# NASA Historic Film "Apollo / Saturn The Giant Step" 71182

Made just prior to the Apollo 4 launch, this historic NASA film gives a good overview of the challenges facing the engineering team and the accomplishments made through 1966. Hosted by none other than Wehrner Von Braun, the film gives some fascinating insights into the "new" Apollo program in the wake of the disastrous Apollo 1 fire. Apollo 4, (also known as AS-501), was the first, unmanned test flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle, which was used by the U.S. Apollo program to send the first astronauts to the Moon. The space vehicle was assembled in the Vehicle Assembly Building, and was the first to be launched from Launch Complex 39 at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, facilities built specially for the Saturn V. Apollo 4 was an "all-up" test, meaning all rocket stages and spacecraft were fully functional on the initial flight, a first for NASA. It was the first time the S-IC first stage and S-II second stage flew. It also demonstrated the S-IVB third stage's first in-flight restart. The mission used a Block I Command Service Module (CSM) modified to test several key Block II revisions, including its heat shield at simulated lunar-return velocity and angle. Originally planned for late 1966, the flight was delayed to November 9, 1967, largely due to development problems of the S-II stage encountered by North American Aviation, the manufacturer of the stage. Delay was also caused, to a lesser extent, by a large number of wiring defects found by…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: Space, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/71182ApolloSaturnTheGiantStep)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/71182ApolloSaturnTheGiantStep?play=1)