#lc-37b

Apollo boilerplate spacecraft and Pegasus-3 spacecraft are being mated to Saturn booster SA-10 at launch complex 37.

Date: July 21, 1965

The unmanned AS-101 Saturn I (BP-13/SA-6) on LC-37B, Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the first Saturn rocket to carry an Apollo boilerplate spacecraft.

Date: May 1964

Apollo boilerplate BP-13 is mated to Saturn 6 vehicle at Complex 37.

Date: 1964

Lift off of AS-101 Saturn I (BP-13/SA-6) from Launch Complex 17, pad B, Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the sixth flight of the Saturn I launch vehicle, and the first to carry the Apollo spacecraft (albeit the boilerplate version) into low Earth orbit.

Diagram of the SA-6 launch vehicle and spacecraft.

The primary objectives:

Launch vehicle propulsion, structural, and control demonstration.

First active closed loop ST-124 guidance flight.

First flight of the Apollo Spacecraft and Saturn Launch Vehicle configuration.

Determine structurally the launch escape tower separation characteristics.

S-I Stage and S-IV Stage separation and ignition.

The Secondary objectives:

Visual documentation by movie cameras of internal vehicle functions and stage separation.

Demonstrate Apollo Spacecraft launch and environmental parameters.

Demonstrate compatibility of research and development communications and instrumentation between the space ve-hicle and ground.

Concept art of S-I stage separation during AS-101 mission.

SDASM Archives: 08_01236

The ascent was normal up to 116.9 seconds after liftoff, at which point engine number eight shut off early. The onboard guidance computer compensated by burning the remaining fuel in the other seven engines for 2.7 seconds longer than planned. It was later determined to be caused by teeth on one of the gears in the turbopump in the H-1 rocket engine that were stripped.

Apollo spacecraft hardhat decal for BP-13. source

BP-13 stayed attached to the S-IV upper stage for four orbits (about six hours) during the test flight. It remained in orbit for an additional 50 orbits before reentering the atmosphere uncontrolled and crashing in the Pacific Ocean on June 1, 1964.

Date: May 28, 1964

NASA ID: SA6-003, SA6-005, SA6-006, SA6-007, 64-SA6-31, SA6-009

The Douglas-built S-IVB upper stage intended for Apollo 1 SA-204 mission was erected at Launch Complex 37B, Cape Kennedy, Florida. It was repurposed for Apollo 5 to send the unmanned Lunar Module (LM-5) into Earth orbit later that year.

Date: April 10, 1967

Erecting the S-I-7 stage of AS-102 (BP-15/SA-7) on launch pad 37B.

Date: June 7, 1964

The S-IVB stage originally intended for Apollo/Saturn IB (SA-206) unmanned lunar module test mission is seen during mating at Complex 37. Its intended mission was AS-206, the test flight of the first production Lunar Module (LM-1) and scheduled to launch shortly after Apollo AS-204 (Apollo 1) in late February 1967. However, due to delays from Grumman in getting LM-1 finished in time and the tragedy of Apollo 1, caused this mission to be put on hold. The first and second stages were put into storage at Mather Air Force Base. When NASA started to relaunch the Apollo test missions, it was decided to use Apollo 1's Saturn IB (SA-204), since it was undamaged in the fire, to launch LM-1, now renumbered Apollo 5. NASA intended SA-206 to launch LM-2 on a follow-up mission, and pulled it out of storage to be refurbished. When LM-1 was successfully tested during Apollo 5, the follow-up mission was cancelled and SA-206 was placed back into storage. It finally flew five years later on the Skylab II mission.

Date: January 23, 1967

Apollo 5 Saturn IB (LM-1/SA-204) at night on LC-37B.

Date: January 19, 1968