This image exaggerates the distance from the launch pad to the blockhouse. The Redstone missile was a direct descendant of the German V-2 rocket used in World War II. It was manufactured by Chrysler Corporation. The technology was captured along with Werner Von Braun and the German rocket team at Pennemunde at the conclusion of the war. The Redstone stood at just 69.3 feet and produced 78,000 pounds of thrust at lift off. A rocket like this one was used to launch Alan Shepard aboard a Mercury spacecraft on the first U.S. manned spaceflight. By way of contrast, the Saturn V launch vehicle used to launch the manned lunar missions, stood at 363 feet and produced 7.5 million pounds of thrust at lift off.