THE SATURN 1B STORY

Year Published: 1960s

Creator: Natl Aeronautics And Space Administration

Description: “The Saturn 1B Story” is a mid-1960s documentary presented by NASA recounting the February 26, 1966 test launch of Saturn 1B, used to prepare for the 1969 Apollo missions and moon landing. :25 Animation showing a Saturn rocket flying towards the moon. :53 Illustration of three Saturn launch vehicles Saturn 1, 1B, and 5. 01:09 The launch site at George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Saturn 1 stands tall on the launch pad. The rocket launches and lifts off. 01:34 Illustration of Saturn 1B highlighting the rocket’s first stage: the boosters, eight tanks feeding the engines. 01:44 Saturn 1B in a hanger, engineers work on various parts of the rocket. 02:10 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s 5-story tall second stage. 02:18 The second stage is transported by tractor trailer. 02:23 Illustration of Saturn 1B and Saturn 5 rockets highlighting how the second stage of 1B will be used as the third stage of 5. 02:29 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s instrument unit, a ring between stage 2 and the payload. 02:36 Engineers work on the instrument unit. 02:39 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s payload section, a command and lunar module. 02:54 Aerial view of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. 03:19 Entrance sign of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. 03:32 Engineers from the Chrysler Corporation assemble the booster stage of 1B. With the help of a central computer system, they quality check the controls, electrical, instrumentation, and propulsion. 04:05 The booster is moved into a transport container and onto a barge. 04:13 Animated shows the barge traveling along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 04:19 Saturn 1B’s first stage on a launch pad conducting a static firing test as controllers in a control room monitor. 04:33 Animation retracing the barge’s journey back to New Orleans and onto Cape Kennedy in Florida. 04:43 Launch preparation, testing and assembling the various stages of the rocket. 05:14 A tractor trailer transports the first stage to the Sacramento Test Center. 05:20 A static test fire of the engine is conducted. 05:46 The engine is transported from California to Cape Kennedy Florida. 06:00 Engineers work on and test the instrument unit, the brain of the Saturn launch vehicle. 06:34 Man Spaced Flight Center in Houston, Texas. 06:44 Engineers work on the Command Module, Propulsion Module, a simulated Lunar Module, and Launch Escape System. 07:09 A complete non-flight version of Saturn 1B endures shake tests. 07:23 Saturn 1B on the launch pad for a full in-flight nighttime launch. 07:57 Animation showing the planned trajectory of the test flight “lob shot” from Cape Kennedy 5,000 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. 08:14 Animation of Saturn 1B in flight, discharging the first stage, realigning itself for re-entry, separation of the command module, testing engine ignition of each of the stages. The propulsion module separates and the Apollo capsule enters Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule opens parachutes 2-miles above the ocean and lands in the Atlantic. 09:43 The destroyers USS Fletcher, DDE-445 and USS Epperson DDE-719, patrol the recovery area to collect the module. 09:54 An engineer works on motion picture cameras mounted on the modules 10:11 Animation showing the cameras attached to the first stage and how they are ejected at the appropriate time, the spring-loaded flaps that open to stabilize the cameras, reentering the atmosphere, a para-balloon and parachute inflate, the camera capsule floating in the ocean, initiating a radio signal to aid recovery. 11:21 100,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and kerosene are poured into the rocket’s tanks and a countdown proceeds to ignition. Firing teams in NASA’s control center make final checks. The Apollo-Saturn 1B successfully launches, flies, achieves separation, and splashes down. 13:12 Animation of trajectory of test flight. 13:31 END

Complete Record: “The Saturn 1B Story” is a mid-1960s documentary presented by NASA recounting the February 26, 1966 test launch of Saturn 1B, used to prepare for the 1969 Apollo missions and moon landing. :25 Animation showing a Saturn rocket flying towards the moon. :53 Illustration of three Saturn launch vehicles Saturn 1, 1B, and 5. 01:09 The launch site at George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Saturn 1 stands tall on the launch pad. The rocket launches and lifts off. 01:34 Illustration of Saturn 1B highlighting the rocket’s first stage: the boosters, eight tanks feeding the engines. 01:44 Saturn 1B in a hanger, engineers work on various parts of the rocket. 02:10 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s 5-story tall second stage. 02:18 The second stage is transported by tractor trailer. 02:23 Illustration of Saturn 1B and Saturn 5 rockets highlighting how the second stage of 1B will be used as the third stage of 5. 02:29 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s instrument unit, a ring between stage 2 and the payload. 02:36 Engineers work on the instrument unit. 02:39 Illustration of Saturn 1B’s payload section, a command and lunar module. 02:54 Aerial view of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. 03:19 Entrance sign of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. 03:32 Engineers from the Chrysler Corporation assemble the booster stage of 1B. With the help of a central computer system, they quality check the controls, electrical, instrumentation, and propulsion. 04:05 The booster is moved into a transport container and onto a barge. 04:13 Animated shows the barge traveling along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 04:19 Saturn 1B’s first stage on a launch pad conducting a static firing test as controllers in a control room monitor. 04:33 Animation retracing the barge’s journey back to New Orleans and onto Cape Kennedy in Florida. 04:43 Launch preparation, testing and assembling the various stages of the rocket. 05:14 A tractor trailer transports the first stage to the Sacramento Test Center. 05:20 A static test fire of the engine is conducted. 05:46 The engine is transported from California to Cape Kennedy Florida. 06:00 Engineers work on and test the instrument unit, the brain of the Saturn launch vehicle. 06:34 Man Spaced Flight Center in Houston, Texas. 06:44 Engineers work on the Command Module, Propulsion Module, a simulated Lunar Module, and Launch Escape System. 07:09 A complete non-flight version of Saturn 1B endures shake tests. 07:23 Saturn 1B on the launch pad for a full in-flight nighttime launch. 07:57 Animation showing the planned trajectory of the test flight “lob shot” from Cape Kennedy 5,000 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. 08:14 Animation of Saturn 1B in flight, discharging the first stage, realigning itself for re-entry, separation of the command module, testing engine ignition of each of the stages. The propulsion module separates and the Apollo capsule enters Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule opens parachutes 2-miles above the ocean and lands in the Atlantic. 09:43 The destroyers USS Fletcher, DDE-445 and USS Epperson DDE-719, patrol the recovery area to collect the module. 09:54 An engineer works on motion picture cameras mounted on the modules 10:11 Animation showing the cameras attached to the first stage and how they are ejected at the appropriate time, the spring-loaded flaps that open to stabilize the cameras, reentering the atmosphere, a para-balloon and parachute inflate, the camera capsule floating in the ocean, initiating a radio signal to aid recovery. 11:21 100,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and kerosene are poured into the rocket’s tanks and a countdown proceeds to ignition. Firing teams in NASA’s control center make final checks. The Apollo-Saturn 1B successfully launches, flies, achieves separation, and splashes down. 13:12 Animation of trajectory of test flight. 13:31 END