English: In this 1962 artist's concept, a proposed Nova rocket, shown at right, is compared to a Saturn C-1, left, and a Saturn C-5, center. Note that the early designs for the Saturn rockets each have an additional stage that was omitted on the production vehicles. The Marshall Space Flight Center directed studies of Nova configuration from 1960 to 1962 as a means of achieving a manned lunar landing with a direct flight to the Moon. Various configurations of the vehicle were examined, the largest being a five-stage vehicle using eight F-1 engines in the first stage. Although the program was effectively cancelled in 1962 when NASA planners selected the lunar-orbital rendezvous mode, the proposed F-1 engine was eventually used to propel the first stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle in the Apollo Program.