Apollo AS-203 Rocket Launch: July 5, 1966 | This Week in NASA History

This week in 1966, the AS-203 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This week in 1966, the AS-203 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo AS-203 mission was an uncrewed test of the vehicle’s second stage, the S-IVB stage, and the instrument unit of the Saturn V to obtain flight information under orbital conditions. The configuration of the Saturn IB was designed to match the Saturn V as closely as possible. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center designed, developed and managed the production of the Saturn I and the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.

Today Marshall is developing NASA's Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built, that will be capable of sending astronauts deeper into space than ever before, including to Mars.

The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space.

Image Credit: NASA
Image Date: July 5, 1966
Release Date: July 5, 2017

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