Summer Heat, Ares Style

A white-hot flame surrounded by red hot exhaust shoots from a recent test of the J-2X engine gas generator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

Recent testing of the J-2X engine gas generator at the Marshall Center. /MSFC
A white-hot flame surrounded by red hot exhaust shoots from a recent test of the J-2X engine "workhorse" gas generator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The workhorse gas generator simulates the flow path inside the actual J-2X gas generator that powers the engine's turbo machinery.

Testing to ensure stable combustion and uniform gas temperature in this component translates into a safer, more durable J-2X engine, which will power the second stage of the new Ares I rocket.