Inside NASA's Super Guppy

The massive cargo aircraft was designed in the 1960s specifically to handle oversized loads, like the body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 03:31 PM ET

Verified

In November 2019, NASA's Super Guppy arrived at Mansfield Lahm Airport with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I aboard. [Credit: NASA/Bridget Caswell]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Super Guppy was a critical turboprop aircraft from the 1960s, essential for transporting oversized rocket components like the Saturn V sections, which enabled the Apollo program and the first moon landing.
Its unique design, featuring a massive cargo area (25 ft diameter, 111 ft long) and a hinged nose, drastically reduced transport times for rocket parts from 18 days by barge to 18 hours by air.
Due to its size and shape, the Super Guppy has distinct flight characteristics, requiring a specialized crew and precise handling from takeoff to landing.
The aircraft, a relic from the early space race, remains operational today, continuing to be used by NASA for transporting large space-related equipment.

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On July 20, 1969, the first human being set foot on the moon. It never would have happened without the assistance of NASA’s Super Guppy. The turboprop-powered aircraft was designed in the 1960s specifically to handle oversized loads—mainly the body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

NASA’s Ray Heineman, director of flight operations and one of the pilots for the behemoth aircraft, gave FLYING a cockpit tour of the airframe that goes back to the early days of the space race—and is still flying.