Saturn V dynamic test vehicle

Saturn V dynamic test vehicle
The first stage of this Saturn V is hoisted into position for a shake test at the Saturn V dynamic test stand in 1966.
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle is located in Huntsville, Alabama
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle is located in Alabama
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle is located in the United States
Saturn V dynamic test vehicle
LocationHuntsville, Alabama
Coordinates34°42′38.2″N 86°39′25.6″W / 34.710611°N 86.657111°W / 34.710611; -86.657111
Built1964
ArchitectNASA-Marshall Space Flight Center; Boeing Aircraft
NRHP reference No.78000500
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 22, 1978[1]
Designated NHLFebruary 10, 1987[2]

The Saturn V dynamic test vehicle, designated SA-500D, is a prototype Saturn V rocket used by NASA to test the performance of the rocket when vibrated to simulate the shaking which subsequent rockets would experience during launch. It was the first full-scale Saturn V completed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Though SA-500D never flew, it was instrumental in the development of the Saturn V rocket which propelled the first men to the Moon as part of the Apollo program. Built under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun, it served as the test vehicle for all of the Saturn support facilities at MSFC.[2][3][4]

SA-500D is the only Saturn V on display that was used for its intended purpose, and the only one to have been assembled prior to museum display. It is on permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.[3][5][6][7][8][9][10]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Saturn V Launch Vehicle". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Wright, Mike. "Three Saturn Vs on Display Teach Lessons in Space History". Marshall Space Flight Center History Office. Archived from the original on November 15, 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference DynamicTestPlan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CSRestoration was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Gerard, James H. "Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle". Field Guide to American Spacecraft. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Rocket, First Stage, S-1C-D-1C Dynamic Test Stage, Saturn V". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "Second Stage, S-II-F/D, Saturn V Launch Vehicle, Dynamic Test Version". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "S-IVB-D Dynamic Test Stage, or Third Stage, Saturn V Launch Vehicle". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  10. ^ Lawrie, Alan (2005). Saturn. Apogee Books Space Series. Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. p. 328. ISBN 978-1894959193.