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Second engine removed from Discovery
BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 31, 2011


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Removal of the space shuttle main engines from Discovery continued on Thursday, March 31 when the lower-right powerplant was extracted from the orbiter.

The photographs below show SSME Block 2-2058 in Discovery's engine No. 3 position. It flew on six shuttle flights starting with STS-116 that went to the International Space Station in 2006.

Built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, the cryogenic powerplants are fed with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen stored in the external fuel tank to propel the space shuttle throughout its eight-and-a-half minute climb to orbit.

Photos by NASA







Photos by NASA
 

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