The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 at NASA’s Glenn Research Center was for years the nation’s most powerful facility for testing full-scale engines at simulated flight altitudes. For nearly three decades, the PSL tested aircraft, missile, and rocket engines to support a range of military and civilian programs. This website seeks to preserve the legacy of the original PSL facility for future generations.
History
Design and Construction
The addition of the PSL No. 1 and 2 in 1952 provided the NACA with a state-of-the-art tool for studying the more powerful engines of the future.
Missiles and Turbojets
In the 1950s, PSL tested turbojet and ramjet engines for military aircraft and missile systems, before transitioning in the 1960s to rocket engines for NASA’s early space program.
Return to Jet Engines
In the late 1960s and 1970s, PSL undertook a series of engine studies for civilian and military aircraft. NASA also created two larger PSL test chambers to support the increased aeronautics work.
Final Years
NASA ceased operation of PSL No. 1 and 2 in the late 1970s. After nearly 30 years of disuse, NASA demolished the facility in 2009.
Facility
Facility Components
PSL No. 1 and 2 included two altitude chambers, a modern control room, a combustion air supply system, an exhauster system, and cooling water system
Support Buildings
The PSL complex included the Equipment Building, which contained the powerful exhausters and compressors, the Shop and Access Building with the two test chambers, an office building, and a cooling tower.
How PSL Worked
A brief overview of how the PSL No. 1 and 2 was able to test large engines in simulated altitude conditions.
Research
Timelines
List of events that impacted PSL No. 1 and 2 and catalog of tests conducted in all four PSL test chambers through 1979.
Historic Documents
Collection of links to PDFs of historical documents, reference material, and technical reports related to PSL No. 1 and 2.
The Pursuit of Power
This history of PSL No. 1 and 2 covers the facility's significance to the nation’s aerospace community while sharing personal stories of some of those who performed groundbreaking research and made the giant facilities run.
This exhibit was created as part of Glenn Research Center’s effort to document the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 prior to its demolition.
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.
