PROGRAMS:

COMPANIES:

• Boeing
• North American Aviation
• Rockwell

LOCATIONS:

Downey, CA.

COMMENTS:

The Saturn V Program-

I graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (which is now called University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1962 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Upon graduation, I was one of those that accepted the challenge President John Kennedy had given the nation to land a man on the moon in that decade.  I was hired by North American Aviation in Downey, CA. as a Design Engineer on the Saturn V Rocket which was used to send astronauts to the moon in the Apollo spacecraft.

At about 25 years old I was given the responsibility for the design of the Propulsion Servicing Systems for the Second Stage (called the S-II) of the three stage Saturn V Rocket!  My job included such things as creating complex launch pad fluid system schematics, and installation drawings, then selecting and testing the components for the systems. I was also required to provide technical support when we would test fire the Stage Propulsion System at the Santa Susana, California and Mississippi Test Facilities.  Later, I was part of the Launch Team at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) during Apollo launches to the moon.

Our Engineering Facilities and Tools-

Our Design Engineering work areas were made up of several huge Drawing Rooms to accommodate several hundred engineers.  We all had a drafting machine, a florescent light, a wooden stool, a 10” slide rule and pocket protector with about ten pencils! We came to work carrying our coffee in a thermos and our lunch in a metal lunch box.  We did our analysis with the slide rules and the drawings were made on paper utilizing the drafting machines. We were full of enthusiasm and ready to design the Saturn V Rocket and Apollo Capsule. We didn’t need no stinking computer!   I now think about the advances that have been made during the 50+ years since then in computer technology, including Computer Aided Design software, and realize how much easier our jobs would be today!

The building got very hot in the summer since we had no AC. There were 6 ft. high fans strategically located near the supervisor’s areas. The rest of us just dealt with the heat.  Occasionally birds would fly into these areas. Each night we made sure to cover our drawings to keep them from dropping their bombs on our drawings. But we were going to the moon!!!

Testing Programs-

At the Mississippi Test Facility, we were involved in development testing of very hazardous Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) fuel systems when there was limited experience in this field.  LH2 is stored at -423 degrees in ground storage tanks and is transferred from there to the vehicle fuel tanks for testing. As the cold LH2 flows in lines and components they shrink and joints tend to leak.  When a leak occurs the LH2 changes from a liquid to a gas.  The problems with a hydrogen gas leak is that it is invisible and highly flammable.  The static electricity created by your shoes walking on the floor is enough to ignite the leak.  Before the invention of reliable leak and fire detectors, we were required to walk around LH2 lines holding a broom in front of ourselves.  If the broom caught fire you knew there was a leak and fire there and quit walking!!  This was our only fire detection system.

Fast forward about 30 years to the 1990’s. I was Manager of Cryogenic Systems on the Space Shuttle, and NASA had built a new hydrogen test facility at White Sands, New Mexico. I was invited to visit and inspect this facility for possible use in testing our Space Shuttle hydrogen hardware. I was shown around this very impressive modern test control center with its state of the art control panels and all the latest lights, gages, bells and whistles to remotely indicate the presence of hydrogen leaks or fires. The Facility Manager then asked if I was interested in walking out to take a look at all the hydrogen lines, valves, etc. in the test facility. When I told him I was, he activated all the remote hydrogen fire sensing control panels and instruments and we started to walk out of the control center. As we got to the exit, he reached behind the door and pulled out two brooms and gave me one of them. He then said “All these fancy hydrogen fire detectors don’t always work…but these fire brooms always work”!!!!!!

Apollo 11 Launch-

One of the high points of my career was to watch the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969 which carried the first astronauts to the moon by July 20, 1969.  For safety reasons, in the event of a vehicle explosion, three miles away was as close as we were allowed during launch. Even from this distance, to see, hear and feel the vibrations of those huge engines made the hair stand up on your neck and really made you proud to be an American. We had fulfilled President Kennedy’s goal

Back then we had a saying:  “They said they were going to the moon and asked me to help.  They gave us each a grain of sand to move and with that we built a road to the moon.”  How true this was, since everyone had their own specialty or job to do no matter how big or small.

My Name is On the Moon-

In 1972 the NASA astronauts decided to show their appreciation to the North American Rockwell employees that had designed and built the Apollo spacecrafts and Saturn S-II rockets that had carried them safely to the moon. They microfilmed our signatures and carried them to the moon in Apollo 16, on April 16, 1972.  If you look at the moon carefully on a clear night, see if you can see my name up there!!

The Space Shuttle Program-

In 1973, at the end of the Apollo Program, I was transferred to the Space Shuttle Program. The Space Shuttle vehicle is made up of the Orbiter (the airplane part), two Solid Rocket Boosters (like big Roman candles), and the large External Tank which carried the fuel.  My company had the contract to design and build the Orbiters.

I started in the Shuttle Program as a Lead Design Engineer.  I was responsible for the design of Main Propulsion Systems, as well as the Cryogenic and Fuel Loading Facilities at NASA test sites. These sites included Edwards Air Force Base in California, Stennis in Mississippi, and the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I later led a group with primary responsibility for defining the critical launch commit criteria to insure the safety of the crew and vehicle during Space Shuttle launches. This group was recognized by NASA as this country’s leaders for defining performance characteristics of cryogenic propulsion systems through the development of complex fluid thermodynamic models.

Problems Starting Space Shuttle Engines-

Prior to the first flight of the Space Shuttle we were test firing the Main Propulsion System Engines at the test site in Mississippi when we experienced a VERY LARGE explosion at the time we attempted to start the engines. Had this explosion occurred on an actual Space Shuttle during launch, it would have destroyed the Shuttle and probably killed the crew. NASA grounded the Shuttle fleet!  I was assigned the responsibility of working with the engine supplier to assure that the problem was corrected before we could fly the first Space Shuttle flight.

I had several meetings with the supplier and we determined that the problem was caused by the way the engines were started. During start, cold hydrogen fuel at -423 degrees was released thru the engine nozzles before it was ignited with a spark plug type device. The problem was that hydrogen is lighter than air, therefore it floated up and formed a cloud of very explosive hydrogen outside of the engines. When the engines were ignited, the cloud exploded very violently. The engine supplier said to correct the problem would require changes to the start sequence and very extensive testing to certify that it was safe. Total cost to NASA was going to be a little over $9 million!!

Shortly after this I was doing fireworks with my son Jason on a 4^th of July when I got this brilliant idea. I needed a device to shoot sparks which would burn the hydrogen at the exit of the engine nozzle during start. This would keep the hydrogen from forming a large cloud and therefore prevent the explosion from occurring.

Next day I went to work and called Disneyland to find out the name of their pyrotechnic supplier for their nightly shows. I called the company and explained to them that I needed a device that would shoot sparks about 30 feet at a temperature of 1200 degrees. They told me…no problem, they made that kind of sparkler for the movie industry all the time. The salesman told me that they sold for $9.85 each!!

I later attended a meeting with NASA in which the engine supplier said they could resolve the explosion problem for $9 million. Needless to say, NASA was overjoyed when I got up and presented my proposal to fix their problem with a few $9.85 sparklers!!!  My proposed fix, known as the Main Engine Hydrogen Burn-off System, was implemented and has been utilized on every Space Shuttle launch without a single problem. I should mention however, NASA would not certify my supplier to produce the $9.85 sparklers and the new supplier selected provides the same basic item for about $1200 each…… but they can meet all the required NASA specs!!!

Conclusion-

During my 39 years in the aerospace industry, I progressed through several levels of management with increasing levels of responsibility and associated headaches.  As a recognized expert in the field of Propulsion Design, I was required to serve as an advisor to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center during more than 30 Space Shuttle launches.

I received recognition and compensation for leading the resolutions of two major problems which had grounded the entire Space Shuttle fleet: (1.)  After experiencing a major explosion during engine testing at the Mississippi Test Facility, I developed a Hydrogen Burn- off Igniter System that assured safe engine start for every Space Shuttle Launch. (2.) I also led the resolution of a major Cryogenic Fuel Leak which could have destroyed the Shuttle during launch.  Both of these problem resolutions were considered instrumental in getting this country’s space program back into operation.

I received numerous company performance awards and seven NASA Achievement Awards.  I was also awarded two patents on designs for improving the performance of rocket propulsion systems.  I was a member of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory Board and was responsible for hiring several top ULL graduates and getting them involved in this country’s space programs.  I was very honored to be selected by ULL as “Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Alumnus” of 2003.

At the time of my retirement, in 1999, I was the Boeing Executive Design Director for Propulsion and Mechanical Systems on the Space Shuttle, Delta IV Rocket, and other programs. I had approximately 450 engineers with many different specialties in my organization.  I had responsibilities for such things as analysis, design and operation of: propulsion, power, active thermal control, environmental control, life support, ground support equipment, hydraulics, mechanisms, structures, and payload installation systems.  Basically, this means that I was responsible for everything between the tires and the tip of the tail of the space vehicle, except electronics and computers!!

Subsequent to my retirement, I was called back by Boeing to do consulting work on the Delta IV rocket design they were developing.  I eventually quit consulting after a little over a year and have been retired permanently ever since.

I was very fortunate to have been able to work on the Apollo/Saturn and Space Shuttle programs.  They were the two largest space programs in history, which also happened to be two of the most complex engineering achievements in history.  I guess that I really did not realize it for many years, but I had a front row seat to watch history being made for over 39 years!!

J. Harvey LeBlanc

Executive Design Director (Retired)

Propulsion and Mechanical Systems

Boeing Co.