Saturn Apollo Program

Amidst a crowd of other onlookers, U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew (right) and former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson watch the Saturn V vehicle roar skyward carrying the Apollo 11 manned spacecraft into the vast regions of space. On a trajectory to the Moon, the craft lifted off from launch pad 39 at Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC) on July 16, 1969. The moon bound crew included astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. The mission finalized with splashdown on July 24, 1969. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished. The Saturn V was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Werher von Braun.