This month Lego released their version of the Saturn V
rocket that carried humanity to the Moon, and those kits quickly became
backordered. Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on one before they became
scarce (otherwise I would not have been a very happy man). Building the kit, pictured below, motivated me to do a quick write up
on the basics of the Saturn V for all of you.
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| Lego's version of the Saturn V (Image Credit: Lego) |
Wernher von Braun, the Saturn V’s architect, created the
vehicle to meet the needs of the lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) technique employed by
NASA for the Apollo program. To complete a mission using LOR, a new rocket
would have to be designed to far exceed the capabilities of von Braun’s previous Saturn rockets, which were much smaller except for later Nova rocket concepts. At one point, NASA officials considered
launching several smaller Saturn boosters to assemble a lunar landing spacecraft. Direct ascent lunar mission options were also considered early in NASA's time, but that proposal had many difficulties. These proposals were ultimately disregarded in favor of the LOR approach, which led
to the creation of the Saturn V program in January 1962.
Launching for the first time in November 1967 with the
mission of Apollo 4, the rocket famously shook Walter Cronkite’s temporary studio so much ceiling tiles fell (video link at the end). All crewed Apollo missions,
minus Apollo 7, launched on the massive rocket. Thus allowing the Saturn V to be etched in
history. Sadly, the Saturn V’s final
launch was the Skylab 1 mission in 1973—ending years of successful launches.
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| Apollo 4 launch in November 1967. (Photo Credit: NASA) |
The Saturn V currently holds the title of most
powerful rocket ever flown, and it remains the only rocket to carry human beings beyond low Earth orbit. Composed of three stages and the Apollo spacecraft hardware, the
massive machine stood 363 feet tall. For reference, the Statue of Liberty
stands at 305 feet.
During a launch, the first stage, the S-IC, produced
7.5 million pounds of thrust using five F-1 engines. That stage lasted until 2
minutes and 42 seconds after launch when explosive bolts fire and the stage
falls into the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after first stage shutdown, the second
stage, the S-II, fires five J-2 rocket engines to push the payload closer to
low Earth orbit. A bit after nine minutes the second stage separates, and the
third stage, the S-IVB, ignites to make the final push into orbit. The S-IVB
fires for over two minutes (2 minutes and 30 seconds) and puts the
spacecraft(s) into a parking orbit. At this point the crew would check out the
spacecraft before committing to a trans-lunar injection—the S-IVB engine burn
maneuver that takes the crew towards the Moon. Once the trans-lunar injection burn is complete, the
command/service module separates from the third stage to dock and extract the
lunar module. With a job well done, the S-IVB heads into space or is directed
to crash into the Moon.
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| Whenher von Braun standing next to Saturn V first stage engines. (Photo Credit: NASA) |
If launching a rocket that weighed over 6 million
pounds at liftoff and separating stages to ensure a lunar voyage sounds damn
difficult, you are correct. Considering that 1960s technology was
employed to make this happen, the task seems even greater given the end of the
decade deadline set by President Kennedy. The Saturn V was not only a showcase in our engineering and
technology at the time, but a testament to the ability of people to create
complex machines to enable our pursuits. I would give anything to
have seen more Saturn V rockets built for additional lunar missions. My imagination
runs wild with what upgrades could have been made to the Saturn
V for voyages to Venus or Mars. Having said that, we can hope the Space Launch
System now being built by NASA will continue the legacy of the mighty Saturn V
in our lifetimes.
AND as promised, the Walter Cronkite Apollo 4 liftoff
video!
As always catch more space content by liking our
Facebook Page, and feel free to comment your thoughts or memories of the Saturn
V!!
Sources Used:
Apollo 8: The NASA Mission Reports by Robert Godwin
https://history.msfc.nasa.gov/saturn_apollo/documents/Saturn_V.pdf
