The giant Moon rocket's first flight

On this day in 1967, the Saturn V rocket flew for the very first time, with no one on board. It was the rocket built to carry astronauts to the Moon, and on this test all three of its stages flew together.

Why it mattered

Testing every part at once was a bold choice, and it worked. Just over a year later, a Saturn V carried the first astronauts all the way around the Moon.