Forty-five years ago today — February 26, 1966 — AS-201 (or “Apollo-Saturn-201”) launched from Cape Canaveral.
(AS-201 launch. NASA image.)
AS-201 was a suborbital test flight, and the first flight of the Saturn-1B with the Command and Service Modules. The flight test objectives were to:
- Verify Saturn-1B structural integrity
- Measure Saturn-1B launch loads
- Evaluate Saturn-1B stage separation
- Validate Saturn-1B subsystem operations
- Evaluate Apollo spacecraft subsystems
- Evaluate Apollo heatshield
- Exercise Apollo mission support facilities
All of the objectives except the heatshield evaluation were met, marking another milestone on the way to the Moon.
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