Propulsion Systems Laboratory – Design and Construction
Design and Construction The addition of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 in 1952 provided the NACA with a state-of-the-art tool for studying the more powerful engines of the future. NASA Glenn Research CenterHistoric Facilities Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) No. 1 and 2 Overview Designing the PSL Engine Testing at the AERL Original Construction Overview In the late 1940s the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) realized it needed a larger, more powerful facility to test the jet engines of the future in simulated altitude conditions. Design of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) began in 1947, and construction followed in September 1949. The first test was run in October 1952. Researchers used PSL during the 1950s to improve new turbojet and ramjet engines. Research shifted to chemical rocket engines during the early 1960s. By the late 1960s the center returned to aircraft propulsion and added two new test chambers to the facility. All four chambers supported the...