Object Details
Manufacturer
Space Technology Laboratories (STL)
Summary
This is a Descent Engine designed by Space Technology Laboratories as used on the Project Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LM) to land on the Moon. The engine could be throttled between 1,000 and 10,000 pounds of thrust and was also the first gimballed and throttable rocket engine used on a spacecraft.
The engine shown here is an early developmental model dating to 1966. During the Apollo lunar missions from 1969-1972, there were no problems with the Descent Engine, although on the Apollo 13 mission, no Moon landing was made and the Descent Engine served another purpose, that of taking the craft out of lunar orbit and back home. The engine was donated to the Smithsonian in 1972 by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
Credit Line
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Inventory Number
A19720824000
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
Materials
Nozzle, phenolic ablative liner; propellant lines, stainless steel; valves, stainless steel; injector, aluminum.
Dimensions
3-D: 147.3 × 236.2cm, 204.6kg (4 ft. 10 in. × 7 ft. 9 in., 451lb.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19720824000