In July 1964, the first Saturn V S-IVB, or third stage test hardware, was delivered to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center from Long Beach, California. Developed and manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Co., the S-IVB measured about 21 1/2 feet in diameter, was about 58 feet in length and was powered by one J-2 engine capable of producing 225,000 pounds of thrust. Here, the fully assembled S-IVB for the SA-503 rocket, the Apollo 8 mission, is in Douglas’ vertical checkout building.
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program, NASA is going back to the Moon to build a permanent base there and develop programs for the crewed exploration of deep space, including Mars.
Image Credit: NASA