Apollo 11 Engines Pulled From Ocean Floor

Jeff Bezos-funded operation recovers 2 of 5 engines
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 21, 2013 7:40 AM CDT

A year after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos discovered the debris of five Apollo 11 engines, he's recovered two of the massive F-1 engines from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, reports USA Today. The twisted, rusted remains were brought up from 14,000 feet below the surface, but they'll need plenty of restoration before they're ready to go on display. "We want the hardware to tell its true story, including its 5,000-mile-per-hour re-entry and subsequent impact with the ocean surface," wrote Bezos on his expedition website.

"We’ve seen an underwater wonderland—an incredible sculpture garden of twisted F-1 engines that tells the story of a fiery and violent end, one that serves testament to the Apollo program," wrote Bezos. Although Bezos has privately funded the recovery of the rockets, the remains are all still owned by NASA. He said he expects at least one rocket to go on display at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, and hopes the other might be on display at Museum of Flight in Seattle—near Amazon's headquarters, naturally. (More Jeff Bezos stories.)

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