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PROJECT S A T W
The nation's goal of landing Argerican a s t r o n a n t s on t h e moon within
t h i s decade w i l l be accomplished t h o u g h %he Saturn project, i n which t h r e e versions of the s a t u r n rocket, the l a r g e s t i n the free world, w i l l be used, These t h r e e major launch v e h i c l e s a r e t h e Saturn I, Saturn Is,
The l a t t e r t h r e e are designed and developed by Rocketdyne, a d i v i s i o n of North American Aviation, -1nc. The A-3 i s produced by P r a t t and Whitney
Division of United A i r c r a f t Corporati on. Management of the Saturn launch v e h i c l e s and t h e i r propulsion systems
is under the direcoron of the ~ a t i o h a l e r o n a u t i c b ~ and Spaee Administration's
George C. Pmshall. Space F l i g h t Center, Huntsville, Alabama, The Saturn launch vehicle family ,of t h r e e w i l l be employed i n Pro jecf Apollo, which is the next s t e p a f t e r Mercury and Gemini i n t h e U, S. maxined apace f l i g h t program. Apollo has the objective of carlying t h r e e as-kronaufs
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f o r . e a r t h - o r b i t i n g missions, f l i g h t s i n the v i c i n i t y of t h e moon, and a landing on the moon and r e t u r n t o earth. The _ l a t t e r mission is schedt~led
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L7 This following chrozzology of P r o j e c t Satwn was eonpiled by t h e Public Relations DepoarLwwt of Rocketdyne, a d i v i s i o n of North American Avi Ation, , I IXPC. ) from publicatJ'..one of t h e National Aeronautics . and Space Ad.npinistration, .
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On
were conducted t o determine the f e a s i b i l i t y 010 b u i l d i n g a l a r g e s i n g l e chamber r o c k e t engine capable of prodncing very high t h r n s t .
On Janumy 9 ,
1959,
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O November 18, 1959, P,echnical d i r e c t i o n of t h e Saturn p r o j e c t wes n t r a n s f e ~ s e dfrom t h e Departmerat of Defense to NASA and on tJuly 1, 1960, t h e l l u n t s v i 1 l e dcvelopmezllt group was t r a n s f e r r e d lx MSAVsnewlyes-tablisbed Ffarshakl Spacc F l i g h t Center.
on t h e moon,
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1 and t h e t h i r d s t a k e of t h e V,
Douglas
It i s
powered by a c l u s t e r of e i g h t Rocke.ldync? 11-1 e ~ g i a e s , each o f which w i l l ultinzately prodiice 3188,000 pounds o f t h m s $ t give a t o t a l s t a g e t h r r ~ s l a
The R-l
engine, an advanced a d compact off s p r i n g of Roclretdyne s J u p i t e r and Thar engines, was s e l e c t e d because of i t s r e l a t i v e s i m p l i c i t y , ea,rby w n i i f a b i l i t y
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an6 proven r e l i a b i l . i - t y ,
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i n diameter.
A i r c r a f t l i j s s i l e s and Spnce Division i n Santa bionica, C s l i f o m i a , The S-IV s t a g e i s poxarered by s i x l'j,O00-pound-tflrust hydrogen-liquid RT1-104-3 liqxid
The f i r s t " l i v e n
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%h d-wgi.
The f i v e
Sk-3,
SPA--?& B J I ~ SA-5e,
r o c k e l s , b u t o n l y t h e first s t a g e w a s powered.
S a t u r n I f l i g h t s w i t h two L i r e s l a g e s began w i t h
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Both t h e l i v e
prove t h e v e h i c l e , f l i g h t SA-6 ~ n d beyond have secondary. nlissioms o f testing eat.1~ versio:ls of the Apal.Lo three4uan s g s c e c r a f t .
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The Saturn I B , which w i l l be used t o t e s t the Apollo s p a c e c r a f t i n earth o r b i t , w i l l bc Sahrrn V, The f i r s t s t a g e o f t h e Saturn I w i l l be mated w i t h t h e t h i r d of the i n t e r i m s t e p between t h e p r e s e n t S a t w n I axid t h e
l.unar landing,
F i r s t s t a g e of t h e Saturn I D w i l l be powered by a c l u s t e r of eigl1-t Rocketdyne H-9: eazgines fat= a tioLal -t;3.zur;t o f 1,500,OCQ pcunds,
The
second s t a g e of- t h e v e h i c l e will be pswc?p.ed by a s i n g l e Rocfretdpc hydrogenf u e l e d 5-2 engine Saturn V devefopirrg 200,000 pounds of t h r u s t .
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I t will!.
t h e s e s t a g e s are a s follows:
A i r c r a f t Company (s-NIB).
The S-IC s t a g e s t a n d s 138 f e e t high, has a d i a m t e r of 33 f e e t , and will weigh ~ l e ~ w 5,000,000 pounds a t l i f k o f f . ly
1% will be powered by a
clusLer of f i v e Rocketdyne F-T engines f o r a t o t a l stag& tlmxsl o f 7,5C!9,000 pounds ( f i v e t i m e s t h a t of t.hs Saturn I ) ,
The 1,500,000-pound-thsust
F-l
a h a l f minutes a t i t s f u l l t1m1s-L of
l,5OO,QQQ
Mississippi Test F a c i l i t y ,
lh.ssha.ll. Space F l i g h t C e n t e r
, I-luntsvill e , Alabcma,
This
F i r s t d e l i v e r y of a 5-2
1963. The f i r s t f i r e a b l e
Unites S t a t e s .
l i q u i d hydrogen f u e l .
f o u r of the f i v e engines a r e o p e r a t i v e ,
( i f one of t h e e n g i n e s f a i i s i a f l i g h t , a l l t h e p r o p e l l a n t i n '%be s t a g e w i l l
be eons~unedby t h e other engines w i t h e a ~ s n t i a l l y l a s s x pcr:formnce) no i a
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g r e a t l y e ~ h n a c e st h e r e l i a b i l i t y o f t h e s L a g e .
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The S-IVB s t a g e i s 21-i f e e t i n diameter and i s n e a r l y 60 f e e t high, Douglas was s e l e c t e d t o develop and prochce t h e S-KB i n order t o u t i l i z e t h e same desiga concept and much of fne same t o o l i n g end t e s t equipment developed f o r t h e S-IV s t a g e , already b e i ~ g
a s i n g l e 200,00f3--pouad-tlxk.ust J-2 hydrogen-fueled engine, Tlle three-slage and escape tower, Sa-turn V will s t a ~ d about 350 f e e t high w i t h payload
- almost
Only two s t a g e s w i l l
The S n t w n V w i l l be a b i e t o h u r l
about 90,080 pounds t o escape v e l o c i t y and lunar o r b i t , The u l t i m a t e mission of $he Se,t.um V w i l l be t o launch t h e Apollo spacecraft i r l t o a l m a r orbit. Descent t o t h e rnooa w i l l then be made by
(E!, LJ)
and s u b s e q ~ e a tL~mnrniissi o n s .
be accomplished w i t h Saturn V.
GHll R e v . 03/06/6lr