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Author Topic:   Saturn V Centers: Moon rockets on museum display
Paul78zephyr
Member

Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 11-30-2007 12:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul78zephyr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm a longtime Saturn V fan but unfortunately I don't always have the time to keep track of the preservation efforts of the unflown hardware. I had read about a 'Saturn V' center to be built a few years back but now I'm a bit confused:

At Kennedy Space Center: Apollo Saturn V Center

At the U.S. Space & Rocket Center: Davidson Center for Space Exploration

They both seem to be purpose built buildings/museums for showcasing a 'real' unflown Saturn V laid out horizontally. Yes? Are they both 'environmentally sealed' and is the hardware at each restored or 'as is/was'? Also the USSRC location apparently has a 'replica Saturn V' assembled vertically to look like a real one on the pad? Yes?

Wasn't there also a 'real' Saturn V laid out horizontally at either Johnson Space Center or Michoud?

Can anyone speak/clarify about these places and their Saturn Vs?

Jurg Bolli
Member

Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-30-2007 12:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jurg Bolli   Click Here to Email Jurg Bolli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has a fully restored Saturn V, not environmentally sealed, in beautiful condition, it's a wonderful museum!

SpaceAholic
Member

Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-30-2007 12:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Dont forget about the USSRC which has a similar restoration effort ongoing (and about completed)...

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-30-2007 01:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Paul78zephyr:
Can anyone speak/clarify about these places and their Saturn Vs?
There are three buildings in the U.S., each built to house one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets.
  • The Saturn V at Kennedy Space Center, which was previously displayed outside the Vehicle Assembly Building, was moved in 1995-1996 inside the Apollo Saturn V Center, part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The building is environmentally controlled but not sealed. The Saturn V it displays is comprised of both flight and test hardware.

  • The Saturn V at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, which was previously displayed outside in the museum's rocket park, was restored and then moved in 2007 inside the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, a new building under final construction now and set to open to the public on January 31, 2008. The building is environmentally controlled but not sealed. The Saturn V it displays is comprised entirely of test hardware, specifically the facilities checkout and demonstration stages. A full-scale replica Saturn V was erected vertically at the USSRC in 1999.

  • The Saturn V at NASA's Johnson Space Center, which was previously displayed outside, was restored beginning in 2004, including the construction of an environmentally controlled building around it. The Saturn V Center opened to the public in 2007. It is the only Saturn V remaining that is assembled completely from flight hardware.
There are additional Saturn V stages on display around the country, including an SI-C at the Michoud Facility outside of New Orleans.

Paul78zephyr
Member

Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 12-04-2007 09:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul78zephyr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you so much for your excellently informational reply! You gave the 'correct' answer to my 'wrong' question as I should not have use the term 'environmentally sealed'. Your [correct] use of the term 'environmentally controlled' (i.e. air-conditioned) was what I should have asked.

I'm am very glad to see that the remaining Saturn V hardware is now preserved for posterity. I hope I can travel to one of these centers in my lifetime and see that real Saturn V hardware.

Paul78zephyr
Member

Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 12-05-2007 08:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul78zephyr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, thank you again.

If anyone is interested I found satellite pictures of all the Saturn V centers on Google Maps:

You can zoom out on these maps for a better idea of relative locations once you open the Google Map links.

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