Clear Lake City in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
J-2 Engine: Versatile Sidekick
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
1. J-2 Engine: Versatile Sidekick Marker
J-2 Engine: Versatile Sidekick
Engines like this J-2 powered stages 2 and 3 of the Saturn V.
STAGE 2
A cluster of five J-2 engines took over at an altitude of about 38 miles (61 km). The five J-2 engines boosted the rocket to 114.5 miles (184.3 km), speeding from 6,000 miles (9,700 km) to 15,300 miles (24,600 km) per hour.
STAGE 3
Unlike other liquid-fueled engines used in the Apollo program, J-2 engines could be restarted. This special capability was used on the Saturn V third stage. A single J-2 engine boosted the spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. After performance checks, the J-2 was reignited for translunar injection, a 6.5-minute burn which accelerated the vehicle on a course for the Moon.
J-2 engines were used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets for launches from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. Saturn IB rockets were used for Apollo spacecraft tests, the three missions of Skylab, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
Height: 11.1 feet (3.4 m)
Diameter: 6.75 feet (2.05 m)
Propellants: liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
Thrust: 230,000 pounds-force (1,023 kN)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Science & Medicine.
Location. 29° 33.268′ N, 95°
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mercury-Redstone: Putting the First Americans in Space (here, next to this marker); F-1 Engine: Power for the Rocket (here, next to this marker); H-1 Engine: A Powerful Start (here, next to this marker); Little Joe II (within shouting distance of this marker); Little Joe II and BP-22: Safety First (within shouting distance of this marker); Saturn V Rocket (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (about 500 feet away); Apollo Mission Control Center (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
More about this marker. This marker is in Rocket Park on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center. Rocket Park and thus this marker are not readily open to the public. Access is by way of Space Center Houston (entertainment center) which is pricey. There's a fee to get in, and another fee to take a tram ride through the Space Center where the Rocket Park is a stop.
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
2. J-2 Engine: Versatile Sidekick and Marker
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
3. Five J-2 Engines on Stage 2 of the Saturn V.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on December 22, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.
