Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
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In the late 1950's the government created a fictitious town named Apix (Air Products Incorporated, Experimental) to build and test rocket engines powered by liquid hydrogen in order to keep pace with Soviet Union developments. Highly classified and requiring a large degree of secrecy, the project was given the code name "Suntan". Land near the testing ground was platted for houses to conceal the true nature of the site and Apix was even given a bogus population to add to its cover as a small fertilizer-producing community. By June 1959 the use of liquid hydrogen was determined to be too costly, the project was abandoned and Apix was dismantled.
Accompanying note: "Rocket engine test stands, showing the diffusers used for simulation of high altitude conditions for testing the LR115 Hydrogen fueled rocket engine developed at Florida Research and Development Center, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft."
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Chicago Manual of Style
Rocket engine test stands - Apix, Florida. 1958-08. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/31537>, accessed 5 June 2026.
MLA
Rocket engine test stands - Apix, Florida. 1958-08. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/31537>
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