The Saturn V rocket was developed in the 1960s as part of America's goal to land a man on the moon. It was determined the job would be best accomplished by three men. In order to send them and their equipment a huge rocket of incredible power was necessary in order to escape the pull of Earth's gravity. Standing 363 feet tall and weighing approximately 6.7 million pounds at launch, the Saturn V developed 7.5 million pounds of thrust which initiated the acceleration to speeds in excess of 17,000 MPH required to go to the moon. Upon their return, the three astronauts were traveling at speeds of approximately 25,000 MPH when they re-entered Earth's atmosphere. Even 40 years later the Saturn V is still the most incredible machine to ever fly.