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Author
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Topic: Douglas Aircraft Saturn V test site (Sacramento)
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AlanLawrie
Member Posts: 95
From: hitchin, herts, UK
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 11-21-2007 08:03 PM
  
Couple of nice videos of the Douglas Saturn V test history on last week's Channel 10 Sacramento: Journey to the Moon Started Here This is one of the Beta Test Stands, at Sunrise and Douglas in Rancho Cordova, during a S-IVB engine test in the mid 1960's. S-IVB is NASA-speak for the third stage of the Saturn 5 rocket that launched astronauts to the moon. The rocket wasn't going to the moon, until it passed a full systems checkout on the these test stands. Douglas Aircraft built the third stage in southern California, but conducted the tests on Aerojet property in Rancho Cordova. Aerojet engineers built the engine for the Apollo Command Service Module, the spacecraft that orbited the moon. |
Rusty B
Member Posts: 239
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 01-05-2008 06:32 PM
Google Maps satellite view of Douglas S-IVB test stands in Sacramento. Google Maps closeup satellite view of one of the Douglas S-IVB test stands in Sacramento. |
blastr42
Member Posts: 17
From:
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 06-08-2014 05:29 PM
I went to the site this past week. It's now a cattle range area. The gate has a "No Trespassing" sign, but it was unlocked and open. I didn't have time to explore, but it looks like anyone can if they want to. Just get off at Sunrise and follow it to Douglas Rd. |
AlanLawrie
Member Posts: 95
From: hitchin, herts, UK
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 06-08-2014 05:50 PM
The Douglas site is in the process of being demolished. I was part of a small team surveying the site last year prior to the wrecking ball going in. |
Shuttle Endeavour
Member Posts: 234
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 06-08-2014 06:51 PM
I would like to go visit it sometime, so how long do you think it will still be around before it is destroyed? |
AlanLawrie
Member Posts: 95
From: hitchin, herts, UK
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 06-09-2014 02:27 PM
When I did the survey last year they were actually sitting there waiting to knock everything down once we left.I took a metal detector and went looking for sub surface fragments. I was lucky in finding a piece of the original Apollo 8 third stage - the one that exploded in Jan 1967. |
Shuttle Endeavour
Member Posts: 234
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 06-09-2014 02:55 PM
So are there any more remains there? |
AlanLawrie
Member Posts: 95
From: hitchin, herts, UK
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 06-09-2014 03:13 PM
I can't say what the current status is as I haven't been back since last year but I spoke with the man who was waiting for us to leave so that he could proceed and he was ready to start knocking it all down then. |
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