The cost of performance - A comparison of the space transportation main engine and the Space Shuttle main engine

This paper compares the cost of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) and the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) proposed by the Advanced Launch System Program. A brief description of the SSME and STME engines is presented, followed by a comparison of these engines that illustrates the impact of focusing on acceptable performance at minimum cost (as for the STME) or on maximum performance (as for the SSME). Several examples of cost reduction methods are presented.