Timelines
List of events that impacted the Propulsion Systems Laboratory No. 1 and 2 and catalog of tests conducted in all four PSL test chambers through 1979.
NASA Glenn Research Center
Historic Facilities
Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2
Events Timeline (1938 – 2009)
1938
- The NACA studies the need for additional laboratories
1939
- German Heinkel He-178 performs first flight using a jet engine
- The NACA approves establishment of an Aircraft Engine Research Lab (AERL)
1941
- Construction of the AERL begins
- General Electric begins work on first U.S. jet engine
- U.S. enters World War II
1944
- The Altitude Wind Tunnel becomes the first U.S. propulsion tunnel
- AERL begins testing early U.S. jet engines
1945
- World War II ends
- AERL undergoes reorganization to focus on turbojets and high-speed flight
- Design of Four Burner Area altitude chambers begins
1946
- Air Force approves the development of a surface-to-surface intercontinental missile
1947
- Four Burner Area altitude chambers begin operation
- NACA Lewis Research Facilities Panel discusses new altitude facility
- AERL name is changed to the Flight Propulsion Research Laboratory
1948
- Lab renamed the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory
- Congress allocates $10 million for PSL construction
- Eugene Wasielewski appointed PSL Project Engineer
- 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel begins operation
1949
- Sam Emerson Co. hired to construct PSL Operations Building
- Excavation of PSL site and construction of cooling tower begin
- Treadwell Construction contracted to build PSL altitude chambers
- Abe Silverstein becomes NACA Lewis director of research
1951
- Burns and Roe completes PSL design work
- Delivery of altitude chambers to PSL site
1952
- Compressors and exhausters installed in Equipment Building
- Construction of PSL No. 1 and 2 completed in September
- Westinghouse ramjet is first item tested at PSL
1954
- 1954 NACA Inspection features PSL
1955
- New exhauster and compressors installed
- Air dryer tank and Reactivation Bldg. constructed
- First flight test of General Electric J79
1956
- Instrument Room added to Shop and Access Building
- Desiccant Air Dryer added
1957
- Navaho Missile Program cancelled
- Sputnik I launched
- Lewis hosts NACA Inspection and Flight Propulsion Conference
- General Dynamics begins design of the Centaur
1958
- Pebble Bed Heater added to PSL
- NACA Lewis incorporated into the new NASA space agency
- Boeing 707 becomes first major U.S. jet airliner to enter service
- Pratt & Whitney begins development of RL-10 engine
1961
- Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space
- President Kennedy calls for manned lunar landing
- Lewis begins expanding staff and facilities
1962
- First Centaur (F–1) launch fails
- Centaur Program transferred to NASA Lewis
- Bomarc missile sites installed
1963
- Chemical Rocket Division created to conduct PSL testing
1964
- First flight of P&W TF-30 turbofan engine
1966
- Creation of Airbreathing Engine Division
- Lewis budget and staffing peak
- Library relocated to PSL Operations Building
1967
- Surveyor spacecraft makes first landing on Moon
- PSL switches focus to aeronautics research
- Design work underway for PSL expansion
1968
- Construction underway for PSL No. 3 and 4
1969
- Majority of construction on PSL No. 3 and 4 complete
- Flamespreader installed on PSL Chamber No. 2
- Apollo 11 makes first lunar landing
1971
- No testing in PSL-2 during 1971
- Explosion in PSL Equipment Building
1972
- First test run in PSL No. 3 in November
- Space Shuttle Program approved
1973
- First test run in PSL No. 4 in July
- Recognition ceremony for PSL No. 3 and 4 design and construction
- NASA Lewis closes Plum Brook Station [today, the Neil Armstrong Test Facility]
1976
- PSL No. 1 closed in September until June 1977 for failure investigation
1979
- Final PSL No. 2 test completed in July
- Final PSL No. 1 test completed in September
1981
- First flight test of FADEC engine control system
2004
- NASA Glenn begins demolition planning
2006
- Community Awareness Meeting held April 27
2007
- Historical documentation of PSL begins
2008
- Demolition of PSL No.1 and 2 begins
2009
- Demolition of PSL No. 1 and 2 completed
Model of Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) facility that includes new addition to the Equipment Building. (11/19/1954)
NASA/BILL BOWLES
A NACA Lewis researcher discusses supersonic jet propulsion during the NACA’s 1957 Inspection. (10/8/1957)
NASA
Splitter cone and annular burner can on a Wright XRJ47-W5 ramjet engine installed in Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 2. (9/21/1954)
NASA/ARDEN WILFONG
A mechanic installs a small uncooled rocket in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 test section. (6/3/1959)
NASA/ARDEN WILFONG
John Kobak examines the remains of a failed liquid-hydrogen-cooled rocket engine in front of Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No.1 chamber. (6/14/1960)
NASA/PAUL RIEDEL
Construction of the large cooler for the new Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 3 and 4 facility. (6/25/1970)
NASA/MARTIN BROWN
Preparation of a Pratt & Whitney TF-30 P-3 turbofan engine for testing in Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). (8/6/1968)
NASA/MARTIN BROWN
Early construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) facility. These two stands were erected to hold the PSL’s two primary coolers. (4/26/1950)
NASA
Construction of Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 with the two primary coolers near the center of the photograph, the Shop and Access Building to the left, and excavations for the Equipment Building to the right. (9/1/1950)
NASA
View from roof of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) Shop and Access Building of a rusting primary cooler. (9/30/2008)
NASA/QUENTIN SCHWINN
Tests in PSL No. 1 and 2
| Year | PSL No. 1 | PSL No. 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | General Electric J73 turbojet | Wright XJ47 for Navaho |
| 1953 | General Electric J73 turbojet | Wright XJ47 for Navaho |
| 1954 | General Electric J73 turbojet | Wright XJ47 for Navaho |
| 1954 | Marquardt RJ43 for Bomarc | Wright XJ47 for Navaho |
| 1955 | General Electric J79 turbojet | Wright XJ47 for Navaho |
| 1956 | General Electric J70 turbojet | |
| 1957 | Orenda PS-13 Iroquois | |
| 1958 | NASA 2.5k rocket | NASA isenthropic rocket |
| 1959 | NASA regenerative rocket | TRW nozzle project |
| 1960 | NASA 20k rocket | Thrust vector rig |
| 1961 | Pratt & Whitney RL-10 rocket | NASA fluorine rocket |
| 1962 | Pratt & Whitney RL-10 rocket | |
| 1963 | Pratt & Whitney RL-10 rocket | RF engine |
| 1964 | NASA ablative engine | Contour nozzles |
| 1965 | Ablative engine | 260-inch Solid Rocket |
| 1966 | 260-inch Solid Rocket | |
| 1967 | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P1 distortion | General Electric Lift Cruise Engine |
| 1968 | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P1 distortion | General Electric J85-13/Lift Cruise Engine |
| 1969 | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P1 distortion | General Electric J85-13/Lift Cruise Engine |
| 1970 | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P1 distortion | General Electric J85-13 nozzle |
| 1971 | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P1 distortion | |
| 1972 | Garrett TFE 731-2 Compass Cope | General Electric J85-13 distortion |
| 1973 | Garrett ATF-3 Compass Cope | NASA Low Cost Engine |
| 1973 | Pratt & Whitney TF30 P9 controls | |
| 1974 | Pratt & Whitney TF30 P1 afterburner | GE J85-13 nozzle, treatment |
| 1975 | Pratt & Whitney F-100 FX213 flutter | Pratt & Whitney TF30-P9 controls |
| 1976 | Pratt & Whitney F-100 FX213 flutter | GE J85-21 compressor |
| 1977 | Pratt & Whitney F-100 XD11 flutter | General Electric J85-21 compressor |
| 1978 | Pratt & Whitney F-100 controls | General Electric J85-21 nozzle and flutter |
| 1979 | General Electric J-85 Pulse Generator | Pratt & Whitney F401 controls |
Instrumentation at the turbine exit of a Pratt & Whitney TF-30 turbofan engine. (7/20/1972)
NASA/MARTIN BROWN
A General Electric J85 jet engine with nacelle in Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 2. (7/1/1968)
NASA/MARTIN BROWN
A mechanic examines the compressor of a General Electric J71 engine. (3/9/1955)
NASA/HARRY WALTON
A mechanic prepares the flameholder for a Wright XRJ47-W5 ramjet engine prior to testing in Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 2. (10/16/1952)
NASA
Tests in PSL No. 3 and 4
| Year | PSL No. 3 | PSL No. 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Quiet Engine Program | |
| 1973 | Quiet Engine Program | Pratt & Whitney J58 emissions |
| 1973 | Quiet Engine Program | Pratt & Whitney J58/JT8D Refan |
| 1975 | Airflow Airjet Duct Test | Pratt & Whitney TF30 augmenter mixer |
| 1976 | Pratt & Whitney TF30 P-3 distortion | Pratt & Whitney F-100 P059 calibration |
| 1977 | Pratt & Whitney TF30 P-3 distortion | Pratt & Whitney F-100 P063 afterburner |
| 1978 | Pratt & Whitney TF-34 inlet vanes | Pratt & Whitney F-100 P072 afterburner |
| 1979 | Pratt & Whitney TF34 inlet vanes | Pratt & Whitney F-100 P072 afterburner |
General Electric Quiet Engine installed in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 3 test chamber. The 24-foot diameter test chamber was ten feet wider than the original Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 chambers. (2/10/1973)
NASA/MARTIN BROWN
A technician installs instrumentation on a Pratt & Whitney TF-34 turbofan engine in Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 3. (11/8/1979)
NASA/HANK SEIDEL
The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 3 and 4 as it appeared in 2006.
NASA
Modification to the Propulsion Research Lab turned the facility into an engine icing facility (2012).
NASA
Additional Information on PSL No. 1 and 2
Glenn History and Mitigation
Glenn Historic Facilities
This collection of webpages documents some of the historic facilities formerly located at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Glenn Historic Preservation
NASA Glenn has worked with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office to mitigate the loss of some of its historic facilities.
Glenn History Office
The NASA Glenn History Office documents the research, facilities, and people who have contributed to the center’s extensive history and manages the Glenn History Collection.