Shuttle System

Evelyn Orozco-Smith

Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) and Main Propulsion System (MPS) Engineer

Which console do you man in the Firing Room?

C3 and C4

What system(s) do you monitor and control from that console?

The Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) and the Main Propulsion System (MPS) .

How are those systems used by the Space Shuttle?

The Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) are the three main engines at the aft of the orbiter. They create the thrust needed to launch the orbiter into space. The main propulsion system (MPS) is connected to the main engines. It's all the piping, valves, and sensors that connect the external tank to the orbiter and to the engines in order to provide liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen from the external tank to the engines to create thrust.

What are your responsibilities with regard to those systems?

In the firing room my responsibilities are to monitor, according to where we are in the launch sequence and with the help of sensor located at strategic locations, the temperature and pressures of the feedlines, valves, and interfaces of the MPS system, and engine components.

What was your most exciting or memorable experience while working in the Firing Room?

My most exciting and memorable experience would have to be two. The first time I entered the OPF and realized I was walking underneath the shuttle and my first launch as system lead (STS-111) .