On 26/02/2013 12:56, Dean wrote:
On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 5:28:46 AM UTC-5, GordonD wrote:
"David Spain" wrote in message

...

On 2/25/2013 1:50 PM, Jan Philips wrote:

The bottom of this page http://www.astronautix.com/engines/f1.htm says

"first launch 1959". Wasn't this only a static test firing? The

first launch was the Saturn V with Apollo 4, right?



Sounds right to me.





According to 'Stages to Saturn' (the official NASA history of the

development of the Saturn launch vehicles) the first test-firing of an F-1

was March 1959 - it "demonstrated stable combustion for 200 milliseconds."

The Apollo Spacecraft Chronology sets it at 6 March.

--

Gordon Davie

Edinburgh, Scotland



"Slipped the surly bonds of Earth...to touch the face of God."

200 milliseconds? And what happened then, unstable combustion?

Alan Lawrie's "Saturn: The Complete Manufacturing and Test Records",
(2005, Apogee Books), says the 06 March test was only of the 'thrust
chamber'. The first 'engine thrust chamber main-stage test' was 10 Feb
1961, and a 'complete F-1 prototype engine' test was 11 Jul 1961 (both
at EAFB). The first 'complete system firing' was 16 Aug 1961, and the
first 'rated thrust and duration test' lasted 2m 30s on 26 May 1962
(also EAFB).



--

Brian W Lawrence
Wantage
Oxfordshire