Author Topic: What happened to FASTRAC?  (Read 9562 times)

Offline BogoMIPS

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What happened to FASTRAC?
« on: 04/21/2006 06:00 pm »
Hi everyone.

Reading through some old stuff over lunch, I was reading about X-34 and the Fastrac engine.  I know X-34 en the way of most of the old projects... Any word on what happened to the Fastrac engine?  Seemed like a great little engine for small-to-midsize applications, or was it copmletely uncompetitive with Russian equivalents?

Offline kraisee

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #1 on: 04/21/2006 07:31 pm »
I believe that with the X-34 program closure in 2001, the Fastrac had no vehicle to fly on.   The team finished the engine though and delivered a working engine, but when the X-34 program ended they moved on to other things.

But I know many of the team went and worked on the big RS-84 afterwards.   That combined a lot of features and lessons learned from SSME, F-1 and RD-180 together, with a design approach similar to what we saw from the RS-68.

That program also went the way of the dodo before it was completed.

I know one guy from the Fastrac team, now working for NASA at MSFC who was offered the position of lead engineer for the CLV upper stage.   Not sure if he accepted though, and haven't see him since STS-114 last year.

Ross.
"The meek shall inherit the Earth -- the rest of us will go to the stars"
-Robert A. Heinlein

Offline meiza

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #2 on: 04/22/2006 01:34 pm »
As some other forum member mentioned in the Spacex threads, Barber-Nichols, who built the turbopumps for the FASTRAC engine, now builds the Merlin engine pumps. NASA money went to build their expertise:
http://www.barber-nichols.com/products/rocket_engine_turbopumps/

Offline kfsorensen

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #3 on: 04/22/2006 01:44 pm »
What are the differences and similarities between a FASTRAC and the Merlin 1 engine used on SpaceX's Falcon?

Offline Bruhn

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #4 on: 04/22/2006 03:50 pm »
There is a Fastrac on display in the lobby of building 4203 at MSFC if anyone ever gets the chance to visit.  A lot of my friends and colleagues worked Fastrac.  They were told to archive their data and moved on to other projects.

Offline edkyle99

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #5 on: 04/22/2006 10:10 pm »
Quote
vanilla - 22/4/2006  8:44 AM

What are the differences and similarities between a FASTRAC and the Merlin 1 engine used on SpaceX's Falcon?

One similarity is that both share, roughly, the same range of thrust/specific impulse, etc attributes.  Another similarity is that the same manufacturer (Barber-Nichols, Inc. of Arvada, Colorado) built both the FASTRAC turbopump and the Merlin turbopump.  

 - Ed Kyle

Online wannamoonbase

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #6 on: 04/23/2006 02:39 am »
Quote
meiza - 22/4/2006  8:34 AM

As some other forum member mentioned in the Spacex threads, Barber-Nichols, who built the turbopumps for the FASTRAC engine, now builds the Merlin engine pumps. NASA money went to build their expertise:
http://www.barber-nichols.com/products/rocket_engine_turbopumps/

Isn't that what NASA and the technology and it develops suppose to be doing anyway?  

Instead of competing with industry and stiffling progress?  I love the stuff NASA does, I just wish it could be done for 1/10th the cost so ten times as much stuff could be done.
Wildly optimistic prediction, Superheavy recovery on IFT-4 or IFT-5

Offline James Lowe1

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #7 on: 04/23/2006 02:32 pm »
Moved to advanced section - could have been historical, but this may be the best place for it.

Offline kraisee

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #8 on: 04/24/2006 12:56 am »
Quote
kraisee - 21/4/2006  3:31 PM

I know one guy from the Fastrac team, now working for NASA at MSFC who was offered the position of lead engineer for the CLV upper stage.   Not sure if he accepted though, and haven't see him since STS-114 last year.

Yes.   He got the job.

:)

R.
"The meek shall inherit the Earth -- the rest of us will go to the stars"
-Robert A. Heinlein

Offline kraisee

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #9 on: 04/24/2006 01:00 am »
Quote
wannamoonbase - 22/4/2006  10:39 PM
I love the stuff NASA does, I just wish it could be done for 1/10th the cost so ten times as much stuff could be done.

Oh, that's easy!

Just outsource all the production to a country where they pay the staff peanuts.

Isn't that how its done these days?

Ross.
(the sarcastic b*stard)
"The meek shall inherit the Earth -- the rest of us will go to the stars"
-Robert A. Heinlein

Offline publiusr

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #10 on: 04/28/2006 10:42 pm »
Sad.

Offline Propforce

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #11 on: 05/09/2006 09:44 pm »
Quote
kraisee - 23/4/2006  5:56 PM

Quote
kraisee - 21/4/2006  3:31 PM

I know one guy from the Fastrac team, now working for NASA at MSFC who was offered the position of lead engineer for the CLV upper stage.   Not sure if he accepted though, and haven't see him since STS-114 last year.

Yes.   He got the job.

:)

R.

Was this the same guy who also headed up the NASA version of Orbital Express, called DART, that instead of capturing the spacecraft it knocks the S/C out of its orbit?


Offline kraisee

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RE: What happened to FASTRAC?
« Reply #12 on: 05/25/2006 05:46 am »
Nope.   I don't believe he worked on DART at all.

Around that time (2004-2005) he was back working STS again in preparation for the first RTF.   That's why I met him around the KSC area and not in Alabama.

Ross.
"The meek shall inherit the Earth -- the rest of us will go to the stars"
-Robert A. Heinlein

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