52. [Saturn I SA-1] DAWN OF PROJECT APOLLO: first launch of the Saturn space vehicle (diptych) NASA, 27 October 1961 Printed 1961. Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fibre-based paper [NASA images 61-SA1-14 and 61-SA1-14]. With NASA captions numbered "61-SA1-12" and "61-SA1-14" on the reverses (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.). Each: 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The First Launch of Project Apollo: The Saturn I space vehicle, designed by Wernher von Braun's team, was launched on October 27, 1961, at 10:06 a.m. from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34. Standing 163 feet tall, the Saturn I booster marked a significant leap in size and power over earlier NASA rockets, paving the way for the monumental Saturn V Moon rocket. This revolutionary rocket was three times taller, required six times more fuel, and produced ten times more thrust than the Jupiter-C rocket that launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit in 1958. At the time, NASA opted against all-up testing—where an entire system is tested at once—choosing instead to test each rocket stage incrementally. For the SA-1 mission, only the S-I first stage was live, while the upper stages were water-filled dummies. "The uncrewed suborbital flight used a Saturn I first stage to carry water-filled dummy upper stages to an altitude of 136.5 km and a downrange distance of 345.7 km. The flight accomplished its objective of verifying the aerodynamical and structural design of the Saturn I booster."