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By NASA
6 Min Read NASA Stennis Flashback: Learning About Rocket Engine Smoke for Safe Space Travel
An image shows engineers at an early version of the test stand at the Diagnostic Testbed Facility. From 1988 to the mid-1990s, NASA Stennis engineers operated the facility to conduct rocket engine plume exhaust diagnostics and learn more about the space shuttle main engine combustion process. Credits: NASA/Stennis NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is widely known as the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site. More than 35 years ago, it also served as a hands-on classroom for NASA engineers seeking to improve the efficiency of space shuttle main engines.
From 1988 to the mid-1990’s, NASA Stennis engineers operated a Diagnostic Test Facility to conduct rocket engine plume exhaust diagnostics and learn more about the space shuttle main engine combustion process. The effort also laid the groundwork for the frontline research-and-development testing conducted at the center today.
“The Diagnostic Test Facility work is just another example of the can-do, will-do attitude of the NASA Stennis team and of its willingness to support the nation’s space exploration program in all ways needed and possible,” said Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate.
The Diagnostic Test Facility work is just another example of the can-do, will-do attitude of the NASA Stennis team…
joe schuyler
NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate Director
Tests conducted at the Diagnostic Testbed Facility played a critical safety role for engine operations and also provided a real-time opportunity for NASA Stennis engineers to learn about exhaust diagnostics. NASA/Stennis An image shows the Diagnostic Testbed Facility test stand data acquisition trailer. NASA/Stennis The Need
Envision a rocket or space vehicle launching into the sky. A trail of bright exhaust, known as the engine plume, follows. As metals wear down in the engines from the intense heat of the combustion process, the flame glows with colors, some visible, such as orange or yellow, and others undetectable by the human eye.
The colors tell a story – about the health and operation of the engine and its components. For space shuttle main engines, which flew on multiple missions, engineers needed to understand that story, much as a doctor needs to understand the condition of a human body during checkup, to ensure future engine operation.
Where better place to study such details than the nation’s premier propulsion test site? Paging NASA Stennis.
An image shows the rocket motor and thruster at the Diagnostic Testbed Facility. NASA/Stennis An image shows the Diagnostic Testbed Facility blended team of NASA personnel and contractors. Kneeling, left to right, is Brantly Adams (NASA), Felix Bircher (Sverdrup Technology), Dennis Butts (Sverdrup Technology), and Nikki Raines (Sverdrup Technology). Standing, left to right, NASA astronaut John Young, Greg Sakala (Sverdrup Technology), Barney Nokes (Sverdrup Technology), John Laboda (Sverdrup Technology), Glenn Varner (NASA), Stan Gill (NASA), Bud Nail (NASA), Don Sundeen (Sverdrup Technology), NASA astronaut John Blaha.NASA/Stennis The Facility
NASA Stennis has long enabled and supported innovative and collaborative work to benefit both the agency and the commercial space industry. When NASA came calling in the late 1980s, site engineers went to work on a plan to study space shuttle main engine rocket exhaust.
The concept for an enabling structure about the size of a home garage was born in October 1987. Five months later, construction began on a Diagnostic Testbed Facility to provide quality research capabilities for studying rocket engine exhaust and learning more about the metals burned off during hot fire.
The completed facility featured a 1,300-square-foot control and data analysis center, as well as a rooftop observation deck. Small-scale infrastructure was located nearby for testing a 1,000-pound-thrust rocket engine that simulated the larger space shuttle main engine. The 1K engine measured about 2 feet in length and six inches in diameter. Using a small-scale engine allowed for greater flexibility and involved less cost than testing the much-larger space shuttle engine.
An image shows Sverdrup Technology’s Robert Norfleet as he preps the dopant injection system for testing at the Diagnostic Testbed Facility. The goal of the facility was to inject known metals and materials in a chemical form and then look at what emissions were given off. During one test, generally a six or 12 second test, operators would inject three known dopants, or substances, and then run distilled water between each test to clean out the system.NASA/Stennis An image shows engineers Stan Gill, Robert Norfleet, and Elizabeth Valenti in the Diagnostic Testbed Facility test control center. NASA/Stennis The Process
Engineers could quickly conduct multiple short-duration hot fires using the smaller engine. A six-second test provided ample time to collect data from engine exhaust that reached as high as 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chemical solutions simulating engine materials were injected into the engine combustion chamber for each hot fire. The exhaust plume then was analyzed using a remote camera, spectrometer, and microcomputers to determine what colors certain metals and elements emit when burning.
Each material produced a unique profile. By matching the profiles to the exhaust of space shuttle main engine tests conducted at NASA Stennis, determinations could be made about which engine components were undergoing wear and what maintenance was needed.
We learned about purging, ignition, handling propellants, high-pressure gases, and all the components you had to have to make it work…It was a very good learning experience.
Glenn Varner
NASA Stennis Engineer
The Benefits
The Diagnostic Testbed Facility played a critical safety role for engine operations and also provided a real-time opportunity for NASA Stennis engineers to learn about exhaust diagnostics.
Multiple tests were conducted. The average turnaround time between hot fires was 18 to 20 minutes with the best turnaround from one test to another taking just 12 minutes. By January 1991, the facility had recorded a total of 588 firings for a cumulative 3,452 seconds.
As testing progressed, the facility team evolved into a collection of experts in plume diagnostics. Longtime NASA Stennis engineer Glenn Varner serves as the mechanical operations engineer at the Thad Cochran Test Stand, where he contributed to the successful testing of the first SLS (Space Launch System) core stage onsite.
However, much of Varner’s hands-on experience came at the Diagnostic Test Facility. “We learned about purging, ignition, handling propellants, high-pressure gases, and all the components you had to have to make it work,” he said. “It was a very good learning experience.”
An image shows the Diagnostic Testbed Facility team working in the test control center. Seated, left to right, is Steve Nunez, Glenn Varner, Joey Kirkpatrick. Standing, back row left to right, is Scott Dracon and Fritz Policelli. Vince Pachel is pictured standing wearing the headset. NASA/Stennis The physical remnants of the Diagnostic Testbed Facility are barely recognizable now, but that spirit and approach embodied by that effort and its teams continues in force at the center.
joe schuyler
NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate Director
The Impact
The Diagnostic Testbed Facility impacted more than just those engineers involved in the testing. Following the initial research effort, the facility underwent modifications in January 1993. Two months later, facility operators completed a successful series of tests on a small-scale liquid hydrogen turbopump for a California-based aerospace company.
The project marked an early collaboration between the center and a commercial company and helped pave the way for the continued success of the NASA Stennis E Test Complex. Building on Diagnostic Testbed Facility knowledge and equipment, the NASA Stennis complex now supports multiple commercial aerospace projects with its versatile infrastructure and team of propulsion test experts.
“The physical remnants of the Diagnostic Testbed Facility are barely recognizable now,” Schuyler said. “But that spirit and approach embodied by that effort and its teams continues in force at the center.”
Additional Information
NASA Stennis has leveraged hardware and expertise from the Diagnostic Testbed Facility to provide benefit to NASA and industry for two decades and counting.
The facility’s thruster, run tanks, valves, regulators and instrumentation were used in developing the versatile four-stand E Test Complex at NASA Stennis that includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities.
“The Diagnostic Testbed Facility was the precursor to that,” said NASA engineer Glenn Varner. “Everything but the structure still in the grass moved to the E-1 Test Stand, Cell 3. Plume diagnostics was part of the first testing there.”
When plume diagnostic testing concluded at E-1, equipment moved to the E-3 Test Stand, where the same rocket engine used for the Diagnostic Testbed Facility has since performed many test projects.
The Diagnostic Testbed Facility thruster also has been used for various projects at E-3, most recently in a project for the exploration upper stage being built for use on future Artemis missions.
In addition to hardware, engineers who worked at the Diagnostic Testbed Facility also moved on to support E Test Complex projects. There, they helped new NASA engineers learn how to handle gaseous hydrogen and liquid hydrogen propellants. Engineers learned about purging, ignition, and handling propellants and all the components needed for a successful test.
“From an engineering perspective, the more knowledge you have of the processes and procedures to make propulsion work, the better off you are,” Varner said. “It applied then and still applies today. The Diagnostic Testbed Facility contributed to the future development of NASA Stennis infrastructure and expertise.”
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Last Updated Feb 25, 2025 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
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By NASA
Jorge Chong is helping shape the future of human spaceflight, one calculation at a time. As a project manager for TRON (Tracking and Ranging via Optical Navigation) and a guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) test engineer in the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, he is leading efforts to ensure the Orion spacecraft can navigate deep space autonomously.
Jorge Chong in front of the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston when he helped with optical navigation operations during Artemis I.Image courtesy of Jorge Chong “GNC is like the brain of a spacecraft. It involves a suite of sensors that keep track of where the vehicle is in orbit so it can return home safely,” he said. “Getting to test the components of a GNC system makes you very familiar with how it all works together, and then to see it fly and help it operate successfully is immensely rewarding.”
His work is critical to the Artemis campaign, which aims to return humans to the Moon and pave the way for Mars. From developing optical navigation technology that allows Orion to determine its position using images of Earth and the Moon to testing docking cameras and Light Detection and Ranging systems that enable autonomous spacecraft rendezvous, Chong is pushing the limits of exploration. He also runs high-fidelity flight simulations at Lockheed Martin’s Orion Test Hardware facility in Houston, ensuring Orion’s software is ready for the demands of spaceflight.
Chong’s NASA career spans seven years as a full-time engineer, plus three years as a co-op student at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 2024, he began leading Project TRON, an optical navigation initiative funded by a $2 million Early Career Initiative award. The project aims to advance autonomous space navigation—an essential capability for missions beyond Earth’s orbit.
Jorge Chong and his colleagues with the Artemis II docking camera in the Electro-Optics Lab at Johnson. From left to right: Paul McKee, Jorge Chong, and Kevin Kobylka. Bottom right: Steve Lockhart and Ronney Lovelace. Thanks to Chong’s work, the Artemis Generation is one step closer to exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond. He supported optical navigation operations during Artemis I, is writing software that will fly on Artemis II, and leads optical testing for Orion’s docking cameras. But his path to NASA wasn’t always written in the stars.
“I found math difficult as a kid,” Chong admits. “I didn’t enjoy it at first, but my parents encouraged me patiently, and eventually it started to click and then became a strength and something I enjoyed. Now, it’s a core part of my career.” He emphasizes that perseverance is key, especially for students who may feel discouraged by challenging subjects.
Most of what Chong has learned, he says, came from working collaboratively on the job. “No matter how difficult something may seem, anything can be learned,” he said. “I could not have envisioned being involved in projects like these or working alongside such great teams before coming to Johnson.”
Jorge Chong (left) and his siblings Ashley and Bronsen at a Texas A&M University game. Image courtesy of Jorge Chong His career has also reinforced the importance of teamwork, especially when working with contractors, vendors, universities, and other NASA centers. “Coordinating across these dynamic teams and keeping the deliverables on track can be challenging, but it has helped to be able to lean on teammates for assistance and keep communication flowing,” said Chong.
And soon, those systems will help Artemis astronauts explore places no human has gone before. Whether guiding Orion to the Moon or beyond, Chong’s work is helping NASA write the next chapter of space exploration.
“I thank God for the doors He has opened for me and the incredible mentors and coworkers who have helped me along the way,” he said.
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By Space Force
A joint team of AFGSC Airmen and Vandenberg SFB Guardians launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single telemetered joint test assembly re-entry vehicle from Vandenberg SFB.
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By NASA
7 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
As the program manager for people, culture and equity, “people whisperer” Edward Victor Gonzales helps ensure people’s wellbeing, comfort, and safety.
Name: Edward Victor Gonzales
Title: Program Manager for People, Culture, and Equity
Organization: Heliophysics Division, Science and Exploration Directorate (Code 670)
Eddie Gonzales is the program manager for People, Culture, and Equity for the Heliophysics Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.NASA What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
As the program manager for people, culture, and equity officer for heliophysics, I am responsible for people’s wellbeing, comfort, and safety. What is most interesting to me is the vast diversity across Goddard.
How did you come to Goddard?
I went to college late in life, but never graduated. After high school, I started at Mount San Antonio Community College in Walnut, California, but had to work full time when my then-girlfriend became pregnant. I started in the mail room of an international law firm, gradually working my way into director of the support staff. I worked there for 15 years, often staying overnight. I could not attend night school and there were no online learning options at the time.
In 2001, Warren Christopher, who was the managing partner at the law firm and later became secretary of state in the Clinton administration, wrote me a recommendation that helped me get a job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California as a business administrator. Apollo 13 inspired me to want to work for NASA. After obtaining the job at NASA JPL, I took a few classes at Pasadena Community College.
In 2009, I was detailed to NASA Headquarters to work in the Office of STEM Education. After two years, I returned to JPL to work on minority-serving programs.
In 2014, I returned to Headquarters for a fellowship to work in the Minority University Research Educational Programs. After a year and a half, I returned to JPL to manage underserved, underrepresented undergraduate programs.
In 2018, I came to Goddard to do outreach for NASA Goddard’s heliophysics division. Three years later, I became the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility officer for heliophysics and now, my current role as people, culture, and equity officer.
As the people, culture, and equity officer, what are your responsibilities?
First, I observe. There are a lot of cues and things that happen in the world that others, including leadership, can sometimes miss. We need to be conscious of these things. We need to be respectful and kind — always.
When something happens in the world that impacts a colleague, I make sure to check in with them daily. On a broader scale, when something happens in the world that affects a particular culture, I check in with that particular group.
I also go to underserved, underrepresented national conferences across the country. At the American Indian Science and Engineering Society conference, I talked about employment opportunities at NASA. It was important for those students to see someone who looked like them. I am half Native American and half Latinx [a gender-neutral term for those with Latin American heritage].
“I was labeled a troublemaker. Teachers wouldn’t help me. My career counselor said I would do amazing work at a car wash and that’s what I should consider doing and not to continue my education. But I didn’t listen.” — Edward Gonzales, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Lead, Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA/Taylor Mickal In August 2024, the NASA administrator appointed you to the NASA Advisory Council. What do your duties there entail?
The council has five committees: aeronautics, human exploration, science, STEM, and technology. I am a member of the science committee. My plan is to discuss the cultural role we all play at NASA.
What skills do you use in speaking with underserved, underrepresented communities?
I test the waters and the temperature of leadership. I am very active with the employees. I have an open-door policy.
In addition, I think I am highly culturally aware overall. At conferences, I try to dress, speak, and act approachably for the students who attend.
Most importantly, my cell phone is never to be seen. When interacting with someone, I am very observant of the other person’s body language overall, which helps me understand the other person better. Sometimes body language rather than words will tell you what you need to hear. My wife calls me a “people whisperer.”
What does cultural awareness mean to you?
Know your audience. I do not think about how I do things: I focus on how the next generation will do things. I try to speak their language. And listen, very important to listen.
Typically, when I go to a national conference, students will approach me with a résumé. But at a Native American national conference, the elders may approach me with a student and a résumé. It is important to address the elder first and ask permission to speak to the student. Also, you would say that the student could bring knowledge learned at Goddard back to their reservation instead of saying that the student could leave their reservation. I also always acknowledge the tribe associated with where I am speaking.
Whenever we send a team to a national conference, we send people who are culturally aware of that particular group’s culture.
I also conduct cultural awareness training at Goddard.
What are your hopes for Godard’s DEIA programs?
I want to continue to create a pipeline of future employees that is more diverse, filled with great ideas and solutions, with a safe and welcoming environment for them.
What advice do you give students?
The path to NASA is not linear. You have to find your path.
Eddie Gonzales looks out for colleagues wellbeing, comfort, and safety within NASA Goddard’s diverse workforce. Courtesy of Eddie Gonzales You’ve mentioned that DEIA is essentially about kindness. How do you define kindness? How do you teach it?
Kindness in my humble opinion is about grace, integrity and understanding. And the willingness to learn about others and their cultures. To agree to disagree and have a polite conversation, to create that understanding.
Teaching starts in the home, bad behavior, lack of understanding and racism are taught traits. We must do better and lead by example. To treat others how we want to be treated.
Who are your mentors?
One is Christopher Gardner, whose life was portrayed in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” I recently brought Christopher Gardner to Goddard to do a keynote speech and he even stayed with me. I met him because I saw his movie, read his book, and contacted him.
I teach this lesson to students: Everyone is interested when you take the time to learn what is important to them. If there is someone you want to meet, network to try to meet them. All you have to do is ask. But first, research them so that you can talk to them about themselves and their work. If they say no, then you can move on to the next person.
Gardner told me to focus on my plan A because plan B is not good. If you know that you have a plan B, then you won’t put everything you have into plan A. Tread forward as if there is nothing that you can fall back on.
Another mentor is José Hernández, the first Hispanic astronaut. I proposed to my wife while staying at his condo. He told me to find my “yes” and to never give up. He applied to the astronaut program 13 times before he was finally selected.
What are the next big things on your bucket list?
I want to see the Northern Lights and continue to travel. I just lost 70 pounds and want to lose 20 more. I gave up meat for about six months and now eat chicken and turkey, but no longer eat red meat. I also exercise and now feel great.
I want to continue to attend concerts around the country.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
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Last Updated Dec 03, 2024 Related Terms
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