The Saturn V rocket was developed and used for wind tunnel testing by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The wind tunnel testing was carried out in the rocket’s development stage to recognize and measure its integrity in the launch environment.
The Mighty Saturn V Rocket Wind Tunnel Test
The majestic three-stage, liquid-fuel Saturn V rocket was the world’s largest operational launch vehicle. And it launched all ten human-crewed Apollo missions from 1968-1972. Including the famous Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, which first landed two men on the moon. The Saturn V rocket was last used to launch the famous Skylab Orbital Workshop into Earth orbit in May 1973.
Saturn V Rocket Structural-Design
Space rocket structural-design conditions in which wind is a factor warrant examination separate from other design conditions.
The wind conditions considered for the Apollo Saturn V rocket design included the prelaunch, lift-off, and boost phases for both the Apollo/Saturn IB and Apollo/Saturn V mission configurations.
Except for the (LM), the lunar module, the Apollo Saturn V rocket, consisting of the command and service module and spacecraft/lunar module adapter (SLA), was developed.
It included both boilerplate and airframe vehicles used in ground and flight tests. Information from these tests was used in the design and development of the Saturn V rocket.
A Dynamic Structural Analysis is Required
A dynamic structural analysis of the wind tunnel tests will predict the response of the Saturn V rocket. Due to dynamic events such as liftoff, buffet, wind gusts at high altitudes, staging, and engine start-up and shutdown.
It is a critical method for ensuring the safe flight of the rocket launch vehicle and any payload it carries to orbit.
Once the data is collected and analyzed, the engineers can improve the design of the Saturn V rocket using the buffet model before the full-size rocket is built for flight tests.
Wind-Tunnel Model
A special wind tunnel model is put through its paces at transonic and low supersonic speeds, touching up to Mach 1.2.
Examining aerodynamics at these speeds is necessary to understand the structural interaction with the flow field around the rocket and to determine the loads on the flight vehicle.
During pre-launch, launch, and boost, the Apollo Saturn V loads are directly related to the loading environment of the entire space vehicle.
The picture below shows a 1/20 scale model of the Saturn launch vehicle adjusted by D.W. Radford prior to testing in the 16-foot transonic wind tunnel at Arnold Air Force Base. This particular test measured base heating during the Saturn V rocket launch.
Furthermore, the testing resulted in changes to the turbine exhaust ports to reduce base heating. The Saturn V was the launch vehicle used to get the crew of the Apollo 11 spaceflight to the moon.
If you look at the picture below, you can see a shadowgram taken during a free-flight reentry test. The shockwave generated as a scale model of the Apollo capsule travels in the normal reentry flight position.
Those scale models were launched at velocities of 4,300 to 6,600 miles per hour at a simulated altitude of more than 100,000 feet.
Furthermore, these tests were carried out at Hypervelocity Ballistic Range G at Arnold Air Force Base in 1967. The wind tunnel tests were done to substantiate reentry data.
Here is a PDF file showing all results from the Saturn V wind tunnel testing. A Supersonic and Hypersonic Aerodynamic Investigation of the Saturn IB.
Well, that’s it. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this short article about the Saturn V wind tunnel tests.
If you want to know more about this fantastic rocket, then read this interesting article: What Made The Saturn V Rocket So Powerful?
