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Coordinates: 28°36′17″N 80°40′10″W / 28.604806°N 80.669444°W / 28.604806; -80.669444
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S-IC-T
S-IC-T being lifted into the B-2 Test Stand
ManufacturerBoeing for NASA at Marshall Space Flight Center
Country of originUnited States
Used onStatic testing of the S-IC stage, used on the Saturn V rocket program
General characteristics
Height42 m (138 ft)
Diameter10 m (33 ft)
Gross mass5,030,000 lb (2,280,000 kg)
Propellant mass4,400,000 lb (2,000,000 kg)
Empty mass290,000 lb (130,000 kg)
Launch history
StatusDisplay at Kennedy Space Center's Apollo-Saturn V Center museum
Total launchesNone, static test stage at NASA Mississippi Test Facility, now known as Stennis Space Center
Successes
(stage only)		18 test fires from 1965 to 1967
Engine details
Powered by5 × F-1
Maximum thrust34,500 kN (7,750,000 lbf)[1]
Specific impulse263 s (2.58 km/s)
Burn time150 seconds
PropellantLOX / RP-1

S-IC-T is a Saturn V first stage, S-IC rocket, of the three stage rocket system. S-IC-T was built by Boeing Company, under contact from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to be a static test rocket. The main role of the S-IC-T was the testing of the five liquid fuel rocket engines to be used in the Apollo program. S-IC-T static test fired the rockets at NASA Mississippi Test Facility, now known as Stennis Space Center. S-IC-T was assembled at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. S-IC-T was given the nickname T-Bird (Test Bird). The first burn test was on April 10, 1965. The Saturn V's S-IC-T rocket is a first stage of the super heavy-lift launch vehicle. S-IC-T is now on display at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.[2][3][4]

History

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Further information: S-IC and Rocketdyne F-1
S-IC-T being taken to the B-2 Test Stand on March 1, 1965
S-IC-T at Kennedy Space Center in 2017, before being put in the indoor display hall

Before S-IC-T, the first complete S-IC stage built, Boeing built prototype stages: SA-500F and SA-500D. These were used for testing the new S-IC first stage. Boeing Company was awarded the contract to build S-IC-T on March 6, 1963, from NASA. S-IC-T was also known as the All Systems Test Stage.[5] After being built at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, S-IC-T was loaded onto the barge Poseidon. Barge Poseidon was then floated 1,086.7 miles for six day, arriving at the B-2 Test Stand in Mississippi. The Barge Poseidon trip is 1,086.7 miles miles up the Tennessee River and then down the Mississippi River.[6] The S-IC-T was test fired at a newly built test firing facility, called the B-2 Test Stand (S-IC-T stage), in the west test area. B-2 Test Stand is now part of the Stennis Space Center. S-IC-T was planned as a test rocket only and not to be used in the later Apollo program. The Saturn V rocket was used in the Apollo program to depart Earth's gravity. S-IC-T, like all following Saturn V's S-IC rockets used five Rocketdyne F-1 engines. The Rocketdyne F-1 engine was first tested in March 1959 and delivered to NASA in October 1963. S-IC-T was built starting in 1963 and complete in 1965. The S-IC-T tests were to verify that the S-IC stage could support the firing of all five Rocketdyne F-1 engines at the same time. The testing was also a test of the two large fuel tanks. The five Rocketdyne F-1 engines produced 34,500 kN (7,750,000 lbf) of thrust, the first burn of the most powerful rocket ever. The powerful rockets caused ground shaking and smoke filled the area from the engine flames. Thus, B-2 Test Stand earned the nickname the land of the earth shakers.[2][3][4]

A crane was used to install S-IC-T into the B-2 Test Stand. Then the five F-1 engines were installed. The S-IC-T was filled with RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidizer. On the B-2 Test Stand, 18 test firings were completed over almost two years. On April 10, 1965, the first S-IC-T test was to fire one engine for 16.73 seconds. On April 16, S-IC-T fired all five engines for the first time for 6.5 seconds and reached the record 7.5 million pounds (33.36x106N) of thrust for the first time. The 7.5 million pounds of thrust was the power Wernher von Braun specified for Apollo to depart to the moon.[7] On August 5, 1965, a full burn test was done for 2+1⁄2-minute (150 seconds) on all five engines. Two more 2+1⁄2-minute full burn test were done.[8] The last test was done in 1967. The test included testing the gimbaled thrust movement on the four outing engines. With the successful tests of S-IC-T, the Apollo program's Saturn V rocket was able to move forward to the next step, SA-501/Apollo 4 with S-IC-1. With all testing completed, Boeing removed the S-IC-T from B-2 Test Stand on March 24, 1967.[2][3][4]

S-IC-T is now on display on its side, inside the Apollo-Saturn V Center museum at the Kennedy Space Center. Visitors are able walk under S-IC-T. The complete Saturn V rocket, that S-IC-T is part of, has been restored for display. S-IC-T is a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, listed in July 1980. Two other Saturn V Rocket sites were listed at the same time: Saturn V Rocket at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and the one at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville, Alabama.[9][10][11][4]

S-IC-T specifications

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S-IC-T specifications:[12][4]

  • Height: 42 m (138 ft)
  • Diameter: 10 m (33 ft)
  • Mass: 5,030,000 lb (2,280,000 kg)
  • Fuel, liquid oxygen and kerosene: 4,400,000 lb (2,000,000 kg)
  • Kerosene RP-1: 810,700 L (178,300 imp gal; 214,200 US gal)
  • Liquid oxygen: 1,311,100 L (288,400 imp gal; 346,400 US gal)
  • Empty: 290,000 lb (130,000 kg)
  • Intertank: 7.9 m (26 ft)
  • Five F-1 engines, each 10 tons
  • Static test of S-IC, first stage of Saturn V Rocket
  • Power: 34,500 kN (7,750,000 lbf) thurst or about 160 million horsepower, a record

B-2 Test Stand

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B-2 Test Stand
part of large Rocket Propulsion Test Complex at the Stennis Space Center
Static Test Firing S-1C Saturn V Mississippi Test Facility MTF
S-IC-T is located in Mississippi
S-IC-T
S-IC-T is located in the United States
S-IC-T
LocationStennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi[13]
Coordinates30°21′45.96″N 89°36′00.72″W / 30.3627667°N 89.6002000°W / 30.3627667; -89.6002000
Area13,500 acres (55 km2)
Built1961 to 1965
ArchitectNASA
NRHP reference No.85002805
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 3, 1985[14]
Designated NHLOctober 3, 1985[15]
Further information: Stennis Space Center

To test S-IC-T a special test stand was built, the B-2 Test Stand, this held the rocket in place under full power test. B-2 Test Stand was designed in 1961 and construction started in June 1961. B-2 Test Stand was completed in spring 1965 at the NASA Mississippi Test Facility and the Pearl River Site, then the NASA Mississippi Test Operations, now known as Stennis Space Center since May 20, 1988 after John C. Stennis. Stennis Space Center operates under the Marshall Space Flight Center. B-2 Test Stand was built to be able to hold down 53,000 kN (12,000,000 lbf) of thrust. S-IC-T was first rocket tested on the B-2 Test Stand. Also on the B-2 Test Stand, was the testing of S-IC-1 (Apollo 4), fired two times; S-IC-2 (Apollo 6) fired once; and S-IC-3 (Apollo 8) fired one time. In 1974, the B-2 Test Stand was reconfigured to test engines, RS-25, for the Space Shuttle program. Next the stand was change to test Russian RD-180 rocket engine in 1998, used on the Atlas rockets. The Space Launch System liquid oxygen feed line was tested in 2014 on stand.[16][17][18]

A total of 12 S-IC stages were tested on B-2 stand. The first in April 1967 and the last was in October 1970. S-IC 15 was tested but was not used, S-IC 15 is on display at the Stennis Space Center's Infinity Space Center.[19] The RS-68 used on the Delta 4 Common Booster Core was tested from November 1999 to May 2001.[20] Stennis Space Center has other test stands including: A-1/A-2 Test stands, A-3 Test stand, H-1 Test stand and E Test stand complex.[21][4]

The B-2 Test Stand has been renamed over the years, these include:[16]

  • Building 4670
  • Saturn Static Test Stand
  • Saturn V Booster Test Stand
  • Saturn V S-IC Static Test Stand
  • S-IC Static Test Complex
  • Advanced Engine Test Facility
    • B-2 Test Stand specifications:[16]
  • Concrete: 12,000,000 lb (5,400,000 kg)
  • Foundation depth: 12 m (40 ft)
  • Four concrete foundation leg walls: 15 m (48 ft) thick and 44 m (144 ft) tall
  • Crane with a 41 m (135 ft) boom, lift up to 195 tons
  • Max height: 140 m (450 ft), including crane, (largest structure in Mississippi at the time)
  • Base floor space: 58 m (190 ft) by 50 m (165 ft)
  • 910,000 litres (240,000 US gal) of water a minute for cooling engine exhaust
  • 350,000 litres (92,000 US gal) of water per minute for vibro-acoustic protection
  • Hold down 53,000 kN (12,000,000 lbf) of thurst, less in current state.
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  • Poseidon barge transporting a Saturn V S-IC rocket from Alabama to Mississippi. The trip is 1,086.7 miles miles up the Tennessee River and then down the Mississippi River.
    Poseidon barge transporting a Saturn V S-IC rocket from Alabama to Mississippi. The trip is 1,086.7 miles miles up the Tennessee River and then down the Mississippi River.
  • A Space Launch System Rocket Core at Stennis prior to being lifted onto the B2 test stand
    A Space Launch System Rocket Core at Stennis prior to being lifted onto the B2 test stand
  • Saturn V vehicle configurations with S-IC-T in the static firing stage
    Saturn V vehicle configurations with S-IC-T in the static firing stage
  • Wernher von Braun with the F-1 engines of the Saturn V first stage at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center
    Wernher von Braun with the F-1 engines of the Saturn V first stage at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center
  • The B-2 Test Stand holding Space Shuttle component in 1987
    The B-2 Test Stand holding Space Shuttle component in 1987
  • B-1 Test Stand in 1995
    B-1 Test Stand in 1995
  • SSME is Hoisted into the B1 Test Stand in 1989
    SSME is Hoisted into the B1 Test Stand in 1989
  • SSME Night Firing in 1992
    SSME Night Firing in 1992
  • Stennis Space Center B1 Test Stand blast ports
    Stennis Space Center B1 Test Stand blast ports
  • Cutaway diagram of the S-IC.
    Cutaway diagram of the S-IC.
  • Saturn V first stages S-1C-10, S-1C-11, and S-1C-9 at Michoud Assembly Facility.
    Saturn V first stages S-1C-10, S-1C-11, and S-1C-9 at Michoud Assembly Facility.
  • Saturn V schematic
    Saturn V schematic
  • F-1 engine on display at INFINITY science center.
    F-1 engine on display at INFINITY science center.
  • Artemis I core stage hot fire test in the B-2 Test Stand
    Artemis I core stage hot fire test in the B-2 Test Stand
  • Hot Fire Test of SLS Rocket Core Stage
    Hot Fire Test of SLS Rocket Core Stage

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thorne, Muriel, ed. (May 1983). NASA, The First 25 Years: 1958–1983 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. p. 69.
  2. ^ a b c "45 Years Ago: First Main Propulsion Test Assembly Firing of Space Shuttle Main Engines – NASA". April 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Saturn V S-IC-T Stage Heads to Test Stand – NASA".
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kyle, Ed. "Saturn Vehicle History". spacelaunchreport.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "This Week in NASA History: S-IC-T Arrives at Marshall – April 9, 1967 – NASA".
  6. ^ Saturn illustrated chronology. Saturn's first eight years, April 1957 – April 1965, May 15, 1965, NASA
  7. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Betancourt, Mark. "We Built the Saturn V". Smithsonian Magazine.
  8. ^ "Adavnce Engine Test Facility, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, Designated October 28, 1993" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Saturn V Rocket". www.asme.org.
  10. ^ "Apollo Saturn V Center".
  11. ^ "Saturn V Rocket: America's Moon Rocket | Kennedy Space Center". www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
  12. ^ "Saturn V S-IC-T Stage". March 1, 1965 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ "Stennis Space Center – NASA".
  14. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  15. ^ "Rocket Propulsion Test Complex". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  16. ^ a b c "S-IC Test Stand". heroicrelics.org.
  17. ^ NASA (February 1967). "Saturn V Quarterly Report #16 Sep–Nov 1966 Part 1 of 2". NASA. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  18. ^ Wright, Mike. "Three Saturn Vs on Display Teach Lessons in Space History". Marshall Space Flight Center History Office. Archived from the original on 15 November 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  19. ^ "Space Gallery". INFINITY Science Center. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  20. ^ "B-2 Test Stand, NASA" (PDF).
  21. ^ "B‐2 Test Stand – NASA".

28°36′17″N 80°40′10″W / 28.604806°N 80.669444°W / 28.604806; -80.669444

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saturn S-IC.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saturn V.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to B-1/B-2 Test stands of Stennis Space Center.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stennis Space Center.
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