In the 60 years since this first foray into chemical propulsion, engineers at the GRC have made countless innovations and contributions to every component of rocket engine technology. Starting before the launch of Sputnik set off the great space race, researchers at the GRC were testing and flying cryogenic hydrogen-fueled engines that were an eventual key to the success of the Apollo manned missions to the moon. A decade later, it seemed only natural that these same aeropro-pulsion engineers would progress into the largely unexplored field of space chemical propulsion. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration transferred the injector plate to the National Air and Space Museum in 2016.The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) was built during World War II with the primary objective of catching up with the Germans in jet engine technology. Its twisted baffles show the force of the water impact. In 2013, F-1 components were recovered from the ocean floor by Bezos Expeditions. Around 2.5 minutes after launch, the first stage was jettisoned and fell into the Atlantic Ocean.

This injector plate was part of an F-1 engine for the Apollo 11 Saturn V. The instability was solved by the addition of baffles (dividers) across the injector plate's surface. Early F-1 test engines experienced combustion instability, which could lead to engine loss. Holes across the plate’s surface forced the engine’s propellants (liquid oxygen and kerosene) into the combustion chamber. An injector plate sat at the top of each F-1 engine. The F-1 engine was the powerhouse of the first stage of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo lunar missions. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media.

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Apollo 4 combustion instability