Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

The J-2 Engine

Marshall's Legacy of Flight

Photographed By Sandra Hughes Tidwell, December 14, 2023

1. The J-2 Engine Marker

Inscription. The first liquid-hydrogen-fueled American rocket engine, the J-2 Engine is best known for powering the second and third stages of the powerful Saturn V rocket for NASA's Apollo moon missions, supporting America's successful mission of discovery to the moon.

The innovative J-2 spawned numerous engine development programs, including the space shuttle main engine. Today engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc. are developing the next generation, the J-2X, to boost the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle to orbit and help tomorrow's explorers.

J-2 Quick Facts
Propellants: Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Hydrogen (5.5 Mix)
Thrust (at sea level): 200,000 lbs.
Height: 11.1 feet
Diameter: 6.8 feet
Dry Weight: 3,480 lbs.
First Flight: 1966
Last Flight: 1975
No. of Flights: 87

Captions
Background J-2 engine test firing near Canoga Park, Calif.

Erected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1966.

Location. 34° 39.145′ N, 86° 40.295′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in

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Madison County. Marker is on Mercury Road near Rideout Road. The marker is located in Rocket Park off Mercury Road and Rideout Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Huntsville AL 35808, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The F-1 Engine (here, next to this marker); The Boeing-Vertol A/ACH47A Helicopter Gunship (approx. 1.9 miles away); Formation of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (approx. 3.2 miles away); NASA Skylab (approx. 4.1 miles away); U.S. Air Force SM-65 Atlas-F (approx. 4.1 miles away); U.S. Army PGM-11 Redstone (approx. 4.1 miles away); NASA / U.S. Geological Survey (approx. 4.1 miles away); U.S. Army/NASA Juno II (approx. 4.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.

The J-2 Engine and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sandra Hughes Tidwell, December 14, 2023

2. The J-2 Engine and Marker

Photographed By Sandra Hughes Tidwell, December 14, 2023

3. Rocket Park

Credits. This page was last revised on December 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2023, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 20, 2023, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.