|
The F-1engines themselves generated 1.5 million pounds of thrust each. (The engines on the Queen Mary wouldn't have run the fuel pumps for these engines!)
Each engine could pivot independently of the others; a computer controlling this is what kept the rocket on course. This was especially important as the fuel in the tank above was burned, making the rocket lighter. The tank walls were very thin and light, and easily damaged. A mission could proceed if one of the main engines quit (the others just had to burn a little longer). Indeed, this happened on the Apollo 13 mission... perhaps a forewarning of what was to come!  Engines on display at The Kennedy Space Center in Florida |