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NASA’s Marshall Center Historic Test Stand

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NASA

Aug 16, 2017
Image Article
The historic S-IC Static Test Stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The historic S-IC Static Test Stand at the Marshall Center, used for testing of the Saturn V, space shuttle and current propulsion systems development — including NASA's newest rocket, the Space Launch System — continues to serve as a testbed for cutting-edge engine and propulsion technologies, just as it has since its construction in the 1960s.

The historic S-IC Static Test Stand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, used for testing of the Saturn V, space shuttle and current propulsion systems development — including NASA’s newest rocket, the Space Launch System — continues to serve as a testbed for cutting-edge engine and propulsion systems technologies, just as it has since its construction in the 1960s. The stand was built to develop and test the first stage of the Saturn V rocket, which consisted of five F-1 engines, each producing 1.5 million pounds of thrust. The stand contains 12 million pounds of concrete in its base legs. Modified in 1974 to test space shuttle external tanks, and again in the early 2000s for next-generation propulsion research and development, the test stand is one of numerous dedicated facilities at Marshall devoted to advancing the state of the art in rocket engines and propulsion systems and hardware. (NASA/MSFC/Dennis Olive)