The Space Shuttle main engines (SSME) are the most advanced liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built. Featuring variable thrust, high performance, reusability, total redundancy, and a fully integrated controller, the performance of the SSME is the highest thrust for its weight of any engine yet developed.

One of the major components of the SSME, the High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) is a three-stage centrifugal pump that is driven by a two-stage hot gas turbine. The three pump stages, as well as both turbine stages, are mounted on a common drive shaft. The HPFTP pumps Liquid Hydrogen at a rate of approximately 170 lbs/sec and raises its pressure from 270 to approximately 6,500 psia.

Approximately 75,000 horsepower needs to be generated by the two-stage turbine. While operating at maximum thrust, the turbopump rotates at a speed of about 37,000 rev/min.

This flown turbine blade was designed by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International, and was manufactured by a team of several sub-contractors. It is presented encased in lucite by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.

Special thanks to Dave Mohr of D&E Propulsion & Power Systems (Mims, Florida) for his assistance correctly identifying and describing this flown turbine blade.