National Historic Landmark · geographical feature · Huntsville, Alabama

Redstone Test Stand

United States historic place in Huntsville, Alabama. Added to the National Register in 1976, and a National Historic Landmark.

Cover Sheet - Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Rocket (Missile) Test Stand, Dodd Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL HAER ALA,45-HUVI.V,7A- (sheet 1 of 7)Detail of Instrumentation and Control Tanks c 1959 HAER AL-129-A sheet 6 of 7East Elevation - Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Rocket (Missile) Test Stand, Dodd Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL HAER ALA,45-HUVI.V,7A- (sheet 3 of 7)
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 3 in the Commons category

What it is

The Redstone Test Stand or Interim Test Stand was used to develop and test fire the Redstone missile, Jupiter-C sounding rocket, Juno I launch vehicle and Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle. It was declared an Alabama Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1979 and a National Historic Landmark in 1985. It is located at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama on the Redstone Arsenal, designated Building 4665. The Redstone missile was the first missile to carry a detonated nuclear weapon. Jupiter-C launched to test components for the Jupiter missile. Juno I put the first American satellite Explorer 1 into orbit. Mercury Redstone carried the first American astronaut Alan Shepard into space. The Redstone earned the name "Old Reliable" because of this facility and the improvements it made possible.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property typeStructure
AddressGeorge C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville vicinity, AL
CountyMadison County
ListedMay 13, 1976
Listed forMilitary, Engineering, Exploration and settlement, Science
Level of significanceNational
Also known asInterim Test Stand
Reference number76000341
Type of placegeographical feature
Contributing resources1 building, 2 structures

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

AddressGeorge C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
Coordinates34.6327° N, 86.6666° W · Directions ↗
Also in Huntsville78 listed places in Huntsville →
Nearest national park unitRussell Cave National Monument · 54 miles · on Park Atlas
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Local history books for Huntsville

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Huntsville Textile Mills and Villages
    Terri L. French, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Legendary Locals of Huntsville
    Leslie Nicole Thomas, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Huntsville
    John F. Kvach, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Alabama

  • Iron & steel
    James R Bennett, 2010
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Wild Alabama
    Kenneth M. Wills and Dr. L. J. Davenport, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Haunted Talladega County
    Kim Johnston and Shane Busby, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Redstone Test Stand listed on the National Register?

May 13, 1976. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Where is Redstone Test Stand?

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville vicinity, Madison County, Alabama. The nearest national park unit is Russell Cave National Monument, 54 miles away.

Source: Russell Cave National Monument

What does the Redstone Test Stand listing include?

The listing counts 3 contributing resources. Those are 1 building and 2 structures. A contributing resource is a part of the listed property that carries its historic significance.

Source: National Park Service

Where is the nomination form for Redstone Test Stand?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Is there cell service at Redstone Test Stand?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 76000341. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.