Space: Trial & Triumph

On Launch Complex 34 of Cape Kennedy stood Saturn IB, the mightiest rocket the U.S. — and most likely the world — has ever known. The 224-ft.tall bird, with a fantastic initial thrust of 1,600,000 lbs. to hurl its 650-ton bulk into space, was ready for its first crucial test. Atop Saturn's nose sat the payload: the 33,800-lb. Apollo three-man command capsule and service module that will transport U.S. astronauts to the moon and back. If the U.S. is to achieve its goal by 1969, now was the time to start ironing out...

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