The first unmanned Saturn V for Apollo 4.
The launch of the first Saturn V. November 9, 1967
The Saturn V is a NASA rocket designed by Wernher von Braun for lunar exploration, and is the American counterpart to the Soviet N-1.
On July 16, 1969, a Saturn V launched the crew of Apollo 11 on the first landing attempt for the United States.
On August 24, 1974, a Saturn V exploded on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center during the final countdown for Apollo 23. Twelve ground crew were killed, including Gene Kranz. The crew of Apollo 23, commanded by Michael Collins, were severely injured when their spacecraft parachuted onto the beach instead of the ocean following the pad abort. The explosion was caused by a second stage LH2 valve that was not manufactured to the correct standards.
