Perry updated his web site with a bunch of pictures I took
on our private space shuttle tour.

http://www.ductedfan.com

This one is interesting. The black cover is the fuel pipe cover.
Something like one swimming pool's worth of fuel goes through this
30 to 36 inch diameter pipe every second as I recall.

My brother worked for LMSC at Houston NASA a few years back.  (In fact, if
you see an astronaut standing in a foot restraint on the arm, or using a
hand power tool, you see my brother's work.)  You are right that the flow
rates are impressive.  The pipes that transfer the LOX and LH2 from the
external fuel tank are monsters, and have these really interesting
butterfly valves to close them immediately prior to shuttle/tank
separation. The valves have special safety interlocks (read: big friggin'
hunks of aluminum) to prevent their premature closure...  The main shuttle
engines, aside from being a substantial source of the propulsion, are also
a main source of directional control during ascension and the *only*
source once up around FL700 or so.

Russell Kent

Each of the space shuttle main engines burn roughly 1000 lbs per sec, and much
of that flow is pumped up to nearly 10,000 psi, Rated by the power in the
exhaust stream they are the most efficient heat engine ever contrived. This was
one of the programs I worked on at Rocketdyne - Vance

Three engines three thousand pounds 6 pounds per gallon 500 gallons
116,000 cubic inches 67 cubic feet. Not quite a swimming pool.
Check my arithmetic.

Paul Lamar
 
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