Tag: Saturn V

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Seeing the third Saturn V

There are only three Saturn V rockets left in the world. One is at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center. That one I’ve seen a few times. I never get tired of seeing the Saturn V there.

Another one is at Space Center Houston, which I got to visit a few years ago. There I learned that there were only three left in the world. Since this was the second Saturn V I’d seen, I thought to myself “Well, now I have to see all of them.”

The third, and final Saturn V I got to see is in the Saturn V Hall at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Outside the Davidson Center where the Saturn V is located is an equally impressive but slightly smaller mockup of the Saturn V. Makes the building easy to find if you’re exploring the Space and Rocket Center.

Saturn V mockup outside the Davidson Center at the US Space and Rocket Center

After going inside the building and up the stairs, you’re greeted with the massive business end of the Saturn V rocket once you turn the corner to enter the exhibit hall.

The base of the Saturn V with the huge F1 rocket engines
The flamy end of the Saturn V rocket

In addition to the Saturn V overhead, there are lots of displays and exhibits telling the history of rocket development and the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.

View from the tip of the Saturn V rocket
Pointy end of the Saturn V rocket

The Saturn V never ceases to amaze me. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of seeing one.

Saturn V rocket with a Mercury training capsule in the foreground
Mercury training module and Mercury capsule with the Saturn V first stage in the background
Between the first and second stages of the Saturn V rocket
Between the first and second stages of the Saturn V
Between the second and third stages of the Saturn V rocket
Between the second and third stages of the Saturn V
View of the Saturn V rocket from the top of the second stage
Third stage section of the Saturn V rocket
Apollo capsule at the top of the Saturn V rocket
Apollo capsule

The US Space and Rocket Center is a great place to visit. There’s lots to see and do there. The Rocket Park (like Kennedy’s Rocket Garden) was having a lot of work being done, but it’s still a fun area to wander around. Check out the Saturn IB and a mockup of part of Skylab (made from pieces that were used for training in the Neutral Bouyancy Simulator) on display in the Rocket Park. Walk around the Shuttle Park where you’ll find a mockup of a Space Shuttle with the external tank and boosters when we were there. Highly recommend going to the US Space and Rocket Center if you’re in the area (or even if you aren’t).

Saturn IB on display in the Rocket Park at the US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL
Saturn IB in the Rocket Park
Military rockets and vehicles in the Rocket Park at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL
Skylab display in the Rocket Park at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL
Skylab on display in the Rocket Park
Shuttle Park at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. There is a large scale model of the space shuttle's external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, and a space shuttle under construction.
Shuttle Park

Oh, and bring a banana to leave for Miss Baker and Big George.

A stone pillar memorial marker for Miss Baker. The marker reads "Miss Baker. Squirrel Monkey.. Born 1957. Died Nov 29 1984. First U.S. animal to fly in space and return alive. May 28 1959." Several bananas are on top of the pillar.
Memorial marker for Big George. The marker reads "Big George. Husband of Miss Baker". The bottom part of the marker is covered by a banana left as as offering

Next quest: See all the Space Shuttles. on display I’ve already seen the Shuttle Atlantis at KSC. Three more to go.

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Visiting Space Center Houston

Last weekend we were in Houston and paid a visit to Space Center Houston, the visitors center for NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA Johnson Space Center

Like Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Space Center Houston (SCH) is a pretty fun place to visit. It’s not quite as large as KSC, but it’s got some pretty sweet exhibits including Independence Plaza that features the Boeing 747 that ferried the space shuttles across the country.

Independence Plaza
Independence Plaza at Space Center Houston

I highly recommend the 90 minute tram tour that will take you into NASA JSC. If you go early and catch the first or second tour (SCH opens at 9 or 10 AM. See the calendar for hours), you’ll avoid the long line. The tram tour takes you into JSC where you’ll get to go into the Christopher C Craft Mission Control building, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and Rocket Park.

Mission Control room
ISS at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility
Orion capsule
Robotics area at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility

At Rocket Park, you’ll see some of the rocket engines that powered the Saturn V, rockets used for the Mercury and early Apollo programs, and the king of rockets, the Saturn V.

Big Joe at Rocket Park
Mercury-Redstone rocket at Rocket Park
Saturn V rocket engines at Rocket Park
Saturn V rocket engine at Rocket Park

The Saturn V at SCH is one of three remaining Saturn V rockets and was restored fairly recently.

From the SCH website:

There are only three Saturn V rockets on display in the world. The rocket at NASA Johnson Space Center is the only one comprised of all flight-certified hardware. The other two rockets are made of flight hardware, mock-ups and test components. The three segments, called stages, contain the powerful engines needed to lift off, entering orbit to reach the moon. In total, 13 Saturn V rockets launched into space.

Saturn V main engines
Saturn V at Rocket Park
Saturn V second stage engines
Saturn V third stage engine
Saturn V third stage
Apollo crew module
Saturn V at Rocket Park
Saturn V at Rocket Park
Saturn V plaque

When you’re back from the tour, head over to Independence Plaza where you can wander through the NASA 905 SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) and the Shuttle Independence, a replica space shuttle. This is another one you probably want to get to early in the day so that it’s not too crowded. We went first thing in the morning on our second day visiting SCH, and had the shuttle and 747 pretty much all to ourselves.

Shuttle cockpit
Shuttle cockpit
NASA 905 SCA flight badges
Model airplane and shuttle
Inside NASA 905 SCA
Shuttle Independence
NASA 905 SCA tail
Underneath NASA 905 SCA

Make sure to stop in the food court where you can have lunch sitting next to the Galileo shuttlecraft (NCC-1701/7) used in the Star Trek episode Galileo Seven. This is the actual set prop that was used in the episode and fully restored. You can read about the Galileo’s history and the restoration at startrek.com.

Shuttlecraft Galileo at the Space Center Houston food court
Shuttlecraft Galileo
Shuttlecraft Galileo
Shuttlecraft Galileo
Shuttlecraft Galileo
Shuttlecraft Galileo
Shuttlecraft Galileo information sign

Before leaving SCH (or before the doors open if you got there too early), make sure to walk the scale model of Solar System. It starts over on the left side of the parking lot near the SCH building and goes around the perimeter of the parking lot toward the main entrance.

Journey through our solar system
The Sun
Earth, Venus, and Mercury
Mars
Neptune
Pluto
Standing near Pluto

Of course, the rest of the exhibits at SCH are pretty cool too. Lots of great shows, interactive displays and an impressive collection of space and space program artifacts. It’s a great place to spend a couple of days exploring while you’re in Houston.

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Back to Kennedy Space Center

The Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex is one of those places I never get tired of visiting. We road-tripped back there over the weekend to get in one more visit before  the multi-day passes we purchased last year expired.

You'll need a pretty big tree for this ornament
You’ll need a pretty big tree for this ornament

On this visit, Connie noticed that the Welcome sign above the door to the Space Shop welcomed visitors in 9 languages, including Klingon.

yI'el
yI’el

We went there over two days, and spent the second day at the Saturn V exhibit building. The bus tour takes you past the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Next to the VAB they’re working on building a new launch platform that will be used by NASA’s SLS rocket. It’s an impressively large structure and even larger than the launch platform used for the shuttle.

SLS launch platform
SLS launch platform
SLS launch platform

The bus then takes you past Launch Pad 39A. The last time I was on the bus tour, the pad was one of the stops and people were able to get off the bus and go onto the launch platform. 39A is being used by SpaceX now, so it’s not a stop on the tour anymore. I was on the wrong side of the bus and couldn’t get any decent photos when we went by.

The Apollo/Saturn V Center is always impressive, and it’s pretty easy to spend 2 or three hours exploring all the exhibits here. Next to the Atlantis exhibit, it’s my favourite exhibit at KSC.

Saturn V main engines
Saturn V main engines

A new exhibit (new since my last visit to the Saturn V building anyway) is a memorial to the Apollo I astronauts (Ed White, Virgil Grissom, and Roger Chaffee) who died when a fire started in the command module. It’s a nice exhibit featuring personal items belonging to each of the astronauts as well as the hatch from the command module.

Apollo I hatch
Apollo I hatch

Next time you go, make sure to reserve plenty of time for the Apollo/Saturn V Center.

Saturn V stage 2 engines
Apollo service module
Apollo 14 command module
Lunar module
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Saturn V Immensity

I’ve mentioned it before. The Saturn V is a big big rocket. Until you see it in person though, it’s really hard to imagine just how big it is. Then, when you do see it, your mind is boggled that they actually worked and sent people into Earth/lunar orbit and to land on the moon.
Eleven times.

And then you wonder why we haven’t kept doing it.