Saturn V is all about getting men to the moon and back

The Saturn V was designed to lift heavy payloads and was used by NASA from 1967 to 1973. After the Apollo Mission, the Saturn V was used in delivering SkyLab into orbit.

With the Apollo craft on top of the Saturn V, the rocket stood 363 feet tall and without fins it was 33 feet in diameter and fully loaded, it weighed 6.5 million pounds.

 

ABOVE: Rocket designer, Wernher von Braun stands besides the F-1 engines.

 

Above: Lunar Module that carried 2 astronauts from the lunar orbiting Command Module, down to the surface of the moon. When it was time to leave the surface, the top segment of the module separates from the gold covered base and legs, leaving it on the moon.

Above: encased lunar sample on display

Saturn 5 at liftoff. Video at the bottom of the page is a closeup view of the F-1 engines.

Saturn V Assembly

The Saturn V Assembly area is all about SIZE! This is the largest rocket ever made. It is the rocket that sent men to the moon. The five monstrous F-1 rocket engines shook the world when they fired up in 1969.

Today, you can see one of these giant rockets up close. See how the various stages were used to get man to the moon.

After watching the dramatic lift-off interpretation, visitors enter the cavernous room where the Saturn V is laid out end-to-end.

The Saturn V was and still is, the largest rocket ever made. It was designed to lift 3 astronauts, the Command Module, the Service Module, and the Lunar Module, and put all of that in an orbit around the Earth and on towards the moon.

Visitors to the Saturn V Assembly facility will be immediately struck by the shear size of the rocket engines. The 5 - F1 rocket engines, developed by Rocketdyne are still the most powerful sing-change liquid fueled rocket engines ever developed. One of those F-1 engines is on display in the Rocket Garden.

Touring the Saturn V Assembly Area

Besides the obvious star attraction, visitors should look for a number of other interesting areas. Each of the main components of the rocket are clearly identified along with short description of their function. From the ceiling also hangs a Lunar Module like those that descended to the moon's surface. There is also a small piece of moon rock that you can touch.

The area has a lunch counter, a saturn-sized souvenir shop and the Lunar Theater where visitors can experience the dramatic anxiety that accompanied the first moon landing.

The center is setup so that visitors can spend as much time as they need to examine and learn about the Saturn V and the mission to the moon. Be sure to check out the Apollo Treasures Gallery that features numerous items and astronaut gear associated with Apollo and the moon landing

Apollo 11 Launch in Very Slow Motion