About this property
Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand, also known as dynamic structural test facility, at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama was the test stand used for testing of the Saturn V rocket and the Space Shuttle prior to the vehicles' first flights. Designated building 4550, it stood 363 feet (111 m) tall and is 98 feet (30 m) square. Its central bay had maximum dimensions of 74 by 74 feet (23 m × 23 m), and it was topped by a derrick capable of moving 200-ton objects in a 70-foot (21 m) radius. An elevator provided access to 15 levels in the structure, and a cable tunnel connected the building to control facilities in the space center's East Test Area. NASA built the test stand in 1964 to conduct mechanical and vibrational tests on the fully assembled Saturn V rocket. Major problems capable of causing failure of the vehicle were discovered and corrected here. The new building was so tall that in 1966 when the Saturn V first stage was entering, an observer noted, "Fog and clouds hovered around the top of the 360 foot (110 m) tall test stand most of the day while the 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg) stage was being lifted from its transporter into place inside the stand, said to be the tallest building in Alabama." The stand was used to test how spacecraft behaved when put under vibrating and bending stresses, and to test the connections between major stages of the craft. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for its role in the Saturn V program. In addition to the Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle, designated SA-500D, two Space Shuttle test vehicles, Pathfinder and Enterprise, were also tested in this facility. The Drop Tube Facility was located in the MSFC Dynamic Test Stand. It consisted of sections of 26 centimeter diameter stainless steel pipe vertically assembled into a tube of 105 meters in length. Samples with diameters up to 8 millimeters can be melted at the top and dropped free-fall for 4.6 seconds. The stand was later intended to be used to test the Ares I rocket in various configurations for the Constellation program but the program was cancelled before any conversion work could be done.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand listed on the National Register?
Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 2, 1985.
What type of historic resource is Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand?
Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand?
The period of significance for Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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