Skip to Content

White Sands Test Facility

WSTF Chamber Lab

  • The WSTF Chamber Lab has the potential to create dirty facilities if needed, although current dirty facilities do not exist.
  • Glove boxes and vacuum chambers could be devoted to lunar dust testing.
  • High vacuum chamber capability
  • Essex 'walk-in' chamber
    • Needs refurbishment, but could be used for testing of larger components
  • POC: Ilse Reyes | Susana Harper

WSTF Test Stands 401 and 302

TS 401

  • 32 ft diameter by 33 ft high (9.75 m diameter by 10 m high) carbon steel altitude chamber capable of accommodating a vehicle with a thrust vector controlled
  • It is capable of holding propulsion systems up to 25 ft diameter and 25 ft tall (45 ft tall with structural extension)
  • Single position, vertical firing up to 25,000 lbf or horizontal up to 1,500 lbf
  • Altitude test capability low to 0.16 psi engine firing with steam system; up to 2.5 x 10-4 psi non-firing with vacuum pumps
  • Propellants: N2O4 and hydrazines, LO2, LCH4, and ethanol
  • Removable roof allows large test article installation
  • Environmental conditioning 40-120 deg F
    • Open to include lunar simulant for hot-fire testing
      • Not currently feasible for PSI project due to excessive cost
  • POC: Mark Moody - NASA RPT
WSTF Test Stands 401
WSTF Test Stands 401

TS 302

  • Insulating altitude chamber, capable of supporting stage, propulsion system or engine static test up to 1000 lbf
  • Capable of holding propulsion systems up to 15 ft diameter and 25 ft tall
  • single position, vertical firing, or horizontal for individual engine up to 1,000 lbf
  • Altitude test capability to 0.065 psi
  • Propellants: hydrazines
  • Removable roof allows large test article installation
  • Environment conditioning 40-120 deg F
  • Conducted Viking Mars lander engine hot-fire regolith propulsion system design program and testing within the test stand
  • POC: Mark Moody - NASA RPT
WSTF Test Stands 302
WSTF Test Stands 302