Legendary Saturn V Rocket to Get Long-Needed TLC
H O U S T O N, June 25, 2004 -- It was destined for the moon, but it ended up next to a parking lot.
The Saturn V rocket was hauled to Houston in 1977, next to the entrance of the Johnson Space Center. It seemed like a fitting location, after all, the Apollo Missions it supported were run out of Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.
The Saturn V — a three-stage rocket that stood 36 stories tall — was developed by legendary rocket pioneer Wernher Von Braun. It had a cluster of five first-stage engines fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene which could produce 7.5 million pounds of thrust. The design of the Saturn V was no small task in the days before supercomputers, when talented engineers did many calculations using a slide rule, pencil and paper.
The engineers who made the Saturn V had to make good on President John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon — a promise he made in a speech to Congress on May 26, 1961.
"I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth," President Kennedy said. "No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long range exploration of space, and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
The Saturn V made that promise a reality. When Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, it was just the first of nine missions to the moon made possible by the Saturn V.
But public enthusiasm for lunar missions faded, as did government funding. So the last three missions, Apollo, 18, 19 and 20 were canceled, and the Saturn V was mothballed.
Notable History
The one on display at the Johnson Space Center is a tourist attraction now, but it is a tourist attraction that is falling apart and in desperate need of attention.
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