{"id":3515,"date":"2013-07-19T20:12:44","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T20:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3515"},"modified":"2013-07-19T20:12:44","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T20:12:44","slug":"f-1-engines-recovered-by-bezos-venture-are-from-apollo-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3515","title":{"rendered":"F-1 engines recovered by Bezos venture are from Apollo 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bezos Expeditions<\/a>, which is funded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, has confirmed that the F-1 rocket engines they recovered from the Atlantic ocean floor are in fact from the Apollo 11 Saturn vehicle: F-1 Engine Recovery – Bezos Expeditions<\/a><\/p>\n

SERIAL NUMBER 2044<\/p>\n

When we stepped off the Seabed Worker four months ago in Port Canaveral, we had enough major components to fashion displays of two flown F-1 engines. We brought back thrust chambers, gas generators, injectors, heat exchangers, turbines, fuel manifolds and dozens of other artifacts \u2013 all simply gorgeous and a striking testament to the Apollo program. There was one secret that the ocean didn\u2019t give up easily: mission identification. The components\u2019 fiery end and heavy corrosion from 43 years underwater removed or covered up most of the original serial numbers. We left Florida knowing the conservation team had their work cut out for them, and we\u2019ve kept our fingers crossed ever since.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019m thrilled to share some exciting news. One of the conservators who was scanning the objects with a black light and a special lens filter has made a breakthrough discovery \u2013 \u201c2044\u201d \u2013 stenciled in black paint on the side of one of the massive thrust chambers. 2044 is the Rocketdyne serial number that correlates to NASA number 6044, which is the serial number for F-1 Engine #5 from Apollo 11. The intrepid conservator kept digging for more evidence, and after removing more corrosion at the base of the same thrust chamber, he found it \u2013 “Unit No 2044” \u2013 stamped into the metal surface.<\/p>\n

\"Bezos<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Bezos<\/a><\/p>\n

44 years ago tomorrow Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, and now we have recovered a critical technological marvel that made it all possible. Huge kudos to the conservation team at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas. Conservation is painstaking work that requires remarkable levels of patience and attention to detail, and these guys have both.<\/p>\n

This is a big milestone for the project and the whole team couldn\u2019t be more excited to share it with you all.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

Jeff<\/p>\n

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See also<\/p>\n