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This is the Redstone missile engine. Developed from 1950, it served as the powerplant for the Redstone missile, this country's first large-scale operational liquid propellant missile. On 31 January 1958, a modified version of the engine propelled the Jupiter-C launch vehicle that orbited the U.S.'s first artificial satellite, Explorer 1. The engine also launched the first American into space, Alan B. Shepard, aboard the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) on 5 May 1961.

In the Redstone missile the engine had a thrust of 78,000 pounds and used liquid oxygen and alcohol. As a booster for MR-3, it used Hydyne propellant, a hydrazine derivative, and produced 83,000 lbs of thrust.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Rocket Engines Manufacturer Rocketdyne Div., North American Rockwell
 Dimensions Diameter, nozzle, 31.5 in. ; overall diameter, approx. 33 in. x 100 in. long (83.82 x 254cm)
Other (combustion chamber, outside): 33 in. (83.82cm); length, combustion chamber, 65.5 in.
 Materials Combustion chamber and injectors, 4130 steel; propellant lines and valves, aluminum allows; pumps and impellers, aluminum alloys; heat exchanger, non-ferrous metal; steam generator, steel
 Inventory Number A19750292000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.