Here, students feel the spirit of early space pioneers through the towering rockets and hardware gracing Rocket Park, Shuttle Park and the Apollo Courtyard. Exposure to the elements has taken a toll on these marvels of engineering but you can restore their shine and ensure they continue to inspire the next generation of dreamers and doers. Your donation makes a difference and identifies you as a member of the Rocket Protector team.

Donate now



DSC_1812

DSC_2336

G0026478

G0016924

DSC_2507

G0037292

Thanks to your donations, the Saturn V in the Apollo Courtyard greets the world with refreshed and shiny protective coatings. Crews are now working to make sure the Saturn I receives the same care and refurbishment.

The Saturn I first arrived on the Space & Rocket Center campus in 1969.

The U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), under the direction of Wernher von Braun, began developing the Saturn I rocket in 1957. The unique first stage was composed of clustered tanks. This clustering of smaller tanks, rather than manufacturing larger tanks, allowed the use of tooling from the Redstone and Jupiter missile programs.

Contractors:

Rocketdyne Div., North American Aviation, Inc

Chrysler Corporation

Pratt & Whitney

Douglas Aircraft Corporation

Vehicle Designation: SA-D5

History:

Built as Saturn I Block II dynamic test vehicle

The first stage was modified to be a test stage for the Saturn IB rockets and sent to Michoud for testing in 1965.

In 1966 the first stage was returned to MSFC

The S-IV (second) stage was a hydrostatic (checking for pressure holding and leaks) and dynamics test stage

The payload on top is the Apollo Boilerplate No. 27, often referred to as BP-27/LES 015, which were also dynamic test articles. In June of 1969, the first stage along with the rest of the rocket and Saturn V stages were moved to the Alabama Space & Rocket Center

It was built, tested and put on display here in Huntsville!

Donations of all sizes are welcome.

Click here to become a Rocket Protector.