several new technologies, including powerful…

Article 2 years ago
5 min read 40 Years Ago: Six Months until the STS-1 Launch Article 5 years ago 8 min read 55 Years Ago: First Saturn V Stage Tested in Mississippi Facility Article 4 years ago
Categories: NASA

A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 9:51am
6 Min Read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

The numbers are notable – 34 years of testing space shuttle main engines at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 3,244 individual tests, more than 820,000 seconds (totaling more than nine days) of cumulative hot fire.

The story behind the numbers is unforgettable.

“It is hard to describe the full impact of the space shuttle main engine test campaign on NASA Stennis,” Center Director John Bailey said. “It is hundreds of stories, affecting all areas of center life, within one great story of team achievement and accomplishment.”

NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines from May 19, 1975, to July 29, 2009. The testing made history, enabling 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.

The testing also:

  • Established NASA Stennis as the center of excellence for large propulsion testing.
  • Broadened and deepened the expertise of the NASA Stennis test team.
  • Demonstrated and expanded the propulsion test capabilities of NASA Stennis.
  • Ensured the future of the Mississippi site.
The first space shuttle main engine is installed on May 8, 1975, at the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1). The engine would be used for the first six tests and featured a shortened thrust chamber assembly.NASA Assignment and Beginning

NASA Stennis was not the immediate choice to test space shuttle main engines. Two other sites also sought the assignment – NASA’s Marshall Flight Center in Alabama and Edwards Air Force Base in California. However, following presentations and evaluations, NASA announced March 1, 1971, that the test campaign would take place in south Mississippi.

“(NASA Stennis) was now assured of a future in propulsion testing for decades,” summarized Way Station to Space, a history of the center’s first decades.

Testing did not begin immediately. First, NASA Stennis had to complete an ambitious project to convert stands built the previous decade for rocket stage testing to facilities supporting single-engine hot fire.

Propellant run tanks were installed and calibrated. A system was fashioned to measure and verify engine thrust. A gimbaling capability was developed on the Fred Haise Test Stand to allow operators to move engines as they must pivot in flight to control rocket trajectory. Likewise, engineers designed a diffuser capability for the A-2 Test Stand to allow operators to test at simulated altitudes up to 60,000 feet.

NASA Stennis teams also had to learn how to handle cryogenic propellants in a new way. For Apollo testing, propellants were loaded into stage tanks to support hot fires. For space shuttle, propellants had to be provided by the stand to the engine. New stand run tanks were not large enough to support a full-duration (500 seconds) hot fire, so teams had to provide real-time transfer of propellants from barges, to the run tanks, to the engine.

The process required careful engineering and calibration. “There was a lot to learn to manage real-time operations,” said Maury Vander, chief of NASA Stennis test operations. “Teams had to develop a way to accurately measure propellant levels in the tanks and to control the flow from barges to the tanks and from the tanks to the engine. It is a very precise process.”

NASA Stennis teams conduct a hot fire of the space shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article in 1979 on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand. The testing involved installing a shuttle external fuel tank, a mockup of the shuttle orbiter, and the vehicle’s three-engine configuration on the stand, then firing all three engines simultaneously as during an actual launch.NASA Testing the Way

The biggest challenge was operation of the engine itself. Not only was it the most sophisticated ever developed, but teams would be testing a full engine from the outset. Typically, individual components are developed and tested prior to assembling a full engine. Shuttle testing began on full-scale engines, although several initial tests did feature a trimmed down thrust chamber assembly.

The initial test on May 19, 1975, provided an evaluation of team and engine. The so-called “burp” test did not feature full ignition, but it set the stage for moving forward.

“The first test was a monstrous milestone,” Vander said. “Teams had to overcome all sorts of challenges, and I can only imagine what it must have felt like to go from a mostly theoretical engine to seeing it almost light. It is the kind of moment engineers love – fruits-of-all-your-hard-labor moment.”

NASA Stennis teams conducted another five tests in quick succession. On June 23/24, with a complete engine thrust chamber assembly in place, teams achieved full ignition. By year’s end, teams had conducted 27 tests. In the next five years, they recorded more than 100 annual hot fires, a challenging pace. By the close of 1980, NASA Stennis had accumulated over 28 hours of hot fire.

The learning curve remained steep as teams developed a defined engine start, power up, power down, and shutdown sequences. They also identified anomalies and experienced various engine failures.

“Each test is a semi-controlled explosion,” Vander said. “And every test is like a work of art because of all that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, and no two tests are exactly the same. There were a lot of knowledge and lessons learned that we continue to build on today.”

NASA Stennis test conductor Brian Childers leads Test Control Center operations during the 1000th test of a space shuttle main engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1). on Aug. 17, 2006.NASA Powering History

Teams took a giant step forward in 1978 to 1981 with testing of the Main Propulsion Test Article, which involved installing three engines (configured as during an actual launch), with a space shuttle external tank and a mock orbiter, on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand.

Teams conducted 18 tests of the article, proving conclusively that the shuttle configuration would fly as needed. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia launched on the maiden STS-1 mission of the new era. Unlike previous vehicles, this one had no uncrewed test flight. The first launch of shuttle carried astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen.

“The effort that you contributed made it possible for us to sit back and ride,” Crippen told NASA Stennis employees during a post-test visit to the site. “We couldn’t even make it look hard.”

Testing proceeded steadily for the next 28 years. Engine anomalies, upgrades, system changes – all were tested at NASA Stennis. Limits of the engine were tested and proven. Site teams gained tremendous testing experience and expertise. NASA Stennis personnel became experts in handling cryogenics.

Following the loss of shuttles Challenger and Columbia, NASA Stennis teams completed rigorous test campaigns to ensure future mission safety. The space shuttle main engine arguably became the most tested, and best understood, large rocket engine in the world – and NASA Stennis teams were among those at the forefront of knowledge.

NASA conducts the final space shuttle main engine test on July 29, 2009, on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA Stennis. The Space Shuttle Program concluded two years later with the STS-135 shuttle mission in July 2011.NASA A Foundation for the Future

NASA recognized the effort of the NASA Stennis team, establishing the site as the center of excellence for large propulsion test work. In the meanwhile, NASA Stennis moved to solidify its future, growing as a federal city, home to more than 50 resident agencies, organizations, and companies.

Shuttle testing opened the door for the variety of commercial aerospace test projects the site now supports. It also established and solidified the test team’s unique capabilities and gave all of Mississippi a sense of prideful ownership in the Space Shuttle Program – and its defining missions.

No one can say what would have happened to NASA Stennis without the space shuttle main engine test campaign. However, everything NASA Stennis now is rests squarely on the record and work of that history-making campaign.

“Everyone knows NASA Stennis as the site that tested the Apollo rockets that took humans to the Moon – but space shuttle main engine testing really built this site,” said Joe Schuyler, director of NASA Stennis engineering and test operations. “We are what we are because of that test campaign – and all that we become is built on that foundation.”

Share Details Last Updated May 19, 2025 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms Explore More 9 min read 45 Years Ago: First Main Propulsion Test Assembly Firing of Space Shuttle Main Engines

The development of the space shuttle in the 1970s required several new technologies, including powerful…

Article 2 years ago
5 min read 40 Years Ago: Six Months until the STS-1 Launch Article 5 years ago 8 min read 55 Years Ago: First Saturn V Stage Tested in Mississippi Facility Article 4 years ago
Categories: NASA

The moon reaches its half-lit final quarter phase this week: Here's what to expect

Space.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 9:00am
Time for a trip to Tycho Crater.
Categories: Astronomy

Cervix-on-a-chip inspires potential new treatment for preterm birth

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 8:00am
Using human cells, researchers were able to create a novel cervix-on-a-chip model to study how the vaginal microbiome affects pregnancy
Categories: Astronomy

Cervix-on-a-chip inspires potential new treatment for preterm birth

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 8:00am
Using human cells, researchers were able to create a novel cervix-on-a-chip model to study how the vaginal microbiome affects pregnancy
Categories: Astronomy

Mysterious white streak spotted over US skies during surprise aurora storm. What was it? (photos)

Space.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 7:50am
Skywatchers were left surprised, puzzled and awestruck by a mysterious streak of light slicing through the night sky.
Categories: Astronomy

How Dinosaurs Shaped Fruit Evolution

Scientific American.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 6:45am

By physically engineering their environments, megafauna such as dinosaurs curbed fruit seed sizes—a role that now may be filled by humans

Categories: Astronomy

Where Did Kosmos-482 Land? No One Is Sure

Scientific American.com - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 6:00am

Kosmos-482 crash-lands, physicists turn lead to gold and animals show some clever behaviors.

Categories: Astronomy

Is the COP30 climate summit already in crisis, with six months to go?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 5:17am
Mounting concerns about Brazil's approach to the COP30 climate summit have observers asking whether the meeting will be able to tackle the difficult choices involved in curbing emissions
Categories: Astronomy

Is the COP30 climate summit already in crisis, with six months to go?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 5:17am
Mounting concerns about Brazil's approach to the COP30 climate summit have observers asking whether the meeting will be able to tackle the difficult choices involved in curbing emissions
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Mon, 05/19/2025 - 4:00am

What does our


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

All about the abandoned Apollo capsule in 'The Last of Us' (Season 2, Episode 6)

Space.com - Sun, 05/18/2025 - 10:01pm
Whether you are a fan of space exploration history or of the game on which the series is based, "The Last of Us" has just delivered a real blast from the past.
Categories: Astronomy

Meteor Impacts on Mars Can Excavate its Secrets

Universe Today - Sun, 05/18/2025 - 1:11pm

Spacecraft orbiting Mars can reveal small features on the planet's surface, but there are only so many things you can see from above. When a meteor strikes the surface of Mars, it can excavate sub-surface material, allowing scientists to study what lies beneath. Researchers have simulated various impacts on Mars, changing the sub-surface material from bedrock to water-ice glaciers, and then calculated what should be visible after an impact, enabling new science.

Categories: Astronomy

Venus Aerospace debuts potentially revolutionary rocket engine with landmark 1st flight (video)

Space.com - Sun, 05/18/2025 - 10:00am
Houston-based startup Venus Aerospace just launched the first successful test flight of a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) test from U.S. soil.
Categories: Astronomy