Lunar lander engine tested

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine successfully demonstrated capabilities required for NASA's Altair lunar lander. The engine performed with stable operation at the widest throttle range of any known high performance cryogenic engine during its third series of ground tests at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., test facility. The CECE is a variant of the RL10 upper-stage engine that has helped place military, government and commercial satellites into orbit and powered space probe missions to planets in the solar system. (Source: Pratt & Whitney, 01/26/09) Gulf Coast note: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has an operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss.