As for the launch vehicle pictured above, the Saturn IB was the final in a series that began with the Saturn V check-out vehicle, followed by 12 flight Saturn V rockets for the Apollo Moon program ...

The Saturn V had to power a crew of astronauts into Earth orbit to position them for the subsequent launch of the Lunar Module to the moon. This required a complicated launch sequence carried out ...

The ninth Saturn ... vehicle, but it was going to take the launch pad and most everything halfway back to the firing room in the explosion. Luckily, that never happened. The Saturn V weighed ...