This week in 1997, the Fastrac engine was duration tested in Test Stand 116 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The overall purpose of this test was to gauge the length of time between contact of triethylaluminum and liquid oxygen as an ignitor for the engine. Initially developed for use with the first powered flight of NASA’s X-34 technology demonstrator, the Fastrac engine was capable of producing 60,000 pounds of thrust. Today, Marshall is playing a vital role in the Artemis program by developing the Space Launch System, the backbone of NASA’s exploration plans and the only rocket capable of sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)