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Export restricted (ITAR), sale only to US Citizens and Organizations. Apollo Lunar Module Ascent Engine (LMAE) combustion chamber developed by Bell Aircraft/Rocketdyne, with its "Bell Aerosystems" manufacturer's plate applied at the central bracket: "Engine, Rocket, Liquid Propellant, Design Control No. LSC 270-00500-10-5, Serial No. P 20/120, Contract No. NAS 9-1100, P.O. 2-18832C, Manufacturers Part No. 8258-475213-31." The piece measures 47˝ tall, with a diameter of 31˝ across the bottom, and a weight of 209 lbs. Exhibits heavy wear throughout and has been stripped of key components, including the injector and Valve Package Assembly (VPA).
The Apollo Lunar Module Ascent Engine (LMAE), developed by Bell Aerosystems in the mid-1960s, was one of the most mission-critical propulsion systems of the entire Apollo program. Installed in the ascent stage of the Lunar Module, the engine’s sole purpose was to lift astronauts off the lunar surface and place them into orbit for rendezvous with the Command Module—meaning its successful operation was literally a matter of life and death, with no backup system available.
Designed for maximum reliability through simplicity, the LMAE used a pressure-fed system with hypergolic propellants (Aerozine 50 fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer), which ignited on contact and eliminated the need for complex ignition hardware. This approach reduced potential failure points and made the engine one of the simplest major propulsion systems on the Apollo spacecraft, producing about 3,500 pounds of thrust in vacuum—sufficient to launch the ascent stage from the moon.
