NASA tests Saturn V engine parts

Space.com : The five F-1 engines in every Saturn V made it the most powerful rocket ever developed, and it still holds that title 40 years after its final launch. Now that NASA is developing the Space Launch System (SLS), it is looking back at the F-1 to see what made it so successful. The agency’s engineers collected several F-1 partsâmdash;including two gas generatorsâmdash;from museums and displays, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and made computer models of the pieces using structured-light 3D scanning . The gas generator, which powered the F-1’s turbopump, is often the starting point for designing a new rocket engine because it is key in determining the engine’s final size. Using the computer models and a technique called selective laser melting , the engineers created replicas of the parts of the gas generator. After assembling the replicas, they performed a series of test firings to measure gas temperature and pressure inside the generator. NASA is already planning further tests on more parts from the F-1 to help lay the groundwork for the SLS.