In an image made from video, NASA engineers test fire a key part of a rocket engine left over from the 1960s-era Apollo moon missions on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, in Huntsville, Ala.
Engine No. F-6049 didn't fit properly on the Apollo 11 rocket, but it is invaluable now as a testing tool. Coates said a total of 85 F-1 engines were used on 17 Apollo flights without a single failure.
About a dozen F-1 engines remain in Huntsville, Ala., home of NASA's main propulsion center, and others are located elsewhere. Most are on display. Case said engineers used engine No. F-6049 for the tests because it was the most complete.
"It is really an excellent booster," he said. "The guys in Apollo had it right."
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