Saturn V: The Most Powerful Rocket Of Its Time | The Saturn V Story

The Saturn V rocket, the most powerful ever built at the time, was developed to meet the challenge of the lunar mission, pushing science and engineering to its absolute limits. Our story goes back to WWII-era Nazi Germany, where the V2 rocket, the world's first ballistic missile, laid the groundwork for future space exploration. Now, we follow the making and launching of this historic rocket.

From the World Wars and the atomic bomb to the Space Race and digital revolution, The Modern Age explores the world-changing events and people of the 20th century. Every week we’ll be bringing you award-winning documentaries that journey into the century that defined our way of life.

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[KieranOCarroll]

Half a century later ... and the "children of Apollo" continue to be astonished at the engineering and operational prowess. Dare I say, this vid should be mandatory viewing for all Engineering 101 courses.

[rem]

A remarkable time of system development . ‘…. not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’

[robert-zjef]

I lived in Huntsville from 1959 till 1968. All my friends dads worked for NASA. MY father built homes for the majority of the people in my neighborhood. Everything then was NASA this or NASA that. When they tested the rockets, I could sit on the grass off the patio and see the black smoke as the sound rumbled far from the test site.

[wesmahon]

It’s amazing to think that most of the engineers that were used in the space program developed the systems and the rockets only with the aid of slide rules

[laurentiubucur]

Brilliance at its best of the best engineering😳

[frantisekvtelensky]

Not because there are not better vehicles, but because of numerous technological limits those amazing engineers faced back in the days, the Saturn V is still the best, the most amazing and most beautiful machine people ever made to this date. ❤️

[zachhan]

What a pleasure to watch this great documentary. I was born just at the right time, back in 1959. and thus was able to witness all Gemini and Apollo missions. What a great time iz was, the most memorable part od my childhood!

[DarkNightDreamer]

Saturn V was a beast. I never thought we would see a rocket that big again but now in 2024 we have Starship that is not only larger but over twice as powerful with 16.7 million pounds of thrust compared to the Saturn V's 7.75 million. Absolutely mind bending.

[craigschepers]

failure is never an option. the Germans always said failure is a learning curve

[MoesDavis]

I've watched many documentaries on this magnificent machine. This one really gives the Saturn V and the people who made it fly the attention and respect they deserve. Well done!

[jamiehancock]

Iconic voice of Jack King on the countdown.

[CocoaBeachLiving]

Absolutely fantastic presentation 👏👏. I remember when Saturn launched, and when Starship launches, I feel the same excitement 👍👍

[jameshowland]

Rocketdyne F-1. STILL the most powerful single chamber rocket motor EVER built. Nothing has ever equaled it.

[patbradley]

Brilliant !! Indeed it is a true testament to the engineering ability and imaginasion of us all. There is no " can do it myself " in this. If we all work together look what is possible ... wonderful stuff . Lets all think how we might make a difference tomorrow just helping someone or saying hello. More powerful than you might think...

[bdflatlander]

Rocketdyne, owned by North American Rockwell, built the F-1 engines, not Boeing.

My dad was an Industrial Engineer at Rocketdyne during the Apollo program.

[vspa]

by coincidence i just saw the fly me to the moon movie after seeing this excellent documentary !

[billshiff]

I remember in 1957 being told "there are now 2 moons around earth". I looked but didn't see another one. I was mystified. lol

[robert-zjef]

As for JFK, I was at recess when we were told to line up and recess was over. On the way back to my classroom, every nun I saw was crying. I soon found out why. School was cancelled for the day. And yes, my mother was crying when she came to get us. I was 6 at the time.

[jaycarlson]

Isn't that a clip of Grissom during the Shepherd flight segment?

[Boehser_Cabal]

And the Starship is the next Generation of Rockets.

Bigger and stronger than SaturnV.

The future will show what other powerful rockets SpaceX will develop...

But they will always remain children of Saturn V...