←back to thread

The Mack Super Pumper was a locomotive engined fire fighter (2018)

(bangshift.com)
148 points mstngl | 1 comments | 03 Nov 25 20:37 UTC | HN request time: 0.269s | source
Show context
jedberg ◴[03 Nov 25 21:50 UTC] No.45804871[source]▶
My dad worked on the Space Shuttle main engine program in the 80s. One of the things they built was the turbopump [0], which generated 23,000HP (and could drain your average home swimming pool in one minute).

Seeing the test firings of the pump was pretty amazing, draining one "swimming pool" and filling another in a minute.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-25#Turbopumps

replies(3): >>45805078 #>>45806333 #>>45809409 #
1. stinkbeetle ◴[04 Nov 25 00:47 UTC] No.45806333[source]▶
The numbers on rocket engines are just ridiculous. The turbine on the F1 engines on the Saturn V's first stage generate about 40MW just to pump the fuel and oxygen. 5 of them on the rocket is 200MW which is a respectablly sized power plant, or about 1/2 of a Nimitz aircraft carrier (which is able to push a floating city through the water at nearly 40mph).