The Fastrac engine -- only the second American made engine developed in the last 25 years -- will be the primary propulsion system for the X-34 technology demonstration vehicle scheduled to begin flight tests in late 1998.

X-34 is next in NASA's series of Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology demonstrators set for up to 25 flights beginning late next year. X-34, an air-launched vehicle being developed under contract to Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, VA, is intended to demonstrate technologies ranging from composite structures and reusable propellant tanks and insulation to advanced thermal protection systems and low-cost avionics.

The Mach-8 (eight times the speed of sound) craft will begin flights at the White Sands Missile Range, NM, and could include missions through inclement weather conditions in Florida, as well. X-34 demonstrations will precede the more advanced X-33 technology demonstrator scheduled to begin flights up to Mach 15 in mid-1999. A major goal of NASA's RLV efforts is to reduce dramatically the cost of putting payloads into space.

Recently completed Fastrac engine component tests evaluated the engine's thrust chamber assembly at high pressure almost identical to flight conditions. The primary combustion of propellants -- a mixture of liquid oxygen and kerosene -- occurs in the thrust chamber assembly. As the engine heats, the chamber is cooled by charring or scorching a liner inside the chamber that decomposes to prevent excessive heat buildup.

"The thrust chamber assembly performed as designed, which is another indication that the Fastrac is an engineering breakthrough," said George Young, Fastrac engine chief engineer. "Marshall engineers developed this engine in a much shorter-than-usual design cycle at significantly lower costs than a typical rocket engine."

"These tests demonstrate that a key component of our simple, low-cost engine performs in flight-like conditions," said Danny Davis, manager of the Low Cost Technologies project, which oversees the Fastrac engine. "These successful test firings of the thrust chamber mark a major milestone in the progression to low-cost space propulsion."

Each Fastrac engine initially will cost approximately $1 million -- about one-fourth of the cost of similar engines. The Fastrac provides 60,000 pounds of thrust and, in addition to the X-34 vehicle, is targeted for launch systems designed to boost payloads weighing up to 500 pounds at a dramatically lower cost.

Individual components, such as the thrust chamber assembly, gas generator and fuel tanks, are undergoing testing at Marshall. Other first-stage booster components such as tanks, propellant supply and electronic control systems and the complete engine assembly will be tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi beginning in early 1998.

The Fastrac engine is one element of NASA's Advanced Space Transportation Program, managed at Marshall. The program is an initiative to reduce the cost of space launch and develop technologies for space transportation needs for the next 25 years.

Reuseable Launch Vehicle Archive at Spacer.Com

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