F-5036 Fit Test (March 6, 2008)

Preparation for the Building 4200 engine display took several months, with various planning and preparatory tasks taking place in the months preceding the engines' installation on May 13, 2008.

The F-1 and J-2 rocket engines sat on throat supports, and fit tests were performed to ensure that the throat supports would serve their intended purpose. Multiple fit tests were performed, with this one being the earliest of which I am aware. Since there were at least two tests for the F-1, I assume that issues were identified during this test, although I have specific information in this regard.

The F-1 appears to have been stored very close to the south end of lot behind building 4205 (several photos show the ramp, seen as a wide, lighter rectangular area on the map linked above), and the assembly area is near the north end of the lot, so the engine had to be loaded onto a flatbed truck for this short journey.

For more information about why a throat support was used, see my Alabama Space & Rocket Center F-1 nozzle extension memo.

When I retrieved these photos, there was no date/time information associated with the individual photos (only a note that the fit test took place on March 6, 2008), so I've assigned arbitrary, ascending timestamps to the photos (the software I use requires photos to have timestamps).