Historical artifacts from the Apollo lunar missions discovered by a team of experts two years ago are now on public display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos brought the remnants of the Saturn V engine to the museum for exhibition. Bezos funded a restoration team in 2013 who recovered the remains of F-1 engines, which were found 14,000 feet deep at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The F-1 engines, at least 12 feet in diameter and 18.5 feet in height, boosted the Saturn V from takeoff into the verge of space. These engines burned 6,000 pounds of fuel. They separated from the first stage of the rocket, fell across the atmosphere and delved into the Atlantic Ocean where it stayed on the bottom for 43 years.
"This is still in some ways the most remarkable rocket engine ever engineered," said Bezos.
At Bezos' request, NASA donated the repaired remains of the F-1 engines from Apollo 12 to the Museum of Flight. The Apollo 12, which was launched on Nov. 19, 1969, was the second manned mission to the moon in which humans successfully landed.
On the anniversary of the Apollo 12 this year, the museum made the first public showing of the historical artifacts. The F-1 engines will be temporarily displayed starting Nov. 21 to Jan. 4, 2016, museum officials said.
Museum President and CEO Doug King said that the F-1 engines not only started humanity's expeditions to the Moon, but they also fired the imagination of youngsters who are now the leaders in the second great period of space exploration.
Both King and Bezos hope that the heritage of the engines will inspire curiosity in the hearts of the next generation of pioneers in science and engineering.
"We trust that the legacy of these engines will continue to inspire a new generation of explorers who will set foot on Mars and other new worlds," added King.
Meanwhile, the restoration team funded by Bezos also found the parts of an Apollo 11 engine. Through a serial number, the team was able to trace the component to the July 16, 1969 launch of Apollo 11. Bezos said he will donate these remnants to the Smithsonian Institution. He also started a rocket company called Blue Origin which is based in Kent.
