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The Foundational 1960s

July 1, 1960:

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is activated, following Congress’s establishment of NASA in October 1958. The center would be formally named in honor of Gen. George C. Marshall, who served as U.S. Army Chief of Staff under President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II and as Secretary of State under President Harry Truman. Gen. Marshall received the Nobel Prize in 1953 for the post-WWII European Recovery Program of 1948, better known worldwide as “the Marshall Plan.”

Sept. 8, 1960:

President Dwight Eisenhower formally dedicates NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as a new NASA field installation. Previously part of the U.S. Army’s Rocket Research and Development Division in Fort Bliss, Texas, the move brought 4,670 civil service employees to Huntsville and granted NASA 1,840 acres of property and facilities on Redstone Arsenal. Eisenhower is joined at the grand opening event by Dr. Wernher von Braun, the center’s first director.

May 5, 1961:

A Redstone rocket developed and tested at Marshall lifts the “Freedom 7” capsule carrying the first American, astronaut Alan Shepard, to suborbital space – marking the successful first crewed flight in NASA’s Mercury Program (1958-1963).

“Freedom 7” launches via a Mercury-Redstone rocket developed at Marshall, making astronaut Alan Shepard the first American ever to fly in space.
NASA

Sept. 7, 1961:

NASA acquires the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, one of the world’s largest manufacturing facilities, with more than 43 acres of fabrication, engineering, and construction space under a single roof. The facility, operated under Marshall oversight, was initially assigned to Chrysler and Boeing for production of the first stages of the Saturn I and Saturn V rockets. “America’s rocket factory” remains NASA’s key site for the assembly and manufacturing of large-scale space systems, hardware, and structures. Today the facility is responsible for delivering the Space Launch System core stage, the Orion crew vehicle, and other launch vehicle elements supporting the Artemis Program to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon.

Aerial image of the Michoud Assembly Facility.
NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, home to development of large-scale space systems and structures.
NASA

Sept. 30, 1961:

Marshall leaders break ground to begin construction of Building 4200, which will serve as its storied administrative headquarters for the next 63 years. The building was home to Marshall’s first 14 center directors and key engineering and science. Building 4200 was razed on Oct. 29, 2022, but a veritable trove of imagery and other documentation is publicly available through the Library of Congress.

Construction in 1963 of Building 4200 at Marshall Space Flight Center
Construction teams erect Building 4200, Marshall’s future administrative headquarters, on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
NASA

April 25, 1962:

Taking advantage of the chance to conduct scientific study during early flight testing of NASA’s Saturn I rocket, Marshall researchers devised “Project Highwater,” detonating the rockets in flight once test objectives were achieved – and in the process releasing thousands of gallons of ballast water, used to properly weigh down the inert rocket stages, into the upper atmosphere. The test permitted study of the effects of propellant diffusion in the event of a rocket detonation at high altitude, helping to verify tactics used to protect observers on the ground. The test – followed up by a second, identical test conducted on Nov. 16, 1962 – marked the first use of the Saturn I vehicle for scientific purposes.

NASA launches the Saturn I engineering test flight designated SA-2, or “Project Highwater,” on April 25, 1962.
NASA

Feb. 16, 1965:

NASA launches the first of three Pegasus Project satellites via a Marshall-built Saturn I rocket. Pegasus was an initiative to study the frequency of micrometeoroid impacts on spacecraft, a new safety measure to protect astronauts living and working in space. The Pegasus satellite was developed by Fairchild-Hiller Corp. of Hagerstown, Maryland, with Marshall oversight.

Fairchild-Hiller engineers and technicians conduct ground testing of the 96-foot wingspan of one of three Pegasus meteoroid detection satellites launched via Saturn I rocket in 1965. Developed and managed by Marshall, the satellites electronically recorded the size and frequency of particles in space and compared the performance of protected and unprotected solar cells.
NASA

Feb. 26, 1966:

The Rocketdyne J-2, liquid-oxygen/cryogenic-liquid-hydrogen rocket engine used to power NASA’s Saturn IB and Saturn V launch vehicles, lifts off on its first successful test flight. Marshall test engineers conducted exhaustive testing onsite of hydrogen high-pressure pump bearings and liquid-oxygen turbine pump components for the J-2, helping to establish Marshall’s world-class reputation for certifying state-of-the-art space systems, hardware, and components.

This image depicts the test firing of a J-2 engine in the S-IVB Test Stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The J-2, developed by Rocketdyne under the direction of MSFC, was propelled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. A single J-2 was utilized in the S-IVB stage (the second stage for the Saturn IB and third stage for the Saturn V) and in a cluster of five for the second stage (S-II) of the Saturn V. Initially rated at 200,000 pounds of thrust, the engine was later upgraded in the Saturn V program to 230,000 pounds.
NASA

Nov. 9, 1967:

Developed, tested, and built at Marshall, the first successful Saturn V rocket launch takes place on this date at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The largest of the Saturn family of rockets, the Saturn V was the backbone of NASA’s Apollo program. Fifteen flight-ready Saturn Vs, plus three used for ground testing, were built. Thirteen of these launched from Kennedy, nine of them carrying a total of 24 astronauts to the Moon between 1968-1972. The Saturn Vs were built by a coalition of prime contractors – Boeing, North American Aviation, Douglas Aircraft Co., and IBM – under Marshall management.

At its founding, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) inherited the Army’s Jupiter and Redstone test stands, but much larger facilities were needed for the giant stages of the Saturn V. From 1960 to 1964, the existing stands were remodeled and a sizable new test area was developed. The new comprehensive test complex for propulsion and structural dynamics was unique within the nation and the free world, and they remain so today because they were constructed with foresight to meet the future as well as on going needs. Construction of the S-IC Static test stand complex began in 1961 in the west test area of MSFC, and was completed in 1964. The S-IC static test stand was originally designed to develop and test the 138-ft long and 33-ft diameter Saturn V S-IC first stage, or booster stage. Modifications to the S-IC Test Stand began in 1975 to accommodate space shuttle external tank testing. This photo depicts the continuation of the modification process as of July 14, 1975. The flame deflector originally used to provide water to the 5 F-1 engines of the S-IC stage during testing has been removed.
NASA

July 16, 1969:

The Saturn V rocket, developed and managed by Marshall, lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying the Apollo 11 capsule and its three-man crew. Four days later, as Apollo module pilot Michael Collins orbited above them, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon.

On July 16, 1969, the huge, 363-feet tall Saturn V rocket launches on the Apollo 11 mission from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, at 9:32 a.m. EDT. Onboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. Apollo 11 was the United States' first lunar landing mission. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module "Eagle" to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Collins remained with the Command and Service Modules "Columbia" in lunar orbit.
NASA

Oct. 28, 1969:

NASA selects Boeing as the prime contractor for the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). Designed to operate in lunar microgravity, the LRV would enable astronauts to traverse and dramatically extend the range of their lunar surface exploration. The entire development cycle was fast-tracked to meet Apollo launch dates, and Marshall and Boeing delivered the first “moonbuggy” just 17 months after they began. Three lunar rovers traveled the lunar surface during Apollo 15 in 1971 and Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 in 1972; all three rovers remain on the Moon. Here on Earth, LRV technology helped revolutionize motorized wheelchairs, and the legacy of innovation lives on. NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge is an annual competition in which high school, college, and university students design, build, and pilot their own two-person rovers.

This photograph shows workmen at the Boeing plant in Kent, Washington, performing deployment tests on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The LRV, developed under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility on the lunar surface during the last three lunar exploration missions; Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17.

Media

10 Images
Dr. Wernher von Braun briefs President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the front of the S-I Stage (first Stage) of the Saturn I vehicle.
Construction in 1963 of Building 4200 at Marshall Space Flight Center

More Marshall Decades

Launch of the uncrewed Apollo 6 mission in April 1968

60s

From its auspicious start as NASA’s lead center for propulsion systems and launch vehicle development, Marshall begins carving a 65-year legacy of ingenuity and dedicated service to the U.S. space program.  

Skylab as it appeared to the final crew upon its departure

70s

The 1970s are a period of transition, expanded scientific study, and engineering innovation at Marshall, as NASA concludes the Apollo Program and the next great era of space exploration takes shape.

With Marshall’s administrative headquarters in the background, the Space Shuttle Enterprise heads south on Rideout Road.

80s

Space shuttle propulsion and Spacelab program science drive much of Marshall’s pioneering work in the 1980s, ushering in three decades of science operations in low Earth orbit.

Lightning Over the Historic Test Stand

90s

The 1990s prove busier than ever, with Marshall supporting a host of NASA missions, refining space shuttle propulsion systems, and delivering the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

00s

The 2000s usher in Marshall’s most diverse portfolio yet, including work on the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory, its “backbone” truss, multipurpose science racks, and the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

10s

Marshall concludes its 40-year propulsion oversight for the Space Shuttle Program and takes on oversight of the Space Launch System, NASA’s mightiest launch vehicle to date

An orange rocket lifts off from a launchpad. The sky is black, but the fire coming from the engines lights up the surrounding area, highlighting clouds of white vapor spreading across the ground.

20s and Beyond

Marshall meets the 2020s with enthusiasm and expertise, overseeing the Space Launch System rocket booster test-firing in the Utah desert and the maiden voyage of the uncrewed SLS rocket during Artemis I.

Marshall 65

For 65 years, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has shaped or supported nearly every facet of the nation’s ongoing mission of space exploration and discovery, solving the most complex, technical flight challenges and contributing to science to improve life and protect resources around the world.

Learn More about Marshall 65