On April 17, 1961, NASA's Palaemon barge embarked on its first journey from the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., to Cape Canaveral, Fla. The barge carried a simulated Saturn I booster and dummy third stage, plus a 10-man crew from MSFC's Test Division.
On April 17, 1961, NASA’s Palaemon barge embarked on its first journey from the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., to Cape Canaveral, Fla. The barge carried a simulated Saturn I booster and dummy third stage, plus a 10-man crew from MSFC’s Test Division.
The 180-foot Palaemon and its tug traveled from the Tennessee River to the Ohio, down the Mississippi, across the Gulf of Mexico, up the Atlantic Coast, and arrived at the Cape Canaveral launch site on April 30.
Named for the Greek sea-god and protector of ships, Palaemon transported Saturn stages to and from MSFC through the Apollo years.Image Credit: NASA/MSFC