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Lot 52
[Saturn I SA-1] DAWN OF PROJECT APOLLO: first launch of the Saturn space vehicle (diptych) NASA, 27 October 1961
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €358.40 inc. premium
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[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."
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."
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