I would like to turn at this point to the last subject in my outline and speak briefly concerning the application of aerospace technology to down-to-earth concerns. Some of you will recall that last year we reported to you at some length our development of the Extra Systemic Organ Transporter (ESOT) Figure 68. This was developed under the direction of Dr. DeBakey's group at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Since that development a second undertaking has reached fruition. Figure 69 is a photograph of a Mobil Intensive Care Operating Table (MICOT) developed in association with the same medical group. This is a specialized operating table designed to receive heart attack victims with a minimum of wasted time. This operating table has been outfitted with all of the necessary electrical equipment, power supplies, and other devices necessary to permit the establishment of a cardiac by-pass at the earliest time subsequent to receipt of the patient. We are convinced that this is just the beginning of projects of this nature where the complexity of the systems, and the necessity for reliability warrant direct application of the techniques which have been learned during the course of manned spacecraft programs. We are presently working on a third sh application which involves a major console for a hospital operating room. a summary, we have outlined for you the status of two programs, the Lunar Module and the OAO. Certainly the Lunar Module has demonstrated outstandingly successful performance to this date. Although the Apollo program is visibly drawing to its conclusion, we are deeply concious of the responsibility for insuring the success of the remaining three missions. In fact, this is more than merely a continuation of the past efforts in view of the increased capabilities which have been provided in the Lunar Modules for Apollos 15, 16 and 17. I can assure you that Grumman personnel will apply every effort toward the success of these remaining missions. We understand quite well that a major portion of the value of the Apollo program may well result from the extended exploration plan in these last three lunar landings. In the case of the OAO, we have an equally demanding responsibility to insure that OAO-C performs once it is placed in orbit. It is both a responsibility and a privilege for us to be involved in probing the mysteries of the universe in which we live.

We have also discussed briefly our participation in the HEAO Phase B study. This appears to us to be a very sound program, one which represents a modest investment by NASA and one which we aim to win. While the subject of high energy particles may seem to be a part of fundamental physics, well removed from our daily lives, I would like to suggest that it is well within the realm of possibility that a better understanding of these energetic nuclear particles could hasten the accomplishment of practical fusion power, a development which would revolutionize our present approach to satisfying the seemingly insatiable demand here on earth.

We have spoken to you candidly concerning our activities and aspirations in connection with the NASA shuttle, the next generation earth-to-orbit transportation system. I believe that we have penetrated the potential problems to a sufficient level of detail at this point to have gained confidence that the shuttle can be a very sound and very useful program which will influence this Nation's undertakings in space for the next 20 years. We are indeed conscious of the responsibility we have in helping NASA to define the system and its program so that we have a clear understanding of what we are going to do before large investments are made. We have also tried to understand the potential of the shuttle with respect to other NASA priorities and, in fact, with respect to other national priorities. It is our opinion that the Earth-to-Orbit Shuttle will have unique features compared with earlier launch systems which will open a new era of useful orbital space science applications. In short, the ability to return a payload to the earth's surface, the ability to operate as a short term flying laboratory (the sortie mode), the potential for servicing and updating satellites in orbit, and the possibility of carrying non-astronauts to orbit and return; all of these provide new dimensions for orbital operations.

Because of the wide variety of possibilities and because a successful shuttle system provides a number of technical and managerial challenges which must not be underestimated, we believe that this program, in addition to its inherent usefulness, will serve this Nation well as a focal point for technological progress. We are bending every effort to insure the success of this program; we look forward to the privilege of playing a major role in its development.

PRATT & WHITNEY, A DIVISION OF UNITED AIRCRAFT CORP.

BACKGROUND

APRIL 8, 1971.

United Aircraft Corporation is a diversified aerospace company building reliable products for flight both in the atmosphere and in space.

Its activities include the design and manufacture of jet engines for both aviation and nonaviation requirements; engines and equipment for spacecraft; helicopters; environmental controls for aircraft and spacecraft; space life support equipment; and electronic systems, subsystems, and components.

United Aircraft and its divisions and subsidiaries place major emphasis on applied research and intensive product development. More than one-fourth of its employees work in the Corporation's engineering departments.

The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division has been providing flight propulsion since its founding in 1925. Pratt & Whitney Aircraft jet engines now power many first-line military aircraft and most of the Boeing and Douglas commercial transports operated throughout the world. The Division also developed the fuel cell system to supply on-board electrical power for the Apollo spacecraft, and is building a fuel cell for deep submergence vessels.

The Division's Florida Research and Development Center designed and developed the J58 engine which powers the Mach 3-plus YF-12A and SR-71 aircraft. The world's first liquid hydrogen rocket engine, the RL10 was also developed in Florida. It has successfully powered the Centaur and Saturn S-IV space vehicles on missions including those leading to manned exploration of the moon. The Florida Research and Development Center has been developing high pressure hydrogen rocket technology since 1959, and is currently conducting Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's Space Shuttle Main Engine Phase B program for NASA.

In 1971, NASA will proceed with the development of the main engine for the Space Shuttle vehicle. The objective of the Space Shuttle Engine Program is to provide a high performance, safe, reliable, cost-effective, main engine for a reusable Space Shuttle vehicle. The confidence to proceed with the development of this engine is based on detailed design studies and advanced component technology programs which have been accomplished over the past decade with this specific application in mind.

$78 MILLION TECHNOLOGY BASE

In the past 11 years, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft has conducted technology programs valued at over $78 million which were specifically directed toward the development of a high performance reusable rocket engine. These programs were funded by NASA, USAF, and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. A chronology of the major efforts are presented in figure 1.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN STUDIES STARTED IN 1959

Starting in 1959, studies were initiated by P&WA to determine the design requirements for the next generation of liquid rocket engines. Conceptual designs of various engine systems resulted in the selection of a design and propellant combination that offered the highest practical performance levels and a compact engine envelope. An oxygen-hydrogen engine concept was selected which utilized a main chamber pressure of 3000 pounds per square inch and employed a staged combustion cycle for maximum efficiency. This pressure level was ten times that used in hydrogen rocket engines in 1959.

The Company then began engineering programs to investigate this major step in technology. It was necessary to explore this engine concept, to demonstrate the feasibility of cooling combustion chambers at high pressure, and the practicality of pumping hydrogen and oxygen to the required pressures. Design studies were initiated and parametric performance data was published. The potential application of the engine in reusable spacecraft was explored by all of the major vehicle manufacturers. Reuse of the rocket engine appeared practical and the Space Transport Engine (RL20) was conceived. The objectives of this engine were described as follows in 1963:

"To provide an economic space transportation system, it appears that the next generation of launch vehicles will be developed as reusable systems. Engines for these vehicles will be significantly different from the throw-away types in current use, and must possess many of the characteristics of the engines in use in today's jet aircraft. Stability over a wide range of operating conditions, variable thrust to permit vehicle control and ground checkout, time between overhauls measured in hours, and operational dependability must be coupled with high performance to meet the propulsion needs of a space transport system." These objectives are still valid today.

In 1964, NASA funded an Advanced Engine Design study (AEB), to generate detailed analyses of advanced cryogenic rocket engine concepts using bell-shape nozzles. These studies confirmed the selection of the high chamber pressure, staged combustion cycle engine as optimum for high performance and durability. Under Air Force contract, a lightweight, reusable, high performance rocket engine was subsequently designed using these concepts. Full-scale subsystems of this 250,000 pound thrust engine, the XLR129, have been subjected to evaluation tests since 1967. Following the selection by NASA of the high pressure engine with a bell-shaped nozzle for the Space Shuttle main propulsion in October 1969, the analysis and design of this rocket engine concept was continued in the Phase B Space Shuttle Main Engine definition study. Figure 2 illustrates the design evolution of the high pressure staged combustion engine from 1960 to the current 550,000 pound thrust Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME).

COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS COMPLETED

The Space Shuttle Main Engine design is based on technology resulting from the successful demonstration of large-scale liquid hydrogen and oxygen pumps and high performance transpiration-cooled staged-combustion systems. The advanced component technology described herein provides the confidence to proceed directly into main engine development.

HIGH PRESSURE HYDROGEN TURBOPUMP DEVELOPMENT CONTINUOUS SINCE 1961

Recognizing that the ability to pump hydrogen and oxygen to very high pressures was fundamental to the high performance, staged combustion concept, a high-pressure liquid hydrogen pump program was initiated in June 1961 under Air Force contract and continued with company support through mid-1964. The pump was sized for a 50,000 pound thrust level and a design speed of 45,000 revolutions per minute. The rotor assembly (shown in figure 3) consists of an inducer, two centrifugal impellers, a double-acting hydrostatic thrust balance piston, and a two-stage drive turbine.

The test program for this hydrogen pump included off-design flow excursions at speeds up to 48,000 revolutions per minute. Sixty-four tests were conducted on this pump. A pressure rise of 4390 pounds per square inch, and flowrates up to 2900 gallons per minute were achieved. Satisfactory pump performance was demonstrated in fast accelerations from 5000 revolutions per minute to 40,000 revolutions per minute in less than one second. The double-acting thrust balance system demonstrated the capability to maintain shaft position within the design limits for unbalanced loads up to 45,000 pounds.