This technical paper discusses the evolution of turbopumps designed for U.S. rocket engines, starting with the Thor, Jupiter, and Atlas missiles, which were developed in the 1950s; the F-1 and J-2 engines, which were developed in the 1960s for the Saturn V vehicle to put man on the moon; and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), which was developed in the 1970s for the United States' first reusable space vehicle. Technology development in the 1980s that will influence the design of turbopumps for the National Launch System (NLS), the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP), and Orbital Transport Vehicles (OTV) are also discussed.
