Saturn V

Saturn V
Saturn V of Apollo 11 at Cape Kennedy
General Information
Operator
Type	Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
Function	Crewed lunar spaceflight
Launch site	Cape Kennedy Kennedy Space Center
Specifications
Propulsion	Chemical
Dimensions	Height: 110 m Diameter: 10 m Mass: ~ 3'000 t
Components	S-IC (1st stage) S-II (2nd stage) S-IVB (3rd stage)
Capacity
Crew	3
Payload	To LEO: 140'000 kg To TLI: 43'500 kg
History
Missions	Apollo missions
First used	1967
Retired	Early 1980s

The Saturn V is a NASA super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed by Wernher von Braun for lunar exploration and the American counterpart to the Soviet N1 rocket.

History

In May 1969, the crew of Apollo 10, mission commander Ed Baldwin, LEM pilot Gordo Stevens, and CSM pilot Fred Talmadge, launched with a Saturn V for what was called a "dress rehearsal" for the upcoming crewed lunar landing mission.
On July 16, a Saturn V launched the crew of Apollo 11 from Cape Kennedy on the first Moon landing attempt of the United States.

Subsequently, dozens of Saturn V rockets were launched to the Moon as part of the ongoing Apollo program. In October 1971, the Apollo 15 crew, including the first American female astronaut, Molly Cobb, launched with a Saturn V and discovered water ice inside the Shackleton crater at the lunar south pole. In October 1973, a modified Saturn V was used to send the first module of the lunar base Jamestown to the lunar south pole, near the Apollo 15 landing site. Soon after, the first crew to occupy it was sent with Apollo 21, commanded by Molly Cobb.

On August 24, 1974, a Saturn V exploded on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during the final countdown for Apollo 23. Twelve ground crew were killed, including new director of the Johnson Space Center and former Apollo flight director Gene Kranz. The crew of Apollo 23, commanded by Michael Collins, were severely injured when their spacecraft parachuted onto the beach instead of the ocean following the pad abort. The explosion was caused by a second stage LH₂ valve that was not manufactured to the correct standards by a new contractor.

In the early 1980s, the Saturn V was replaced by the Space Shuttles for crew transport, and by the Sea Dragon for cargo.

Notes

It is not known how many Saturn V were ever produced and launched in For All Mankind, but the mission number of of the final Apollo mission, Apollo 75, indicate there were a lot. The last known mission using the Saturn V in the show was Apollo 24 in December 1974.

Gallery

Saturn V / Apollo 11

Apollo 11 launches

Apollo 12 from Mission Control

Saturn V / Apollo 12

Saturn V / Apollo 12

Saturn V / Apollo 15

Saturn V / Apollo 15

Saturn V / Apollo 15

Saturn V / Apollo 23

Apollo 24 S-IVB in orbit

Size comparison

Behind the scenes

In the TV show, many if not most Saturn V launch from Cape Kennedy^W. In reality, no Saturn V has ever launched from the Cape. Its capacity did not suit the size of the big rocket and was the reason the Kennedy Space Center^W was built back in 1962.

Real life images

S-IC engines with Wernher von Braun, ca. 1969

The first uncrewed Saturn V for Apollo 4, Nov. 1967

The launch of the first Saturn V on Nov. 9, 1967

Saturn V at Johnson Space Center

Saturn rocket family:
Stages & engines

See also

• Launch vehicle
• Saturn IB
• Sea Dragon
• Titan III
• Apollo program

External links

  Saturn V on Wikipedia