Saturn I facts for kids

The first Saturn I was launched on October 27, 1961.

The Saturn I was a powerful rocket built by NASA (which stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It was a very important part of the Apollo program, which aimed to send humans to the Moon.

Even though a bigger rocket, the Saturn IB, was used more often for sending astronauts, the Saturn I helped NASA learn a lot about building huge rockets. It was sometimes called "Cluster's Last Stand."

What Was the Saturn I Rocket?

The Saturn I was a two-stage rocket. This means it had two main parts that would fire one after the other to push it into space. It was designed to test new ideas for building very large rockets. These ideas were later used to create the even bigger Saturn V rocket, which eventually took astronauts to the Moon.

NASA used the Saturn I rocket ten times between 1961 and 1965. These flights were not for sending people into space. Instead, they were used to test how well the rocket worked and to practice launching large objects.

Who Designed the Saturn I?

A brilliant German engineer and scientist named Wernher von Braun led the team that designed the Saturn I rocket. He had a big dream of sending people to space and to the Moon.

Von Braun and his team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center worked hard to make the Saturn I a success. They wanted to make sure that future rockets would be safe and powerful enough for human space travel.

How Was the Saturn I Used?

The Saturn I rocket had several important jobs:

• Testing Engines: It helped test the powerful engines that would be used on bigger rockets.
• Learning to Build Big: Engineers learned how to put together very large rocket parts.
• Practicing Launches: NASA practiced launching heavy objects into orbit around Earth.
• Testing Spacecraft: Some Saturn I flights carried models of the Apollo spacecraft. This helped NASA test how the spacecraft would handle the launch.

The first Saturn I rocket, called SA-1, was launched on October 27, 1961. It was a big step forward for NASA and the Apollo program.

Related Pages

• Apollo program
• NASA
• Saturn V

Images for kids

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  Wernher von Braun (center) with President John F. Kennedy (right) at Cape Canaveral in 1963.

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  A Saturn I first stage being tested at MSFC in 1965.

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  A diagram showing the first stage of the Saturn I rocket.

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  A diagram of the S-IV, which was the second stage of the Saturn I.

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  Two versions of the Instrument Unit, which was like the rocket's brain.

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  The S-V stage on SA-4, another part of the rocket.

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  Different designs of the Saturn I rocket from SA-1 to SA-10.

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  Rockets developed at MSFC are on display here.

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  Some rockets at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, including the Saturn I.

See also

In Spanish: Saturno I para niños