Propulsion and Structural Test Facility
Encyclopedia
Propulsion and Structural Test Facility is a facility of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
. It was the site where the first single stage rockets with multiple engines were tested.
This site was built in 1957 by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
and was the primary center responsible for the development of large vehicles and rocket propulsion systems. The Saturn Family
of launch vehicles was developed here under the direction of Wernher von Braun
. The Saturn V
remains the most powerful launch vehicle ever brought to operational status, from a height, weight and payload standpoint.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1985.
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. It was the site where the first single stage rockets with multiple engines were tested.
This site was built in 1957 by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Army Ballistic Missile Agency
The Army Ballistic Missile Agency was the agency formed to develop the US Army's first intermediate range ballistic missile. It was established at Redstone Arsenal on February 1, 1956 and commanded by Major General John B...
and was the primary center responsible for the development of large vehicles and rocket propulsion systems. The Saturn Family
Saturn (rocket family)
The Saturn family of American rocket boosters was developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, they were adopted as the launch vehicles for the Apollo moon...
of launch vehicles was developed here under the direction of Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
. The Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
remains the most powerful launch vehicle ever brought to operational status, from a height, weight and payload standpoint.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1985.