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Rocket Systems Area Image Gallery

Image Gallery for the Rocket Systems Area website: www.nasa.gov/rocket-systems-area/. Glenn Research Center's Rocket Systems Area was essential to the development of liquid-hydrogen propulsion systems for rocket engines.

The Rocket Systems Area complex as it appeared in 1960.
Illustration of group of test facilities.
Rocket engine tests at Plum Brook Station's J Site in the summer of 1962.
Rocket firing horizontally out of test cell
Test engineers monitor A Site controls inside the H Control Building during tests of three-stage axial flow turbopumps (5/14/1963).
Test engineers in control room
Preparation of an Atlas missile for installation in E Site at Plum Brook Station (1963).
Atlas horizontal on truck bed in front of E Stand.
The J-1 test stand could fire gaseous hydrogen rocket engines with up to 28,000 pounds of thrust. The engines were...
Exterior of J-1 at Night
A cryoshroud--which simulates the cold temperatures of space--set up around a test article inside the K Site test chamber (August...
K Site chamber with door open and shroud inside.
The High Energy Rocket Engine Research Facility (B-1) and Nuclear Rocket Dynamics and Control Facility (B-3) at Plum Brook Station...
View of the B1 and B3 test stands
Technicians in a vacuum furnace at NASA Lewis' Fabrication Shop prepare a Kiwi B-1 nozzle for testing in the B-1...
Two men looking at rocket nozzle.
Rocket engine tests at Plum Brook Station's J Site in the summer of 1962.
Rocket firing horizontally out of test cell.
A view of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen test loops inside A Site. The facility was designed to test...
Test Loops Inside A Site
Interior of the Hydraulics Laboratory (F Site) at Plum Brook Station in the 1960s.
Railroad car inside building.
Static firing of a nitric acid aniline rocket at the Rocket Lab in 1946.
Rocket firing horizontally out of test cell.
Firing of a 1000-pound-thrust rocket engine in Cell 21 of the Rocket Lab. A camera is set up to record...
Camera filming horizontal firing of engine.
A NACA researcher watches a test in a Rocket Lab test cell through viewing pane (1/10/1952).
Research watches Rocket Lab test through viewing pane
Aerial view of the Rocket Lab at the Lewis Research Center, which contained test cells for testing rocket engines (1960).
Aerial view of the Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab logbook page noting Lewis' first firing of a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen rocket engine in November 1954.
Rocket Lab logbook page
Construction of a bunker to store explosives at the Plum Brook Ordnance Works during World War II (1941).
External view of bunker
The Plum Brook Ordnance Works built 99 concrete bunkers to store TNT during World War II. NASA converted them into...
Ground-level view of bunker
The Plum Brook Ordnance Works' Administration Building in 1941. The NACA staff used this structure for offices in the 1960s.
Ground-level view of Administration Building
The rear of the Plum Brook Ordnance Works Administration Building in 1941. NASA would later use this facility to provide...
rear of the Plum Brook Ordnance Works Administration Building
The Administration Building and other structures were built by the Ordnance Works in 1941. NASA later used these for office...
Aerial view of buildings.
NASA converted a former Plum Brook Ordnance Works building as a base for many of the electricians, metalworkers, and buildings...
Equipment inside Combine Shop
In March 1958 NACA officials reviewed Plum Brook Ordnance Works equipment for possible reuse.
Equipment in warehouse
In March 1958 NACA officials reviewed leftover equipment for the Plum Brook Ordnance Works for use at the Rocket Systems...
Equipment inside warehouse
Plum Brook Ordnance Works tank being converted into a control room for the Pilot Plant (1958).
Interior of tubular tank with ladder inside
Construction of the Pilot Plant control room inside an empty tank (9/29/1958).
Interior of tubular tank with equipment inside
A technician installs equipment in the Pilot Plant control room (9/2/1958).
Technician in control room.
Connections and pipes connecting the hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks to A Site (7/12/1964).
Pipes and connections at test facility.
Grading of Plum Brook land to construct F Site (9/30/1958).
Tractor grades muddy field
Construction of the A Site at Plum Brook Station in January 1959. The facility became operational in the spring of...
Construction of A Site
Diagram of the J-3 tank site inside Plum Brook Station's J Site complex.
Drawing showing J-3 location within J Site
An engineer with a demonstration model of the J-2 vertical rocket stand at J Site (2/21/1961).
Man with model of J-2 facilty
Construction of the steel framework for the B-3 test stand at Plum Brook Station in August 1963. The structure was...
Steel framework for B-3
Construction of the steel framework for B-3 test stand in August 1963. The structure was complete in mid-November 1963.
Steel framework for B-3
Construction of the B Control and Data Building at Plum Brook Station (4/5/1963).
Pouring of foundations for B Control
Plum Brook Station's D Site during its construction. The facility included two rigs to study turbines, gas generators, control and...
Aerial view of D Site.
Construction of the two-stage ejector system at B-1. The ejector created simulated altitude conditions at the nozzle's exhaust duct (8/6/1962).
Crane lifting section of ejector into place.
The 135-foot tall B-1 test stand was enclosed above the 68-foot level and had an enclosed elevator shaft extending to...
Exterior view of B-1 stand
View of the 7-story Dynamics Stand (E Stand) as construction was completed in the summer of 1961.
Exterior view up at E Stand
View up at E Stand