This week in 1966, the second stage Facilities Checkout/Dynamic Test Stage, or the S-II-F/D, arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. This stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle was not meant to fly, but was used for ground testing prior to flight tests. The S-II stage of the rocket employed five J-2 engines, which were capable of producing 225,000 pounds of thrust. Here, two technicians apply insulation to the outer surface of the S-II stage. Today, Marshall is developing NASA’s Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of sending astronauts to the Moon, Mars and deeper into space than ever before. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)