NASA Saturn F-1 Engine
Developed for use on the first stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the F-1
engine is the most powerful single-chamber liquid powered rocket engine ever
built. In order to go to the Moon, the Saturn V required five of these
powerful motors. During the F-1's burn of over two-and-a-half minutes, the
massive Saturn V soared to an average altitude of 36 miles (58 kilometers) and
a horizontal distance from the launch pad of 50 miles (80 kilometers). A
thirsty engine, the F-1's 2,500-pound (1,134 kilogram) turbopump pumped in the
propellants at 42,500 gallons (160,880 liters) per minute.
During development of the F-1 engine, test firings at Marshall Space Flight Center produced
enough vibration to break windows in downtown Huntsville. These tests could be
heard many miles from the test stands.
In 2012, NASA retrieved an unflown
production engine from the National Air
and Space Museum. The gas generator from
the engine was test fired in January 2013 to evaluate a test stand at Marshall
Space flight Center as well as gather new data on the generator with modern
instrumentation. This data was also used during early development of the Space
Launch System.
Length: 18.5 feet (5.64 meters)
Width: 12.3 feet (3.75 meters)
Nozzle Diameter: 11.6 feet (3.54 meters)
Weight: 18,340 pounds (8,319 kilograms)
Thrust: over 1.5 million pounds (6,770,000 Newton)
Propellants: Liquid Oxygen and RP-1 kerosene)
Contractor: Rocketydyne Div., North American Aviation, Inc.