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The Rocketdyne J-2 Liquid-Fuel Motor, using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, was the powerplant for the second and third stages of the Saturn V launch vehicle that took astronauts to the Moon in the Apollo program. John G. Baldwin was a US Navy veteran and engineer who worked for North American Aviation, Inc.'s Space and Information Systems Division where he was part of the Saturn S-2 Stage testing team. This collection consists of photographs and ephemera relating to testing of the Rocketdyne J-2 Liquid-Fuel Motor used in the Saturn S-2 Stage which took place in 1964 and 1965 at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Southern California.

Identifier

NASM.2023.0003

Creator

Baldwin, John G.

Date

1964-1967

Provenance

Nina Baldwin, Gift, 2022, NASM.2023.0003.

Extent

0.03 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of twenty-three photographs relating to testing of the Rocketdyne J-2 Liquid-Fuel Motor used in the Saturn S-2 Stage which took place in 1964 and 1965 at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Southern California. The photographs all measure 8 by 10 inches and are a blend of color and black and white photography. Several show detailed views of the water spraying mechanism on the test stand used for cooling and noise suppression. The collection also includes the August 13, 1965 issue of Skywriter, the newspaper of North American Aviation, Inc.'s Space and Information Systems Division. John Baldwin appears in a photograph on page 3 where he can be seen monitoring a console that indicates temperature during one of the tests. Also in the collection are a letter to Baldwin from W. F. Parker, Vice President, Saturn S-II Program Manager at North American's Space and Information Systems Division congratulating Baldwin on the success of the full-duration firing test of the J-2 engine that took place in December 1965. The letter is in a folio that has an 8 by 10 inch color photograph taken during the test attached inside the front cover. The final item in the collection is a cover of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration technical report (dated November 2, 1967) entitled, Launch Vehicle Operations for Support of Space Vehicle Launch Countdown that includes a handwritten note that reads, "S-II C2SP Pressurization Panel, Manned by J. Baldwin, 11/9/1967." The cover, which is laminated, also includes handwritten notations on the reverse and a number of signatures on the front including Wernher von Braun, and John H. Glenn, Jr.

Arrangement note

Collection is arranged by type of material and then chronologically.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Citation

Rocketdyne Saturn J-2 Liquid-Fuel Motor Testing Collection, NASM.2023.0003, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Astronautics
Space vehicles -- Propulsion systems

Type

Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Newsletters
Ephemera