bild

First stage of the Ariane 1 rocket, the first of a series operated by the Arianespace launch consortium as Europe's first satellite launch vehicle. First launched in December 1979 from the Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. This example is on permanent display at the Air and Space Museum, Le Bourget, Paris. The picture shows the engines at the bottom of the first stage. Photographed at the 2009 Paris Air Show. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/MARK WILLIAMSON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)