The F-1 Engine

The words

1. Baffles

   Copper baffles divided the F-1 injector face into compartments. They helped suppress combustion instability, a problem that could destroy an engine.

   NASA: F-1 instability and testing (opens a new tab)

2. Bomb Test

   Engineers used explosive disturbances during F-1 ground tests to see whether combustion returned to stable operation. These tests evaluated the baffled injector’s response to instability.

   NASA: F-1 instability and testing (opens a new tab)

3. Canoga Park

   Rocketdyne researched, developed and manufactured the F-1 at Canoga Park, California. Other sites handled component and full-engine tests.

   pp. 106–107 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

4. Edwards

   Edwards Air Force Base was the center for full-scale F-1 testing. A prototype thrust chamber was tested there on April 6, 1961.

   pp. 106–107 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

5. Gas Generator

   The F-1 gas generator burned kerosene and liquid oxygen to power the turbopump. This smaller combustion system supplied energy for the engine’s propellant pumps.

   Did you know?

   In January 2013, NASA tested an F-1 gas generator at Marshall to gather new performance data for studies of future heavy-lift propulsion.

   NASA: F-1 gas-generator research (opens a new tab)

6. Gimbal

   A pivoted mounting that permits swiveling.

   Four outer F-1 engines could swivel to steer Saturn V. The fifth engine, at the center of the first stage, stayed fixed.

   Smithsonian: F-1 development and display (opens a new tab)

7. Heat Exchanger

   The F-1’s heat exchanger warmed oxygen and helium for the first stage’s tank-pressurization system. Those gases helped maintain pressure in the propellant tanks.

   p. 122 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

8. Inconel

   Rocketdyne chose the nickel alloy Inconel X-750 for F-1 thrust-chamber tubes. Its strength relative to its weight suited the large engine.

   Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab) · Smithsonian: F-1 engine and materials (opens a new tab)

9. Injector

   The F-1 injector fed liquid oxygen and fuel into the combustion chamber. Its design became central to the effort to control destructive combustion instability.

   NASA: F-1 instability and testing (opens a new tab)

10. Instability

    Combustion instability caused pressure swings and violent vibrations in the F-1. The resulting damage could destroy an engine, making this a major development problem.

    NASA: F-1 instability and testing (opens a new tab)

11. Nozzle

    The F-1’s bell-shaped nozzle had an extension that increased exhaust expansion. Turbine exhaust formed a cooler layer protecting the extension’s walls.

    pp. 109, 121–122 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

12. Rocketdyne

    Rocketdyne began F-1 development under an Air Force contract in 1955. NASA continued the work with a contract in January 1959, before the engine powered Saturn V’s first stage.

    Did you know?

    For its 2022 Destination Moon exhibition, the Smithsonian arranged one whole F-1 and a quarter-section with mirrors to suggest a cluster of five engines.

    Smithsonian: F-1 development and display (opens a new tab)

13. Santa Susana

    Santa Susana Field Laboratory hosted F-1 component testing. Testing parts separately helped Rocketdyne develop the engine without using a complete engine for every early trial.

    pp. 106–107 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

14. Thrust Chamber

    Fuel circulated through tubes in the F-1 thrust chamber’s walls before combustion. This carried away heat while the chamber contained the burning propellants.

    pp. 109, 119–120 · Bilstein: F-1 development and components (opens a new tab)

15. Turbopump

    The F-1 turbopump delivered the engine’s kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen. Its two propellants served different roles: fuel to burn and oxygen to support combustion.

    Did you know?

    The Smithsonian’s cataloged F-1 was built in 1963 and underwent four start tests totaling 192.6 seconds before entering the museum collection.

    Smithsonian: F-1 engine and materials (opens a new tab)