V-2 Rocket Engine

Overview

Display location:

Fuel: Alcohol – 2,900 liters per rocket
Oxidizer: Liquid oxygen (LOX) – 6,750 kilograms per rocket
Thrust: 25.7 tons (59,500 pounds) at liftoff
Consumption: 72 Kg of LOX and 58 Kg of Alcohol per second at full thrust
Temperature: 2,000 degrees C in combustion chamber
Velocity: Engine exhaust 2,000 meters per second
Weight: 2,053 pounds
Turbo Pump: Hydrogen peroxide and sodium permanganate used to generate steam as power to run the pumps

History

The Museum has a rare V-2 rocket engine on display in the Exhibit Hall. Note that the engine is ‘upside down’ with the nozzle pointing up.

An engine of this type powered a rocket called Bumper on the first launch from Cape Canaveral, 24 July 1950. Bumper was a V-2 with a WAC Corporal second stage.

Related Pages:

Other Missile Test Sites
V-2 Engine Fuel System Diagram