Rocket Roll!

I am finally getting around to posting a few pictures that aren't adoption or family related. The US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is in the process of constructing a building to house the newly restored Saturn V test vehicle that has sat outside since 1969. Nearly 40 years of exposure was taking quite a toll. Fortunately, a restoration effort was mostly completed last year and the Saturn V looks much better.

The new building will be spectacular. It will have a glass front and side allowing people driving by on the interstate to see the vehicle. The entire vehicle will hang suspended from the ceiling! You will get to stand underneath the Saturn V and will experience just how massive this rocket was. The grand opening is scheduled for January 2008. Guess who'll be there?

July 10 was the day that the Saturn V began to move to its new home, starting with the third stage. They had a ceremony with a few speakers. The first picture shows the massive S-IC first stage. A portion of the bells of the F-1 engines engines have been removed. A complete F-1 sits in the foreground of the first picture. Each F-1 generated 1.5 MILLION pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Also in the foreground is a concept for what came to be the new Crew Exploration Vehicle. It was a Lockheed Martin concept that wasn't chosen to go forward. Lockheed won the contract, but a different design will be built.

The next picture shows the third stage on the moving truck ready to roll. The single J-2 engine that powered the third stage has been removed. A new version of the J-2 will power the next generation of rockets that will follow the space shuttle after it is retired. I assume once everything is settled in the new building they will put the engine back on. I didn't get a good picture of the S-II second stage, but it also had it's engines removed during the restoration process.

To "launch" the Saturn to the new building, audio of the Apollo 11 was played. At "liftoff" smoke poured out the back of the first stage. I think that would be the first time since 1973 any type of exhaust has poured out the back of a Saturn V. What a shame we threw away such an awesome capability. We are going to spend the next decade rebuilding similar capability, assuming the plans work and survive the wacky Washington political process. Here's a picture of the S-1C letting off some steam.

The S-IVB moved far enough that day to get out of the way of the rest of the pieces. The first stage to go into the partially completed building was the S-IC. The Space and Rocket Center had set up web cams that allow you to monitor the progress. I found myself checking often to see what was going on!

The next day, July 11, I had just arrived to work and had settled in. After a little bit, I check the web cam. The S-IC was on the move! I copied several of the pictures from the web cam and made an animated gif of the move. One shows the S-IC just as it departs the place it has sat for 38 years. The next shows it backing into the new building. I will keep adding to the animation to show how the building changes over time. The camera focused on the building is mobile, so it tends to jitter things a bit.




After watching the rocket leave the screen, I played hookey from work for a while. The Space Center is only a short distance from where I work. I can see the full-scale model of the Saturn V as I drive into our parking lot. I didn't get to see the first of these beasts move, but I was not going to miss seeing the last move one will ever make!

I was greatly rewarded for playing hookey. Just as I showed up, they had begun to back the S-IC into the building. Not many people were there to witness this event. There were construction workers, a few photographers, myself, and few space center workers. It really was special for me to see this move. I didn't have my camera with me at that moment, but I really didn't need it. I won't forget what I saw.

Later that day, Wendy drove by and took a few pictures for me. The next day I went back and took more. Driving a white pickup might be a little red, if you know what I mean, but it has advantages around a construction site. I drove around looking at the building and the new resident setting up shop. I happened to stumble onto the pieces of the F-1 engines that will need to be reattached to the first stage. They wouldn't all fit in the back of my truck, unfortunately. There are some interstage pieces on the grounds as well, that I hope will be integrated back into the stack.

Over the next several days, the second stage and third stage were moved into the building. At the end of the week, the 4th Annual Saturn-Apollo reunion was held. Buzz Aldrin, moonwalker from the Apollo 11 crew, was scheduled to give the keynote address but had to cancel due to a family emergency.

I didn't forget about my son during all this. The three of us went to the festivities, but didn't stay long. Long enough to eat some tough food and walk outside around the rockets. Jason Alexei loves running around the rocket garden. At one point he stood underneath a Saturn 1, looked up at the eight H-1 engines, and said "Big rocket!" Several people heard him and laughed. I was very proud.

Because he enjoys running around so much, sitting through a couple hours of talks was not in the cards for us. The evening concluded with fireworks. I felt bad for missing them, but that's life with a 2-year old.

In addition to the work in Huntsville, the Saturn V that was retired to the Johnson Space Center in Houston also was just restored. The building is temporary and not as impressive as Huntsville's will be, but anything is better than rotting outside for these machines.

If you want to read more about the "Rocket Roll!" and to see just how they moved all the pieces, try this website for some excellent pictures and descriptions: collectspace_forum

It was quite a nostalgic ride seeing a Saturn V move. Like I said earlier, it's a shame they are now just museum pieces. At least we are taking the care to preserve them so future generations will appreciate what was done back in the 1960's.