Shaping Things to Come

Less than three years after Sputnik, NASA began test firing the Saturn I, the first launch vehicle created specifically for the space program. It was the largest rocket ever built in America and led to the development of the huge Saturn V. The Saturn IB was used to launch the unmanned Apollo 5, the three-man Apollo 7, all three Skylab crews, and the Apollo/Soyuz Test Project into orbit. This Saturn 1B rocket (SA-209) is the last surviving flight-ready vehicle of its kind anywhere. It was readied as a backup rescue vehicle for the Skylab 4 mission and the Apollo/Soyuz Test Project, and was the primary vehicle for a cancelled Skylab 5 mission. The Command Service Module (CSM) for this rocket is on display under the Saturn V rocket at the Apollo/Saturn Center.

Florida · United States