This article reveals the inside of the Apollo Saturn V rocket and its significant components.
Space fans fondly remember the Saturn V rocket, which carried nine Apollo astronauts to the Moon, including a dozen spacemen who landed on the Moon’s surface between July 1969 and December 1972.
Resigned after just 13 flights when it launched NASA’s Skylab space station into Earth orbit on May 14, 1973.
It is often claimed that the Saturn V had a flawless flight record.
A supreme achievement for what was the most significant launch vehicle of its day.
Saturn V First Stage S-IC
The purpose of the S-IC was to get the massive Saturn V rocket off of the ground and ignite it on its way during a given 150-second burn that would get the ascending Saturn V to an altitude of about 62 kilometers and a speed of 2.7 kilometers per second.
The second stage of the Saturn V rocket S-II
The goal of the second stage, the S-II, was to provide most of the power to drive the Saturn V rocket and its payload towards Earth orbit during an Apollo Moon mission with burnout happening at a typical altitude of 185 kilometers and a velocity of 6.8 kilometers per second.
What Was The Purpose of Saturn V third stage S-IV B?
Saturn V third stage S-IV B purpose was to burn briefly during ascent with a thrust of 890 kilonewtons on its initial flights to place itself and its payload into a temporary Earth parking orbit.
And later reignite to push on towards the Moon.
The S-IVB stage also included a pair of auxiliary propulsion system (APS) modules, each with a trio of hypergolic-fueled 670-newton engines, which provided roll control during the burn of the J-2 as well as attitude control along all three axes while coasting in orbit.
What is The Saturn V – Instrument Unit (IU)?
The Saturn V rocket was topped off by the (IU) or the Instrument Unit, with IBM as the prime contractor.
IU contained the guidance and command systems that managed all three stages of the launch vehicle during all aspects of flight.
The Instrument Unit was intended to guide the Saturn V during its flight.
It would automatically adapt to problems encountered during ascent to assure that its payload was placed into the precise orbit.
Apollo Spacecraft
The Apollo spacecraft would include all of the equipment required to support a flight to the Moon and back to the Earth.
The Apollo Command Module CM – carried the three astronauts during their mission as well as the recovery systems needed to return them safely to Earth.
It was conical in appearance with a diameter of 3.9 meters and a height of 3.2 meters.
The Service Module SM – included all the systems and consumables required to support the astronauts and their mission.
It was a cylinder with the same diameter as the Command Module.
What is The Apollo Launch Escape System? (LES)
During the first stages of the ascent, the Apollo spacecraft was topped off by the launch escape system (LES).
It was developed by the Lockheed Propulsion Company (whose corporate parent is now part of Lockheed Martin).
Why was the Saturn V rocket painted white and black?
There’s a pretty cool answer to this one. Find out here. You will be surprised.
Give yourself or a loved one a gift with this book “Rocket Ranch.”
It’s about the Apollo and Saturn team at Kennedy Space Center. You will learn the inside story of what it was like to be a part of Project Apollo.
