NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) is an American rocket propulsion testing facility located in Mississippi. It was established in 1961 as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mississippi Test Facility, and later renamed in honor of United States Senator John C. Stennis who chaired the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences from 1959 to 1969. The site includes a large rocket engine test stand which has been used for testing space shuttle main engines and Ares I engines. In addition to rocket testing, SSC is also home to NASA’s John C. Stennis Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Research, which supports advanced manufacturing technology development and transfer between industry partners and academia.
NASA’s Stennis Space Center has played a key role in the development of virtually every major American space vehicle over the past 50 years. From early Apollo tests to present day work on the new heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), SSC has been at the forefront of space exploration.
The center traces its roots back to 1957 when Congress authorized construction of a proving ground for liquid-fueled rockets that could be used for both military missiles and NASA’s fledgling space program. The original site chosen for the facility was adjacent to what is now Naval Air Station Meridian in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. However, after several years of delays due to funding issues, it became clear that a more suitable location would be needed if the facility was going to meet its full potential. Fortunately, an alternative site – just south of Bay St Louis on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast – was identified and construction began there in 1961.
The first test stand at what would become known as SSC was completed later that year and it wasn’t long before liquid-fueled rockets were being fired up on a regular basis – much to the delight of local residents who often turned out en masse to watch the spectacle! Over time, larger and more powerful rockets were tested at SSC, including Saturn V engines that powered Apollo missions to the Moon;Space Shuttle Main Engines(SSMEs);and Reusable Solid Rocket Motors(RSRMs).
In 1974, following completion ofApollo programtesting, SSC entered a period of relative quietude broken only by periodic RS RM static firingsuntil activity ramped up again in earnest with preparations for STS-1 ,the first flightofSpace Shuttle Columbia . STS-1 took place on April 12 1981 with Columbia successfully completing 37 orbits of Earth before returningto Edwards AFBin California . Following this historic mission , all futureShuttleflights originated from either Kennedy Space Centerin Florida or Vandenberg AFBin California – although many engines still underwent final testing at SSC prior tobetween flights .
Today , SSChas undergone somethingofa renaissancewith preparations well underwayforits next majorrole inthe USspace program – supportingtestsof thenewly developedSpace Launch System(SLS)rocket . Whencomplete ,the samerocketthat will propelastronautsbeyond low Earth orbitand onto an asteroidor Marswill haveundergoneits most criticaltesting right hereatSSC . Witha richhistory dating backover50 years , NASASSChas onceagain cementedin itsposition asoneof America ‘s premierrocket propulsiontesting facilitiesand looks poisedto playa vital roleinthe nation ‘s ambitiousplansforfuture deep spacemissions .