NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Test Stand 401 is a 32 ft diameter by 33 ft high (9.75 m diameter by 10 m high) carbon steel altitude chamber capable of accommodating a vehicle with a thrust vector controlled, 110-kN-thrust engine firing vertically downward. The stand is capable of testing maximum test articles of 15 ft by 15 ft by 45 ft (4.6 m x 4.6 m x 13.7 m). It has three interior levels which can be reconfigured to meet test requirements.



Specifications:

• Single position, vertical firing capability
• Altitude test capability to 100 K ft (30.5 km) for engine firing with steam system; up to 250 K ft (76 km) non-firing with vacuum pumps
• Propellants: GO₂, LH₂, LOX, Hydrazines, N₂O₄ and Hydrocarbon
• Propellant capability - 2000-gal storage/run tanks for hypergolic propellants (MMH/N₂O₄) can be saturated with helium up to 600 psia; both propellants can be temperature conditioned between 40 and 120 °F (4 and 49 °C); pressure or pump transfer of propellants; two propellant aspiration systems installed
• 500-gal, 600-psi Hydrocarbon fuel system (currently ethyl alcohol)
• Maximum thrust - 25 K lbf (111 N) vertical firing; screw-jack precision test article positioning system; ambient pressure-temperature conditioning from 30 to 120 °F (-1 to 49 °C)
• Low-pressure cryogenics: 28,000-gal liquid hydrogen, 13,500-gal liquid oxygen, vacuum-jacked feed lines
• 400-ft³ (11 m³) gaseous oxygen at 3000 psi