Media Invited to Up Close Look at Engine Test Facilities For Next Deep Space Rocket

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss., Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media representatives are invited to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on Jan. 25 for a behind-the-scenes look at the facilities used for testing the J-2X engines that will launch astronauts on missions to deep space aboard the Space Launch System (SLS).

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Journalists will have the opportunity to visit the:

    --  Test Control Center that manages all J-2X test-firings
    --  A-1 Test Stand where J-2X powerpack testing is set to begin soon
    --  Engine Assembly Facility where final assembly of the J-2X is completed

NASA officials will brief media on the new SLS and J-2X engine, the process for preparing an engine for testing, and what takes place on the day of an engine test.

Participants include:

    --  Tom Byrd, J-2X engine lead in the SLS Liquid Engines Office at NASA's
        Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
    --  Gary Benton, J-2X engine testing project manager at Stennis

To attend, media representatives must contact Rebecca Strecker at 228-688-3249 or rebecca.a.strecker@nasa.gov no later than noon CST on Jan. 24. News media must arrive no later than 9 a.m. on Jan. 25 to allow time for clearance and escort on site and must be wearing flat, closed-toe shoes.

For more information on the J-2X engine, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/j2x

For more information on the Space Launch System, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/sls

SOURCE NASA