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Detail of forward end of engine. Picture 1 of 2. Note the red hydrogen peroxide tank at upper right. Unlike most later rocket engines which used a gas generator which burned the same propellants as the main engine, the Redstone used a steam generator which decomposed peroxide to generate hot gasses to drive the turbine (the steam generator is the pot-shaped component at upper right). Since the steam generator required a special reactant located in a dedicated tank, the engine's run time was dictated by the amount of hydrogen peroxide carried. Note that the peroxide tank displayed with this engine is not an original H2O2 tank, which was substantially larger. At center is the LOX turbopump; note the LOX inlet (curving upward and towards the camera) and the LOX turbopump outlet (at lower center, leading to the bellows on the bottom edge of the photo). Also note the turbopump ID plate on the tab at lower right, partially obscured by the thrust frame. | ||||
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