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To: burzum
...Why do they need a sea level test?...

Because it would be too costly to build a test stand in the stratosphere! ;-)
3 posted on 05/08/2007 8:32:32 PM PDT by Islander7 ("Show me an honest politician and I will show you a case of mistaken identity.")
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To: Islander7

Well, yeah!

Looking into this a little bit, I found that a proposed J-2T was designed with an aerospike nozzle, which obviously means that it was designed for use with atmospheric pressure. The J-2X has no need of that, so a test stand built specifically for sea-level conditions is useless. I wonder if this test stand is being built just in case they decide to revive the J-2T program, but using the fuzzy justification of the J-2X requirements for the Ares program. I suppose a rocket built with just J-2Ts and J-2Xs would be pretty cheap for space probes and such.


4 posted on 05/08/2007 8:48:22 PM PDT by burzum (None shall see me, though my battlecry may give me away -Minsc)
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