Remarkable 1:10 scale Rocketdyne contractor's model of the F-1 liquid fuel rocket engine from circa 1968, measuring 25″in height, constructed of high-fidelity resin, and set upon a 16.5″ diameter wooden base with clear plate: “Produced by Rocketdyne, A Division of North American Aviation, Inc., F-1 Engine, For the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” This sturdy replica weighs approximately 40 pounds and features in great detail the various parts and components of the legendary F-1 engine, such as: the upper interface panel with fuel and LOX inlets, the main LOX valves and gimbal block, the main fuel valve and heat exchanger, the turbopump exhaust manifold, and the thrust chamber with nozzle extension. In fine condition.
The consignor notes that the model was on display at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center after Rocketdyne gifted the model to NASA in 1968 in commemoration of their engine production contract. The model remained on display until 1996 when it was discarded; it has since been repaired and professionally painted.
The F-1 rocket engine remains the highest thrust engine that NASA has ever flown. Built by the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation, the F-1 burned RP-1, a refined form of kerosene, and liquid oxygen. The engine's 2,500-pound turbopump produced more than 20,000 horsepower and could pump 42,500 gallons of propellant per minute. A cluster of five F-1 engines, each producing a maximum thrust of 1.5 million pounds, powered the first stage (designated S1-C) of the colossal Saturn V launch vehicle that carried American astronauts to the moon between 1969 and 1972.
