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Aerojet delivers breakthrough engine for planetary exploration AEROJET NEWS RELEASE Posted: July 20, 2006 Aerojet, a GenCorp Inc. (NYSE: GY) company, has delivered the first of a new generation of propulsion thrusters to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, for NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) project. The NEXT propulsion system could provide breakthrough improvements in propulsion capabilities that will now enable NASA's most ambitious robotic exploration missions. Using highly advanced "electric propulsion" technology, the new engine emits an iridescent glow rather than the smoke and flame of a traditional chemical rocket making George Lucas' movie portrayals seem not as farfetched after all. But it's not just the appearance of the new system during operation that has caused excitement, it's the performance. Aerojet's NEXT ion thruster is capable of operating continuously in excess of 30,000 hours to provide the large total energy (or impulse) needed for NASA's outer planetary exploration missions. The NEXT thrust level is three times higher than the state-of-the-art NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Application Readiness (NSTAR) ion thruster used on the Deep Space One mission. Fuel efficiency, or specific impulse, is 30 percent higher than the NSTAR ion thruster and is a ten-fold increase over today's chemical rocket engines. Spacecraft using NEXT propulsion will use just 10 percent of the propellant of conventional chemical rocket propelled spacecraft, enabling more ambitious NASA missions with greater science return. Initial acceptance testing of the NEXT engine by NASA Glenn demonstrated that the thruster met or exceeded performance specifications "right out of the box." Acceptance testing is complete and the thruster was sent to the Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, Calif., for environmental testing. Aerojet will also fabricate and deliver a second prototype model thruster for NEXT system integration and long duration testing. "Delivery of the NEXT engine to NASA continues Aerojet's long history of delivering advanced new propulsion technologies in support of our nation's needs," said Aerojet Vice President of Space Programs Julie Van Kleeck. "The NEXT project could enable NASA to go places and do missions that could not be done before." The NEXT project is a joint technology and engineering development program led by NASA Glenn since 2002 to develop a next generation electric propulsion system, including power processing, propellant management and digital controller. The NEXT project is being conducted under the In-Space Propulsion Technology Program, managed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington D.C. and implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate business segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the Company's excess real estate assets. |
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A camera was mounted in the front of space shuttle Discovery's flight deck looking back at the astronauts during launch. This video shows the final minutes of the countdown and the ride to space with the live launch audio included. The movie shows what it would be like to launch on the shuttle with the STS-121 crew.
A high-altitude WB-57 aircraft flying north of Discovery's launch trajectory captures this incredible aerial footage of the space shuttle's ascent from liftoff through solid rocket booster separation.
This is the full launch experience! The movie begins with the final readiness polls of the launch team. Countdown clocks then resume ticking from the T-minus 9 minute mark, smoothly proceeding to ignition at 2:38 p.m. Discovery rockets into orbit, as seen by ground tracker and a video camera mounted on the external tank. About 9 minutes after liftoff, the engines shut down and the tank is jettisoned as the shuttle arrives in space.
MiTEx -- an experimental U.S. military project to test whether the advanced technologies embedded in two miniature satellites and a new upper stage kick motor can operate through the rigors of spaceflight -- is launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket.