Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle
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Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle
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The first stage of this Saturn V is hoisted into position for a shake test at the Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand in 1966.
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| Location | Huntsville, Alabama |
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| Coordinates | 34°42′38.2″N 86°39′25.6″W / 34.710611°N 86.657111°WCoordinates: 34°42′38.2″N 86°39′25.6″W / 34.710611°N 86.657111°W |
| Built | 1964 |
| Architect | NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center; Boeing Aircraft |
| NRHP Reference # | 78000500 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 22, 1978 |
| Designated NHL | February 10, 1987 |
Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle, designated SA-500D, is a prototype Saturn V rocket used by NASA to test the performance of the rocket when vibrated to simulate the shaking which subsequent rockets would experience during launch. It was the first full-scale Saturn V completed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Though SA-500D never flew, it was instrumental in the development of the Saturn V rocket which propelled the first men to the Moon as part of the Apollo program. Built under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun, it served as the test vehicle for all of the Saturn support facilities at MSFC.
SA-500D is the only Saturn V on display that was used for its intended purpose, and the only one to have been assembled prior to museum display. It is on permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
Before a Saturn V could launch, engineers needed to verify that their design had accounted for everything the rocket would encounter on its journey, from assembly to the launchpad and from Earth to the Moon. To validate the Saturn V design and procedures, they created five pre-flight configurations for testing. These configurations were subjected to tests simulating all aspects of flight preparations and flight itself, and all the tests needed to demonstrate satisfactory results before MSFC would certify the Saturn V to fly.
SA-500D was one of the five pre-flight configurations of the Saturn V. This configuration showed the Saturn V's "bending and vibration characteristics" and verified "the adequacy of guidance and control systems' design." The rocket's 7,610,000 pounds-force (33.9 MN) of thrust would generate vigorous shaking and it was important to see that the rocket would not shake apart or vibrate itself off-course.
Other pre-flight configurations were:
The vehicle designated SA-500D did not include an Apollo spacecraft, but boilerplate parts were used during testing to verify the entire system.
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