The F-1 engine was the powerhouse of the first stage of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo lunar missions. An injector plate sat at the top of each F-1 engine. Holes across the plate’s surface forced the engine’s propellants (liquid oxygen and kerosene) into the combustion chamber. Early F-1 test engines experienced combustion instability, which could lead to engine loss. The instability was solved by the addition of baffles (dividers) across the injector plate's surface.
This injector plate was part of an F-1 engine for the Apollo 11 Saturn V. Around 2.5 minutes after launch, the first stage was jettisoned and fell into the Atlantic Ocean. In 2013, F-1 components were recovered from the ocean floor by Bezos Expeditions. Its twisted baffles show the force of the water impact.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration transferred the injector plate to the National Air and Space Museum in 2016.
This object is on display in Destination Moon at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.