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Enjoy 45 minutes of slow-motion Apollo rocket launches

Step back into the '60s with a video full of gorgeous slo-mo footage of massive Saturn V rockets carrying Apollo missions into space.

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Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser

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The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle begins its journey to the moon, July 16, 1969. Corbis


I have planned out a chunk of your afternoon. Sit down at your favorite computer or smart TV. Load up this video of historic Apollo mission launches. Go into full-screen mode. Use the delicate piano soundtrack associated with the video or put it on mute and choose your own audio adventure. ""="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="76bc7b82-938c-4ab9-8db1-8a98723c0542" slug="astronaut-chris-hadfields-space-oddity-makes-triumphant-return" link-text="Chris Hadfield's version of David Bowie's " section="news" title="Astronaut's zero-g rendition of Bowie makes triumphant return" edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key" api="{"id":"76bc7b82-938c-4ab9-8db1-8a98723c0542","slug":"astronaut-chris-hadfields-space-oddity-makes-triumphant-return","contentType":null,"edition":"us","topic":{"slug":"science"},"metaData":{"typeTitle":null,"hubTopicPathString":"Science","reviewType":null},"section":"news"}"> on loop might be a good option.

YouTube user Space Videos compiled a 45-minute-long epic of slow-motion Saturn V Apollo rocket launches. NASA's Saturn V rockets were huge brutes. They were designed to help tiny humans travel the long distance to the moon during the Apollo missions. The first one launched in 1967 with Apollo 6.

Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on our lunar neighbor thanks to the sheer power of a Saturn V during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. There's something primal about watching these rockets roaring and spitting sparks like metal dragons.

The slow-motion video just adds to the majesty of the proceedings. The video includes footage from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 launches. There are multiple viewpoints, including some very up-close clips where it looks like you could bump your nose against the side of the rocket.

This footage is a reminder of a magical time in spaceflight history when humans ventured ever further away from our planet and each step on the moon started with an awesome display of rocket power.