F-1 Engine (Indoors)

The USSRC displays F-1 engine F-6045 indoors on its dolly. It was located in Space Hall (in the "old" museum) for some time, but after the Davidson Center for Space Exploration opened, the engine was moved to that part of the museum.

According to Alan Lawrie's Saturn, F-6045 was originally installed on S-IC-11, Apollo 16's first stage. During static firing, a different engine caught on fire, causing major damage to two engines and minor damage to F-6045 and the remaining two. F-6045 was initially refurbished in-place, but was later swapped out during post-firing refurbishment. It eventually as placed in environmental storage at the Michoud Assembly Facility, where it under went an audit in 1990.

F-6045 was apparently moved to the USSRC some time between June 2004 (my last visit before seeing the engine) and June 2005 (my first visit where I photographed the engine).

Interestingly enough, the Udvar-Hazy Center once displayed F-1 engine F-6049 (another engine removed from S-IC-11 after the fire), mated with F-6045's nozzle extension. F-6049 has subsequently been moved to the Marshall Space Flight Center (where its gas generator was removed and test-fired in early 2013), and F-6045's nozzle extension still accompanies the engine.

Most F-1 engines are displayed with their nozzle extensions installed (although I understand that the New Mexico Museum of Space History, which I have not yet visited, displays their F-1 with the nozzle extension separated from the engine). Along with the odd nozzle extension which may be unattached from time to time at Marshall Space Flight Center, this presents a rare opportunity to see details of the engine not normally visible.

I have a number of F-1-related resources.