There were 21 RS-25D Block 2 engines made. Two of them never flew. Three of them were lost with the Columbia disaster. 16 of them are tagged for SLS's use, including 14 previously flown, and the two never flown. Where are the last ones, which engines are not tagged for use of SLS and where are they now? Which serial numbers are the two that will not be included in the SLS program?
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I suspect the missing ones are 6007 and 6013, although I have no idea what happened to those two... – PearsonArtPhoto Jan 08 '20 at 22:55
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Just to be sure - are you asking about the powerheads (which have the 6xxx serial numbers ) or the engines themselves (which have the 2xxx serial numbers) ? – Organic Marble Jan 08 '20 at 23:04
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Fair question. It seems that there were 21 Block 2 powerheads made, and maybe 7 more engines. I guess I'm asking about the powerheads with the associated engine, if it still exists... – PearsonArtPhoto Jan 08 '20 at 23:11
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This is a fantastic question! – Anton Hengst Dec 09 '20 at 19:02
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It appears that the 20 engines are all accounted for.
(Note that the chart from Wikipedia lists engine 2048 twice (once with powerhead 6007 and once with powerhead 6021).)
Here is the list of engines, their planned usage, and their last Shuttle flight.
| Engine | Planned Use | Last Shuttle Flight |
|---|---|---|
| 2043 | none at present | STS-108 L |
| 2044 | SLS launch # 4 | STS-133 C |
| 2045 | SLS launch # 1 | STS-135 R |
| 2047 | SLS launch # 2 | STS-135 C |
| 2048 | SLS launch # 3 | STS-133 L |
| 2049 | STS-107 R, destroyed | |
| 2050 | SLS launch # 4 | STS-120 C |
| 2051 | SLS launch # 4 | STS-132 L |
| 2052 | SLS launch # 4 | STS-132 C |
| 2053 | STS-107 L, destroyed | |
| 2054 | SLS launch # 3 | STS-131 R |
| 2055 | STS-107 C, destroyed | |
| 2056 | SLS launch # 1 | STS-121 C |
| 2057 | SLS launch # 3 | STS-134 R |
| 2058 | SLS launch # 1 | STS-133 R |
| 2059 | SLS launch # 2 | STS-134 C |
| 2060 | SLS launch # 1 | STS-135 L |
| 2061 | SLS launch # 3 | STS-134 L |
| 2062 | SLS launch # 2 | never used |
| 2063 | SLS launch # 2 | never used |
20 engines, 16 to be expended in 4 SLS flights, 3 lost in the STS-107 failure, and one with a TBD future
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Organic Marble
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Any idea where 2043 is? All of the engines at KSC were sent to the SLS program, is it just sitting as a spare for the program? Also, I see a 2036-2042, on the list of engines according to Wikipedia... – PearsonArtPhoto Jan 09 '20 at 01:42
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on 2043, I would imagine so. It's an outlier because it has never flown in the full Block II configuration, only IIA, so no flight history in its current configuration. Those hyphenated engines are ones that got upgraded/rebuilt from older configurations, they had lower serial numbers before. – Organic Marble Jan 09 '20 at 01:44
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Okay, gotcha. So there is then only one engine, and two powerheads, that are not accounted for. – PearsonArtPhoto Jan 09 '20 at 02:09
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2@Ludo I was essaying a jest. I would have to do some research to see why they skipped that serial number. As a guess, it got ruined during manufacture or test. – Organic Marble Dec 09 '20 at 20:19
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1"Affordable"? While no doubt the SSME has excellent performance and is reliable in service, there's nothing "affordable" about using a reusable engine in a disposable configuration! – masospaghetti May 05 '21 at 17:38
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@masospaghetti Affordable at least seems more correct than sustainable...! After all the engines do already exist and are "paid for". But there's nothing sustainable about throwing them out after one more use... – user2705196 May 06 '21 at 11:54