This image illustrates the basic differences between the three Saturn launch vehicles developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Saturn I, consisted of two stages, the S-I (eight H-1 engines) and the S-IV (six RL-10 engines). The Saturn IB (center) also consisted of two stages, the S-IB (eight H-1 engines) and the S-IVB (one J-2 engine). The Saturn V consisted of three stages, the S-IC (five F-1 engines), the S-II (five J-2 engines), and the S-IVB (one J-2 engine).

An Apollo/Saturn V facilities Test Vehicle and Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT) atop a crawler-transporter move from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on the way to Pad A. This test vehicle, designated the Apollo/Saturn 500-F, is being used to verify launch facilities, train launch crews, and develop test and checkout procedures.

This plaque, displayed on the grounds of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, commemorates the Saturn V Launch Vehicle as a National Historic Landmark. The site was designated as such in 1984 by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior.

This is a good cutaway diagram of the Saturn V launch vehicle showing the three stages, the instrument unit, and the Apollo spacecraft. The chart on the right presents the basic technical data in clear metric detail. The Saturn V is the largest and most powerful launch vehicle in the United States. The towering, 111 meter, Saturn V was a multistage, multiengine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams. Development of the Saturn V was the responsibility of the Marshall Space Flight Center at Huntsville, Alabama, directed by Dr. Wernher von Braun.

This cutaway drawing shows the S-IVB (third stage) of the Saturn V launch vehicle. As a part of the Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) “building block” approach to the Saturn development, the S-IVB stage was utilized in the Saturn IB launch vehicle as a second stage and, later, the Saturn V launch vehicle as a third stage. The 59 foot long and 22 feet diameter stage was powered by a single J-2 engine, initially capable of 200,000 pounds of thrust.

The second Saturn V launch vehicle (SA-502) for the Apollo 6 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center launch complex on April 4, 1968. This unmanned Saturn V launch vehicle tested the emergency detection system in closed loop configuration.

This chart illustrates the testing vehicle and flight vehicle configurations, in addition to the approximate dimensions of the stages of the Saturn V launch vehicle.

Pictured is a J-2 engine being processed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). A single J-2 engine was utilized on the S-IVB stage, the second stage of the Saturn IB and the third stage of the Saturn V vehicles, while a cluster of five J-2 engines powered the second (S-II) stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle. The Saturn V was designed, developed, and tested by engineers at MSFC.

Pictured is a J-2 engine being processed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). A single J-2 engine was utilized on the S-IVB stage, the second stage of the Saturn IB and the third stage of the Saturn V vehicles, while a cluster of five J-2 engines powered the second (S-II) stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle. The Saturn V was designed, developed, and tested by engineers at MSFC.

Apollo 6, the second and last of the unmarned Saturn V test flights, is slowly transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building on the way to launch pad 39-A. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

A technician checks the systems of the Saturn V instrument unit in a test facility in Huntsville. This instrument unit was flown aboard Apollo 4 on November 7, 1967, which was the first test flight of the Saturn V. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

This montage illustrates the various configurations and missions of the three classes of the Saturn vehicles developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The missions for the Saturn I included atmospheric science investigations and the deployment of the Pegasus meteroid-detection satellite as well as launch vehicle development. The Saturn IB vehicle tested the Apollo spacecraft and launched the three marned Skylab missions as well as the Apollo Soyuz test project. The Saturn V vehicle launched the manned lunar orbital/landing missions, and the Skylab Orbital Workshop in 1973.

Saturn 1 Launch summary of research and development flights and operational flights. NASA's initial development plan for the Saturn program had called for the Saturn I to serve as a stepping stone to the development of larger Saturn vehicles ultimately known as the Saturn IB and Saturn V. The Saturn I launch vehicle proved the feasibility of the clustered engines and provided significant new payload lifting capabilities.

The flame and exhaust from the test firing of an F-1 engine blast out from the Saturn S-IB Static Test Stand in the east test area of the Marshall Space Flight Center. A Cluster of five F-1 engines, located in the S-IC (first) stage of the Saturn V vehicle, provided over 7,500,000 pounds of thrust to launch the giant rocket. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multistage, multiengine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

In 1973, Skylab, America's first space station, was launched aboard a two-stage Saturn V vehicle. Saturn IB rockets were used to launch three different three-man crews to the Skylab space station.

In 1973, Skylab, America's first space station, was launched aboard a two-stage Saturn V vehicle. Saturn IB rockets were used to launch three different three-man crews to the Skylab space station.

Apollo Spacecraft 104 Command/Service Module and Lunar Module 3 arrive at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for mating atop the Saturn 504 launch vehicle. The Saturn 504 stack is out of view. The Saturn V first (S-IC) stage in left background is scheduled for a later flight.

This drawing clearly shows the comparative sizes of the rocket engines used to launch the Saturn vehicles. The RL-10 and the H-1 engines were used to launch the Saturn I rockets. The J-2 engine was used on the second stage of Saturn IB and the second and third stages of Saturn V. The F-1 engine was used on the first stage of the Saturn V.

Apollo/Saturn Program: In January 1962, NASA initiated development of the large launch vehicle for the Project Apollo manned lunar flights. The Saturn V configuration comprised the S-IC first stage, the S-II second stage and the S-IVB third stage, all integrated and stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The first manned Apollo spacecraft launched on the mighty Saturn V was Apollo 8 on December 21, 1968. Poster designed by Kennedy Space Center Graphics Department/Greg Lee. Credit: NASA

S73-25654 (7 May 1973) --- A deliberate double exposure to help illustrate the comparative sizes and configurations of the Skylab 1 and Skylab 2 space vehicles at Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The double exposure creates an illusion that the rockets are side by side, though actually they are one and a half miles apart. The Skylab 1/ Saturn 1B space vehicle on Pad A is on the left. On the right is the Skylab 2/ Saturn 1B space vehicle on Pad B. The Skylab 1 payload is the space station cluster. The Skylab 2 payload will be an Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) with astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Joseph P. Kerwin and Paul J. Weitz aboard. The Saturn V launch vehicle is composed of a Saturn V first (S-1C) stage, a Saturn V second (S-11) stage, and the Skylab payload. The Saturn 1B launch vehicle consists of a Saturn 1B first (S-1B) stage, a Saturn 1B second (S-1VB) stage, and the CSM payload including its launch escape system. Photo credit: NASA

This photograph shows an early moment of the first test flight of the Saturn V vehicle for the Apollo 4 mission, photographed by a ground tracking camera, on the morning of November 9, 1967. This mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmarned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield.

This photograph shows the Saturn V assembled LOX (Liquid Oxygen) and fuel tanks ready for transport from the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The tanks were then shipped to the launch site at Kennedy Space Center for a flight. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

A technician can be seen working atop the white room across from the escape tower of the Apollo 11 spacecraft a few days prior to the launch of the Saturn V moon rocket. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams

This photo shows the Saturn V first stage being lowered to the ground following a successful test to determine the effects of continual vibrations simulating the effects of an actual launch. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

S68-49399 (9 Oct. 1968) --- The Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle on the way from the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad A, Launch Complex 39. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter.

A NASA technician is dwarfed by the gigantic Third Stage (S-IVB) as it rests on supports in a facility at KSC. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

This picture shows the Saturn V vehicle (AS-501), for the Apollo 4 mission on the Crawler Transporter Vehicle. It was rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building and slowly (1 mph) moved to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The Apollo 4 mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmanned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield. The Apollo 4 was launched on November 9, 1967 from KSC.

This photograph depicts the Saturn V vehicle (SA-501) for the Apollo 4 mission in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). After the completion of the assembly operation, the work platform was retracted and the vehicle was readied to rollout from the VAB to the launch pad. The Apollo 4 mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmanned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield. The Apollo 4 was launched on November 9, 1967 from KSC.

Workers at McDornel-Douglas install the Saturn IB S-IVB (second) stage for the Apollo-Soyuz mission into the company's S-IVB assembly and checkout tower in Huntington Beach, California. The Saturn IB launch vehicle was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as an interim vehicle in its "building block" approach to Saturn rocket development. This vehicle utilized the Saturn I technology to further develop and refine the capabilities of a larger booster and the Apollo spacecraft required for the manned lunar missions. The S-IVB stage, later used as the third stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle, was powered by a single J-2 engine initially capable of 200,000 pounds of thrust.

Two technicians watch carefully as cables prepare to lift a J-2 engine into a test stand. The J-2 powered the second stage and the third stage of the Saturn V moon rocket. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

The hydrogen-powered second stage is being lowered into place during the final phase of fabrication of the Saturn V moon rocket at North American's Seal Beach, California facility. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

This small group of unidentified officials is dwarfed by the gigantic size of the Saturn V first stage (S-1C) at the shipping area of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

This vintage photograph shows the 138-foot long first stage of the Saturn V being lowered to the ground following a successful static test firing at Marshall Space flight Center's S-1C test stand. The firing provided NASA engineers information on the booster's systems. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

The powerful J-2 engine is prominent in this photograph of a Saturn V Third Stage (S-IVB) resting on a transporter in the Manufacturing Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

The business end of a Second Stage (S-II) slowly emerges from the shipping container as workers prepare to transport the Saturn V component to the testing facility at MSFC. The Second Stage (S-II) underwent vibration and engine firing tests. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

Searchlights penetrate the darkness surrounding Apollo 8 on Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center. This mission was the first manned flight using the Saturn V. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

Two technicians apply insulation to the outer surface of the S-II second stage booster for the Saturn V moon rocket. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

S67-36022 (20 June 1967) --- Apollo Spacecraft 017 is moved into position in the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay area for mating with the Saturn V launch vehicle. S/C 017 will be flown on the Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501 (Apollo 4) space mission.

Apollo spacecraft 017 leaves the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at Kennedy Space Center on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be mated with the Saturn 501 launch vehicle. The first flight of the Saturn V [AS-501], an unmanned mission, is scheduled for this fall.

This cutaway drawing shows the S-IVB stage in its Saturn IB configuration. As a part of the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) "building block" approach to the Saturn development, the S-IVB stage was utilized in the Saturn IB launch vehicle as a second stage and, later, the Saturn V launch vehicle as a third stage. The stage was powered by a single J-2 engine, initially capable of 200,000 pounds of thrust.

This Saturn V S-II (second) stage is being lifted into position for a test at the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. When the Saturn V booster stage (S-IC) burned out and dropped away, power for the Saturn was provided by the 82-foot-long and 33-foot-diameter S-II stage. Developed by the Space Division of North American Aviation under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the stage utilized five J-2 engines, each producing 200,000 pounds of thrust. The engines used liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

The Apollo 17 prime crew pauses on the access arm leading to their spacecraft, mated to the Saturn V launch vehicle at Complex 39, during Emergency Egress Test.

S73-25140 (16 April 1973) --- A ground-level view of Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, showing the 341-feet tall Skylab 1/Saturn V space vehicle on the pad soon after being rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The vehicle is composed of the Saturn V first (S-1C) stage, the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), the Airlock Module (AM), and the Orbital Workshop (OWS). Photo credit: NASA

The third Saturn V launch vehicle (SA-503) for the Apollo 8 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on December 21, 1968. The first manned Saturn V vehicle with a crew of three astronauts, Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William Anders, escaped Earth's gravity, traveled to the lunar vicinity, and orbited the Moon.

A bird's-eye view of Apollo 6 and its gantry leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building on the transporter heading to the launch site on Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

The S-IC stage being erected for the final assembly of the Saturn V launch vehicle for the Apollo 8 mission (AS-503), is photographed in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 8 mission was the first Saturn V manned mission with astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, and William Anders. They escaped Earth's gravity and traveled to lunar vicinity. The launch of Apollo 8 occurred on December 21, 1968.

The S-IC stage being erected for the final assembly of the Saturn V launch vehicle for the Apollo 8 mission (AS-503), is photographed in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 8 mission was the first Saturn V manned mission with astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, and William Anders. They escaped Earth's gravity and traveled to lunar vicinity. The launch of Apollo 8 occurred on December 21, 1968.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Rollout of Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle from the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay #1 to Launch Complex 39A.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Rollout of Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle from the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay #1 to Launch Complex 39A.

This is a view of the the first test flight of the Saturn V vehicle (SA-501) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex 39A, awaiting the scheduled launch on November 9, 1967. Designated as Apollo 4, this mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmanned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield.

Workmen secure a J-2 engine onto the S-IVB (second) stage thrust structure. As part of Marshall Space Center's "building block" approach to the Saturn development, the S-IVB was utilized in the Saturn IBC launch vehicle as a second stage and the Saturn V launch vehicle as a third stage. The booster, built for NASA by McDornell Douglas Corporation, was powered by a single J-2 engine, initially capable of 200,000 pounds of thrust.

J-2 engines for the Saturn IB/Saturn V launch vehicles are lined up in the assembly area at Rocketdyne's manufacturing plant in Canoga Park, California. Five J-2 engines provided more than 1,000,000 pounds of thrust to accelerate the second stage toward a Moon trajectory.

The Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. The Saturn V vehicle produced a holocaust of flames as it rose from its pad at Launch complex 39. The 363 foot tall, 6,400,000 pound rocket hurled the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit and then placed it on the trajectory to the moon for man’s first lunar landing. The Saturn V was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Aboard the spacecraft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module pilot. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.

Two workers are dwarfed by the five J-2 engines of the Saturn V second stage (S-II) as they make final inspections prior to a static test firing by North American Space Division. These five hydrogen -fueled engines produced one million pounds of thrust, and placed the Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit before departing for the moon. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

A pioneer of America's space program, Dr. von Braun stands by the five F-1 engines of the Saturn V launch vehicle. This Saturn V vehicle is an actual test vehicle which has been displayed at the U.S. Space Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Designed and developed by Rocketdyne under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, a cluster of five F-1 engines was mounted on the Saturn V S-IC (first) stage. The engines measured 19-feet tall by 12.5-feet at the nozzle exit and burned 15 tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene each second to produce 7,500,000 pounds of thrust. The S-IC stage is the first stage, or booster, of a 364-foot long rocket that ultimately took astronauts to the Moon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The 363-foot-high Apollo Saturn V space vehicle dwarfs the Apollo 8 Astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, during the roll out today of the space vehicle from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39A. .

This is a cutaway illustration of the Saturn V launch vehicle with callouts of the major components. The Saturn V is the largest and most powerful launch vehicle developed in the United States. It was a three stage rocket, 363 feet in height, used for sending American astronauts to the moon and for placing the Skylab in Earth orbit. The Saturn V was designed to perform Earth orbital missions through the use of the first two stages, while all three stages were used for lunar expeditions. The S-IC stage (first stage) was powered by five F- engines, which burned kerosene and liquid oxygen to produce more than 7,500,000 pounds of thrust. The S-II (second) stage was powered by five J-2 engines, that burned liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and produced 1,150,000 pounds thrust. The S-IVB (third) stage used one J-2 engine, producing 230,000 pounds of thrust, with a re-start capability. The Marshall Space Flight Center and its contractors designed, developed, and assembled the Saturn V launch vehicle stages.

NASA used barges for transporting full-sized stages for the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V vehicles between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the manufacturing plant at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), the Mississippi Test Facility for testing, and the Kennedy Space Center. The barges traveled from the MSFC dock to the MAF, a total of 1,086.7 miles up the Tennessee River and down the Mississippi River. The barges also transported the assembled stages of the Saturn vehicle from the MAF to the Kennedy Space Center, a total of 932.4 miles along the Gulf of Mexico and up along the Atlantic Ocean, for the final assembly and the launch. This photograph shows the barge Poseidon loaded with the Saturn V S-II (second) stage passing through a bascule bridge.

A close-up view of the F-1 Engine for the Saturn V S-IC (first) stage depicts the complexity of the engine. Developed by Rocketdyne under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the F-1 engine was utilized in a cluster of five engines to propel the Saturn V's first stage, the S-IC. Liquid oxygen and kerosene were used as its propellant. Initially rated at 1,500,000 pounds of thrust, the engine was later uprated to 1,522,000 pounds of thrust after the third Saturn V launch (Apollo 8, the first marned Saturn V mission) in December 1968. The cluster of five F-1 engines burned over 15 tons of propellant per second, during its two and one-half minutes of operation, to take the vehicle to a height of about 36 miles and to a speed of about 6,000 miles per hour.

This close-up view of the F-1 engine for the Saturn V S-IC (first) stage shows the engine's complexity, and also its large size as it dwarfs the technician. Developed by Rocketdyne, under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the F-1 engine was utilized in a cluster of five engines to propel the Saturn V's first stage, the S-IC. Liquid oxygen and kerosene were used as its propellant. Initially rated at 1,500,000 pounds of thrust, the engine was later uprated to 1,522,000 pounds of thrust after the third Saturn V launch (Apollo 8, the first marned Saturn V mission) in December 1968. The cluster of five F-1 engines burned over 15 tons of propellant per second, during its two and one-half minutes of operation, to take the vehicle to a height of about 36 miles and to a speed of about 6,000 miles per hour.

S68-49397 (9 Oct. 1968) --- The Apollo 8 prime crew stands in foreground as the Apollo (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle leaves the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building on way to Pad A, Launch Complex 39. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. The Apollo 8 crew consists of (left to right) astronauts Frank Borman, commander; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and William A. Anders, lunar module pilot.

S68-49404 (9 Oct. 1968) --- The Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle on way from Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad A, Launch Complex 39. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. (ground-level view, looking across water, with VAB on left)

S69-17485 (3 Jan. 1969) --- Aerial view of the Apollo 9 (Spacecraft 104/Lunar Module 3/Saturn 504) space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. (view looking toward Pad A)

S69-17487 (3 Jan. 1969) --- Aerial view of the Apollo 9 (Spacecraft 104/Lunar Module 3/Saturn 504) space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. (view looking toward Pad A)

S68-49405 (9 Oct. 1968) --- The Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle on way from Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad A, Launch Complex 39. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. (Ground level view, looking across water.)

S69-34319 (11 March 1969) --- The 363-feet tall Apollo 10 (Spacecraft 106/Lunar Module 4/Saturn 505) space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad B, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter.

Engineers and technicians at the Marshall Space Flight Center were installing an F-I engine on the Saturn V S-IC (first) stage thrust structure in building 4705. The S-IC (first) stage used five F-1 engines that produced a total thrust of 7,500,000 pounds as each engine produced 1,500,000 pounds of thrust. The S-IC stage lifted the Saturn V vehicle and Apollo spacecraft from the launch pad.

This photograph shows the Saturn V S-II (second) stage of the Apollo 6 mission being lowered atop of the S-IC (first) stage during the final assembly operations in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 6 mission was the second Saturn V unmanned flight for testing an emergency detection system. The launch occurred on April 4, 1968.

A close-up view of the Apollo 11 command service module ready to be mated with the spacecraft LEM adapter of the third stage. The towering 363-foot Saturn V was a multi-stage, multi-engine launch vehicle standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Altogether, the Saturn V engines produced as much power as 85 Hoover Dams.

This aerial view, looking north, shows the Apollo/Saturn V Center, part of the KSC Visitor Complex. Located about 2 miles north of the Vehicle Assembly Building on the Kennedy Parkway, it is near the current Banana Creek VIP Shuttle launch viewing site. The 100,000-square-foot attraction includes a refurbished 363-foot-long Apollo-era Saturn V rocket that had been displayed previously near the VAB. Inside, the center includes artifacts and historical displays, plus two film theaters

NASA used barges for transporting full-sized stages for the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V vehicles between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the manufacturing plant at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), the Mississippi Test Facility for testing, and the Kennedy Space Center. The barges traveled from the MSFC dock to the MAF, a total of 1,086.7 miles up the Tennessee River and down the Mississippi River. The barges also transported the assembled stages of the Saturn vehicle from the MAF to the Kennedy Space Center, a total of 932.4 miles along the Gulf of Mexico and up along the Atlantic Ocean, for the final assembly and the launch. This photograph shows the barge Orion at the MSFC dock.

This photograph was taken during the final assembly operation of the Saturn V launch vehicle for the Apollo 4 (SA 501) mission. The instrument unit (IU) was mated atop the S-IC/S-II assembly in the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 4 mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmanned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield. The Apollo 4 was launched on November 9, 1967 from KSC.

This photograph was taken during the final assembly operation of the Saturn V launch vehicle for the Apollo 4 (SA 501) mission. The instrument unit (IU) was hoisted to be mated to the S-IC/S-II assembly in the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo 4 mission was the first launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Objectives of the unmanned Apollo 4 test flight were to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, and subsystems operation including testing of restart of the S-IVB stage, and to evaluate the Apollo command module heat shield. The Apollo 4 was launched on November 9, 1967 from KSC.

In this 1962 artist's concept , a proposed Nova rocket, shown at right, is compared to a Saturn C-1, left, and a Saturn C-5, center. The Marshall Space Flight Center directed studies of Nova configuration from 1960 to 1962 as a means of achieving a marned lunar landing with a direct flight to the Moon. Various configurations of the vehicle were examined, the largest being a five-stage vehicle using eight F-1 engines in the first stage. Although the program was effectively cancelled in 1962 when NASA planners selected the lunar-orbital rendezvous mode, the proposed F-1 engine was eventually used to propel the first stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle in the Apollo Program.

S73-37285 (16 Nov. 1973) --- The Skylab 4/Saturn 1B space vehicle is launched from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 9:01:23 a.m. (EST), Friday, Nov. 16, 1973. Skylab 4 is the third and last of three scheduled manned Skylab missions. Aboard the Skylab 4 Command/Service Module were astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue. In addition to the CSM and its launch escape system, the Skylab 4 space vehicle consisted of the Saturn 1B first (S-1B) stage and the Saturn 1B second (S-IVB) stage. (The Skylab 1/Saturn V unmanned space vehicle with the space station payload was launched from Pad A on May 14, 1973). Photo credit: NASA

S73-32570 (28 July 1973) --- The Skylab 3/Saturn 1B space vehicle is launched from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 7:11 a.m. (EDT), Saturday, July 28, 1973. Skylab 3 is the second of three scheduled Skylab manned missions. Aboard the Skylab 3 Command/Service Module were astronauts Alan L. Bean, Owen K. Garriott and Jack R. Lousma. The Skylab 3 CSM later docked with the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit. In addition to the CSM and its launch escape system, the Skylab 3 space vehicle consisted of the Saturn 1B first (S-1B) stage and the Saturn 1B second (S-1VB) stage. (The Skylab 1/Saturn V space vehicle with the space station payload was launched from Pad A on May 14, 1973). Photo credit: NASA

Workmen remove the Saturn IB S-IVB-206, the second flight stage for the Skylab 2 mission, from the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center. Designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Douglas Aircraft Company in Sacramento, California, the stage was powered by a single J-2 engine, which produced 200,000 pounds of thrust, later uprated to 230,000 pounds for the Saturn V launch vehicle.

Aboard a Saturn V launch vehicle, the Apollo 11 mission launched from The Kennedy Space Center, Florida on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. The space vehicle is shown here during the rollout for launch preparation. The 3-man crew aboard the flight consisted of Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module pilot. Armstrong was the first human to ever stand on the lunar surface, followed by Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin. The crew collected 47 pounds of lunar surface material which was returned to Earth for analysis. The surface exploration was concluded in 2½ hours. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished. The Saturn V launch vehicle was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun.

This photograph shows the launch of the SA-513, a modified unmarned two-stage Saturn V vehicle for the Skylab-1 mission, which placed the Skylab cluster into the Earth orbit on May 14, 1973. The initial step in the Skylab mission was the launch of a two-stage Saturn V booster, consisting of the S-IC first stage and the S-II second stage, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its payload was the unmanned Skylab, which consisted of the Orbital Workshop, the Airlock Module, the Multiple Docking Adapter, the Apollo Telescope Mount and an Instrument Unit.

Early morning view of Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, showing Apollo 4 (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) unmanned, earth-orbital space mission ready for launch, with a full moon in the upper left part of the image. The 363-foot tall Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle was launched at 7:00:01 AM (EST), November 9, 1967.

S68-56001 (21 Dec. 1968) --- The Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle is launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, at 7:51 a.m. (EST), Dec. 21, 1968. The crew of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission is astronauts Frank Borman, commander; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and William A. Anders, lunar module pilot. Apollo 8 was the first manned Saturn V launch. (Just after ignition)

S68-56050 (21 Dec. 1968)--- The Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle is launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 7:51 a.m. (EST), Dec. 21, 1968. The crew of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission is astronauts Frank Borman, commander; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and William A. Anders, lunar module pilot. Apollo 8 is the first manned Saturn V launch. (water in foreground, seagulls)

S-IVB-505 and S-IVB-211, the flight version of the S-IVB stages, in the McDornell Douglas' S-IVB Assembly and Checkout Tower in Huntington Beach, California. As a part of the Marshall Space Flight Center `s "building block" approach to the Saturn vehicle development, the S-IVB stage, in its 200 series, was utilized as the Saturn IB launch vehicle's second stage, and, in its 500 series, the Saturn V's third stage. The S-IVB was powered by a single J-2 engine, initially capable of 200,000 pounds of thrust.

The Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Leaving a wide plume of flame as it climbed into the thin atmosphere of high altitude, the 363 foot tall, 6,400,000 pound Saturn V rocket hurled the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit and then placed it on the trajectory to the moon. The Saturn V was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Aboard the spacecraft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.

Pictured from left to right, the Apollo 9 astronauts, James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart, pause in front of the Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle that would launch the Apollo 8 crew. The launch of the Apollo 9 (Saturn V launch vehicle, SA-504) took place on March 3, 1968. The Apollo 9 spacecraft, in the lunar mission configuration, was tested in Earth orbit. The mission was designed to rehearse all the steps and reproduce all the events of the Apollo 11 mission with the exception of the lunar touchdown, stay, and liftoff. The command and service modules, and the lunar module were used in flight procedures identical to those that would later take similar vehicles to the Moon, and a landing. The flight mechanics, mission support systems, communications, and recording of data were tested in a final round of verification. Astronauts Scott and Schweickart conducted Extravehicular Activity during this mission.

This cutaway drawing illustrates major Skylab components in launch configuration on top of the Saturn V. In an early effort to extend the use of Apollo for further applications, NASA established the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) in August of 1965. The AAP was to include long duration Earth orbital missions during which astronauts would carry out scientific, technological, and engineering experiments in space by utilizing modified Saturn launch vehicles and the Apollo spacecraft. Established in 1970, the Skylab Program was the forerurner of the AAP. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

AS-501, the first flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle, takes flight from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on November 9, 1967. The unmanned mission, also designated Apollo 4, marked the first test flight of the S-IC and S-II stages, developed for the Saturn program under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

S68-27364 (4 April 1968) --- The Apollo 6 (Spacecraft 020/Saturn 502) unmanned space mission was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The liftoff of the huge Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle occurred at 7:00:01.5 a.m. (EST), April 4, 1968.

S68-27365 (4 April 1968) --- The five F-1 engines of the huge Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle's first (S-IC) stage leave a gigantic trail of flame in the sky above the Kennedy Space Center seconds after liftoff. The launch of the Apollo 6 (Spacecraft 020/Saturn 502) unmanned space mission occurred at 07:00:01.5 (EST), April 4, 1968. This view of the Apollo 6 launch was taken from a chase plane.

S68-27366 (4 April 1968) --- The five F-1 engines of the huge Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle's first (S-IC) stage leave a gigantic trail of flame in the sky above the Kennedy Space Center seconds after liftoff. The launch of the Apollo 6 (Spacecraft 020/Saturn 502) unmanned space mission occurred at 07:00:01.5 (EST), April 4, 1968. This view of the Apollo 6 launch was taken from a chase plane.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Carrying the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle and mobile launcher, the transporter inches its way to the hardstand atop Launch Complex 39A. (Unfueled Saturn V weighs 1/2 million pounds,) Rollout began at 12:30 p.m. EDT today and was completed at 7:46 p.m. after positioning the 12.5-million-pound load on support pedestals. The transporter carried the vehicle along the 3.5-mile crawlerway at an average speed of less than 1 mile per hour. The 363-foot-high space vehicle is to launch Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. on the Nation's first manned lunar landing mission.

S69-51299 (8 Sept. 1969) --- Ground-level view at Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), showing the Apollo 12 (Spacecraft 108/ Lunar Module 6/ Saturn 507) space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad A. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. The Launch Complex 39 service structure is on the right. Apollo 12 is scheduled as the second lunar landing mission. The crew will be astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot.

S72-54813 (November 1972) --- Searchlights illuminate this nighttime scene at Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, showing the Apollo 17 (Spacecraft 114/Lunar Module 12/Saturn 512) space vehicle during prelaunch preparations. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program, will be the first nighttime liftoff of the huge Saturn V launch vehicle. Apollo 17 is scheduled for launching on the night of Dec. 6, 1972. Aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft will be astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander; astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot; and scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. Note the full moon in the background.

S72-54814 (November 1972) --- Searchlights illuminate this nighttime scene at Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, showing the Apollo 17 (Spacecraft 114/Lunar Module 12/Saturn 512) space vehicle during prelaunch preparations. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program, will be the first nighttime liftoff of the huge Saturn V launch vehicle. Apollo 17 is scheduled for launching on the night of Dec. 6, 1972. Aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft will be astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander; astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot; and scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Rollout of Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle from the VAB's High Bay #1 to Launch Complex 39A. The transporter covered the 3.5-mile distance at an average speed of less than one mile per hour.

The Apollo 11 mission, the first lunar landing mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. The Saturn V vehicle produced a holocaust of flames as it rose from its pad at Launch complex 39. The 363 foot tall, 6,400,000 pound rocket hurled the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit and then placed it on the trajectory to the moon for man’s first lunar landing. This high angle view of the launch was provided by a ‘fisheye’ camera mounted on the launch tower. Aboard the space craft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module pilot. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.

Engineers and technicians at the Marshall Space Flight Center placed a Saturn V ground test booster (S-IC-D) into the dynamic test stand. The stand was constructed to test the integrity of the vehicle. Forces were applied to the tail of the vehicle to simulate the engines thrusting, and various other flight factors were fed to the vehicle to test reactions. The Saturn V launch vehicle, with the Apollo spacecraft, was subjected to more than 450 hours of shaking. The photograph shows the 300,000 pound S-IC stage being lifted from its transporter into place inside the 360-foot tall test stand. This dynamic test booster has one dummy F-1 engine and weight simulators are used at the other four engine positions.

NASA used barges for transporting full-sized stages for the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V vehicles between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the manufacturing plant at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), the Mississippi Test Facility for testing, and the Kennedy Space Center. The barges traveled from the MSFC dock to the MAF, a total of 1,086.7 miles up the Tennessee River and down the Mississippi River. The barges also transported the assembled stages of the Saturn vehicle from the MAF to the Kennedy Space Center, a total of 932.4 miles along the Gulf of Mexico and up along the Atlantic Ocean, for the final assembly and the launch. Pictured is the barge Palaemon carrying Saturn IV S-IB flight stage enroute to MSFC.

This chart provides the vital statistics for the F-1 rocket engine. Developed by Rocketdyne, under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the F-1 engine was utilized in a cluster of five engines to propel the Saturn V's first stage, the S-IC. Liquid oxygen and kerosene were used as its propellant. Initially rated at 1,500,000 pounds of thrust, the engine was later uprated to 1,522,000 pounds of thrust after the third Saturn V launch (Apollo 8, the first marned Saturn V mission) in December 1968. The cluster of five F-1 engines burned over 15 tons of propellant per second, during its two and one-half minutes of operation, to take the vehicle to a height of about 36 miles and to a speed of about 6,000 miles per hour.

S73-26912 (14 May 1973) --- The unmanned Skylab 1/Saturn V space vehicle is launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 12:00 noon (EDT), May 14, 1973, to place the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit. The Skylab 1 payload included four of the five major components of the space station Orbital Workshop, Apollo Telescope Mount, Multiple Docking Adapter, and Airlock Module. In addition to the payload, the Skylab 1/Saturn V second (S-11) stage. The fifth major component of the space station, the Command Service Module with the Skylab 2 crew aboard, was launched at a later date by a Saturn 1B from Pad B. Photo credit: NASA