Later, the Saturn S-1B vehicle and the F-1 engine for Saturn 1-C were tested here these rockets supported the Apollo program. These laid the successful foundation for the successful 1961 flights of Ham, the chimpanzee, on Mercury-Redstone (MR) 2 and Alan B. When Project Mercury-the plan to place a manned capsule in orbital flight-was announced on October 7, 1958, the army pledged ten Redstone and three Jupiter vehicles to the project. It was designed to test Redstone, an American design that derived from the German V-2 rocket, and other rockets under development at the time at the Redstone Arsenal. Saturn I Propulsion & Structural Test Facility, Saturn 1 Static Test Stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center.Ĭourtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HAER ALA,45-HUVI.V,7D-2.īuilt in 1957, the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility is one of the oldest motor test facilities at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. More on the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel can be found in the Man in Space National Historic Landmark Theme Study. The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. All of NASA’s 1960s and 1970s manned space vehicles-including the space shuttle-were tested here. This system of three wind tunnels was able to test a full range of aircraft, from small planes to large missiles and quickly became a preeminent testing facility. The act also produced the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, which was completed in 1955. The Unitary Plan Act, passed by Congress in October 1949, reinvested in the American aircraft industry and called for a coordinated national plan that combined the efforts of the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics (NACA), the Air Force, industry, and universities. More on the Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand can be found in the Man in Space National Historic Landmark Theme Study.Īerial view of the AMES Research Center, with Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel complex pictured at center.Ĭourtesy of NASA Ames Research Center (NASA-ARC AC-38286-2)īy 1945, America began to lag behind German research in missiles and jet aircraft. This launch was also the first Skylab mission, the first American space station. The Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for these contributions to the space program.Ī number of Saturn V launches recently celebrated anniversaries, including the 45th anniversary of the last Saturn V launch on April 4, 1973. Because of the testing that occurred here, no Saturn V ever failed in flight, and Apollo 11’s mission to the moon was successful. The Dynamic Test Stand was the only NASA facility capable of testing a full-launch vehicle under dynamic launch conditions. The Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969-one of NASA’s greatest achievements-would never have happened without the careful testing of Saturn V rockets at the Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand in Huntsville, Alabama. The cranes were used to hoist rockets into the stand.Ĭourtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HAER ALA,45-HUVI.V,7C-1. The Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.
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