Jessica Rye                                                                                August 3, 2004
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone:  321/867-2468)

KSC Release No. P09-04

In the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne crane operator Joe Ferrante (second from right) lifts SSME 2058, the first SSME fully assembled at KSC, with the assistance of other technicians on his team. The engine is being lifted from its vertical work stand into a horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot fire acceptance test. It is the first of five engines to be fully assembled on site to reach the desired number of 15 engines ready for launch at any given time in the Space Shuttle program. A Space Shuttle has three reusable main engines. Each is 14 feet long, weighs about 7,800 pounds, is seven-and-a-half feet in diameter at the end of its nozzle, and generates almost 400,000 pounds of thrust. Historically, SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, Calif., with post-flight inspections performed at KSC. Both functions were consolidated in February 2002. The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division of The Boeing Co. manufactures the engines for NASA.

KSC Photo Number: KSC-04PD-1645

A complete gallery of NASA Kennedy Space Center photos are available at:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/index.cfm

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