The Space Shuttle main engines (SSME) are the most advanced liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built.
This flown turbine blade was part of a High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) inside a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). An average 75000 horsepower must be generated by the HPFTP's two-stage turbine; to accomplish this, the turbopump rotates at a speed of about 37000 rev/min at its maximum thrust. This flown turbine blade was designed by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International and was manufactured by a team of several subcontractors. It was presented by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.
