Development of the Saturn V Rocket (1962–1967): Design, Testing, and Qualification

1. Douglas selected for the S-IVB upper stage

   Apr 19, 1960Labels: Douglas Aircraft

   • S IVB
   • NASA SP 4206

2. North American wins the Saturn V S-II stage contract

   Sep 11, 1961Labels: North American

   • S II

3. Boeing receives the Saturn V S-IC contract

   Dec 15, 1961Labels: Boeing

   • S IC
   • NASA SP 4206

4. Marshall begins managing Saturn V development

   Jan 1, 1962Labels: Marshall Space

   • NASA History
   • NASA SP 4206

5. George Mueller pushes the “all-up” test approach

   Nov 1, 1962Labels: George Mueller

   • NASA History

6. S-IC test stage completes a five-engine static firing

   Apr 16, 1965Labels: S-IC test

   • NASA SP 4205

7. S-II structural test article fails under overload

   Sep 29, 1965Labels: S-II structural

   • Saturn V
   • Saturn V DTV

8. Facilities-integration Saturn V rolls out to Pad 39A

   May 25, 1966Labels: SA-500F

   • SA 500F
   • Saturn V DTV

9. S-IC-T ships to Mississippi for full-scale booster testing

   Oct 17, 1966Labels: S-IC-T

   • NASA Stennis
   • Stennis SSC

10. Douglas S-IVB-503 stage explodes during acceptance testing

    Jan 20, 1967Labels: S-IVB-503

    • NASA SP 4206

11. Apollo 1 fire reshapes safety and schedules

    Jan 27, 1967Labels: Apollo 1

    • NSSDCA
    • Smithsonian

12. First S-IC firing at Mississippi proves stand-stage compatibility

    Mar 3, 1967Labels: B-2 test

    • NASA Stennis
    • Stennis SSC

13. First flight S-IC stage completes acceptance firing at Mississippi

    May 16, 1967Labels: S-IC-4

    • NASA Image
    • NASA Stennis

14. Apollo 4 launches the first Saturn V all-up test

    Nov 9, 1967Labels: Apollo 4

    • NASA Apollo 4
    • NASA SP 4009