Stage S1 a cluster of 8 engines - 100% boost success - good plumbing a few launches later Stage S4 a cluster of 6 hydro-lox - 100% success - great plumbing Excellent editing CHA
60 years ago Federal Agency NASA inherited the F-1 engine & Saturn design & programs… NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… Now 50+ years later NASA’s throwback, throwaway SLS/Orion costs $4+ billion per launch. NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
This is a superb look at the Saturn 1. I kept looking for my Father who had been with von Braun since day 1 in Huntsville as a Sheet Metal Former . He was involved in the construction of the launch pad as a QC guy . WONDERFUL VIDEO !
During our high school homecoming rally on the afternoon of October 27, 1961 our student body president who was the MC interrupted the festivities to announce that the first launch of a Saturn I at Cape Canaveral had been successful. I knew the guy fairly well and was surprised he did that. Most of those present who were not already standing jumped to their feet and a lengthy ovation ensued. I didn't know at the time that many others cared as much about the space program as my two best friends and I did. Although, our school was one block west and across the street from the Rocketdyne plant which manufactured the H-1 rocket engines for the S-I first stage of the Saturn I and the local burb was something of a company town in those days.
@@dougball328 That engine was a "mockup" built with parts from engineering development engines. It didn't have most of its internal parts. I believe it was moved to the California Science Center to be displayed with the Shuttle Endeavor.
I guess you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to get 1.5 million pounds of thrust to push 6.2 million lbs of rocket mass to a speed of 6,164 mph! Truly love these nuggets of gold about our history. Thank you for sharing, and thank you to those who save and preserve these films for future generations to learn and enjoy. Such a great and noble cause, thank you again.
The mass at launch of a Saturn I was 1.124 million lbs. The first stage thrust at liftoff was just under 1.5 million lbf for a thrust to weight ratio of 1.34 which was good at that time.
I was privileged to spend 7 years in the Saturn V program; 1.5 years at Boeing building major subassemblies for the S-1C stage. My first job was to build the bottom thrust ring. 3 weeks later my boss told me they were thinking about “letting me go, because I just wasn’t getting it.” I told him “I could find all the parts on the ring, but I couldn’t make the drawing match what was in the assembly fixture.” He explained, “Didn’t you know we’re building it upside down!” My 5.5 years with North American Aviation at the Mississippi Test Facility; now named the John C. Stennis Space Center; test firing all of the S-II 2nd stage. At NAA’s Seal Beach facility I found minute parts being dropped onto the top of the upper LH2 tank and wrote it up, since I was a propulsion systems inspector. This shutdown all work at the top of the rocket
Hi Norman, that is quite fascinating! It sounds like you had a number of interesting assignments and a great career in the space program projects. It must have felt great to be part of something so historical. I was a little too young to have worked for NASA back in the early days, but a bit envious of those who did. How many years did you work on these programs altogether? ~ Victor, CHAP
@@megamachine7818 “Howdy Mega!” I have now lived in Houston for the past 30 years, but those days are still quite fresh in my mind. To continue the story of shutting down all the work at the top of the rocket; 3 months later when the vehicle was in the test stand in Mississippi, NAA’s engineers asked me what had to be done to fix the issue. We had learned about extremely narrow gap between the liquid hydrogen tank dome and the sidewall of the rocket. We then understood that any tanking of that tanks with LH2(-423 DegF) would cause the forward tank dome to shrink, which would cause an extremely small increase in that gap allowing them to slip further down into the gap. After the tanking was over and the metals returned to room temperature the spring steel clips would damage the aluminum dome, creating a weak spot in the structure, which could very well cause a failure of that structure during future tanking/test firing/or even during the launch! It took them another month to figure out that they should X-Ray that entire area; which involved wrapping 100’ of film around the whole vehicle. What showed up on the x-ray was over 200 of those clips; hundreds of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars; some ball point pens and plastic combs; a 1/2” X 9/16th wrench; and a 10 lb piece of steel called a bucking bar! NO ONE had ever reported any of this, so now what had to be done?! We had to remove some of the most sophisticated foam insulation(at that time) to remove the 900 bolts attaching the forward skirt; at this point the FBI got involved since this was a case of “sabotage of a national asset!!!! They wrapped a plastic sheet around the vehicle so they could investigate fingerprints, etc. When the crane lifted up the forward skirt, all the items listed came falling out, BUT when they started to lower it back down the crane operator mistakenly raised it a little bit more, and many dollar bills came falling out!!! This was 1965, in California, so can you figure it out why this happened? I was so proud to have been a part of NAA’s workforce with the history of their accomplishments, but this was so out of place,and what did I get for it? The look of absolute anger on my supervisors face! I later found another “minor” discrepancy inside the LO2 tank at the bottom of the vent mask where a 3/8” sensing line wasn’t safety wired. So I wrote it up and we safety wired it on the spot. This same discrepancy was found on the next 3 stages, and we did the same thing on each one, except the #4 vehicle. I found it again, wrote it up, but it was the end of the shift so I went home. 3 days later I was called into my Quality Control Managers office, Mr. Joe Honesty! His name fit his character, and he was surrounded by 6 engineers from all the affected departments: Space Division, Rocketdyne, NASA, DCAS, and I was asked to “buy it back.” I politely declined to do so, and he said “It’s just safety wire.” I then started to explain the failure analysis I was aware of, which ended up with the failure of the rocket! All 6 of those engineers were bobbing their heads in unison(like wooden bird on top of a water glass). I then told them, “That is NOT why I won’t buy it back!” Their puzzled look took a different turn when I said “There’s 3 guys riding on top of this, and that’s why I won’t buy it back!” They all then initialed, stamped, or signed it off; nothing was done to the vehicle, and I never saw the inside of any other LO2 tanks! And all of them did their job! To conclude how we worked over that 5 1/2 years I once saw a book with all of our names on recording our work days. In 2 1/2 years I had a grand total of 9 days off; 3 of which I asked for! When we were laid off at the end, we were still working 7 days a week!
Hi Andy, yes, I agree, the mellow sounding voice shows up in so many vintage films. They must have gone to the same voice training school. : ) Thanks for the observation.~ Victor
Interesting that this old film makes no mention of Von Braun or German technology at all (even though it shows Von Braun several times). It leads you to believe that the Redstone rocket was based on Goddard's work, instead of the V-2, which is of course its true predecessor.
Hi KaneAndShelly, yes, a very good point! After Sputnik scared the U.S. Gov., they gave von Braun lots of authority and latitude to create rockets based on his designs and input. He was key at the time. I have seen this mentioned in other films, but this one does not go there at all. ~ Victor
@@FredPilcher Right?! I guess they might have assumed anyone consuming this content would have already known that Sputnik was launched by the USSR? Just speculation.
During my 5.5 years test firing the S-II stages in Mississippi, there was a weight saving modification made by eliminating the 3 helium tanks for maintaining the LH2 tank pressure during the countdown and 1 st stage flight time. Natural boil-off of the LH2 was found to to be sufficient. They sent one of Werner Von Braun’s #2 men(I never learned his name) and I was given the task to show him the completed modification. 3 helium tanks, support structure, some regulators, lines, and hoses were replaced with a simple check valve near the upper stage quick disconnect interface. I’ll never forget his comment made with a heavy German accent; “Das is zimple; das is goott!” And then he walked away!
I love the spirit of these old videos. Even the music seems to say "everything is possible with technology". Today, all we have is climate crisis - too bad! Funny though that they did not mention the role of the Germans in missile (V2) development, although Wernher von Braun and Hermann Oberth are shown in the video. Greetings from Germany.
Hi OPA111AM, greetings. Glad you found our channel. Hope you will explore some of the other vintage tech videos we have to share. Thanks for your feedback too. ~ Victor, at CHAP
Everything is possible with technology, but also needs political priority. Back then there was priority as it was a national purpose to beat the Russians to the moon. So if some lowly tech needed 500 ft of coax for a test rig, he had no problem procuring it. He might have had a problem from his supervisor saying why the installation wasn't done yesterday.
1) This narrator is so reminiscent of the 1950s. At one point he says "conquest" of space, rather than "exploration." I think I've seen at least one low-budget sci-fi movie from the '50s for which he narrated. (Some of those movies used a narrator speaking over stock footage in order to provide exposition, because they couldn't afford to film the required scenes.) 2) At 5:08, the narrator calls NASA "N-A-S-A." Never heard it said that way. 3) The video talks about how the first stage of the Saturn I (one) and IB (one-bee) rockets were a cluster of 8 smaller rockets. It was nicknamed "Cluster's Last Stand." 4) I noticed a typo which appears 3 times in the first paragraph of the video description. "1960's" is possessive, meaning "belonging to 1960." It should read "1960s." Thank you for posting this historical artifact.
when NASA first was formed it was typically written N.A.S.A. and so naturally had to be pronounced that way, since it is in fact an acronym and not word in itself
Just amazing to see the technology of the time being used to accomplish such an incredible feat. Great video! If Musk has his way, somewhat sadly and nostalgically, his Starship will become the largest rocket ever launched into space. I hope it's all it's cracked up to be as the eventual Saturn V sure was.
NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… so bloated, pork driven, incompetent Federal Agency promised America & Congress a ‘cheap, safe, reliable’ new shuttle at $4 million per launch.. then delivered STS, at $1.6 billion per launch the most unaffordable, dangerous & unreliable space vehicle in history… then NASA promised us a ‘quick & dirty’ Constellation now SLS/Orion… now 16 years and $60 billion later SLS/Orion still not flown & will cost $2-4 billion PER LAUNCH.. Federal Agency NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
Nasa recently announced still had an early Saturn 1 booster (Block 1 without stabilizing fins 1.3 mil lbs thrust) ,, Available for anyone who can haul it away
0:14 Correction: “In the ancient world God-fearing men of science cataloguing the visible universe”... /These were shoulders upon which today’s scientists stand.
Guys: So, what do we call this new rocket Von Braun: Eh, vell, first successful design for USA called the Choopiter, so I think Zaturn comes next, hein
After watching this video, RUclips recommended the excellent video, The Mighty Saturns: Saturn 1 and 1B, here: ruclips.net/video/_z1a1R7RUfM/видео.html&ab_channel=MarkGray . It's not a "vintage" film but a very in-depth video on the early Saturns. A good follow-up to this film. (Btw, I love this channel for the vintage films you share. I'm a computer geek and a space nut, so this video was right up my alley!)
Hi Jack, good question. The rocket was originally called the C-5 and had 5 engines. It was renamed around February 1963 as the "Saturn V". There is an interesting history regarding the naming of the rockets in this and previous space programs. NASA's web sites are the best source for that. It is a detailed history. Thanks! ~ Victor, CHAP
So they were able to do all this with 1960s technology. And now - getting to the moon is "too complicated". Our phones have more computational capability, many times over, than the Saturn V navs. You'd think it would be a hop skip and an jump by this point.
NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… so bloated, pork driven, incompetent Federal Agency promised America & Congress a ‘cheap, safe, reliable’ new shuttle at $4 million per launch.. then delivered STS, at $1.6 billion per launch the most unaffordable, dangerous & unreliable space vehicle in history… then NASA promised us a ‘quick & dirty’ Constellation now SLS/Orion… now 16 years and $60 billion later SLS/Orion still not flown & will cost $2-4 billion PER LAUNCH.. Federal Agency NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
YOU might think that, and you'd be wrong. The facts tell a different story. It's not too complicated, it's too expensive. Rockets are not computers, and rocket technology has not evolved at anything even remotely close to the rate at which computers have developed. The Saturn V was already pushing the limits of the physically possible, and those physical limits haven't changed.
The issue is not one of capability but one of motivation. Beating the Russian at anything/everything was paramount in the 60s. Beating them to the moon was a national priority. Now no one cares about going to the moon, or even Mars for that matter. Musk is a big motivator, but it will take more than just SpaceX to make it happen.
Stage S1 a cluster of 8 engines - 100% boost success - good plumbing
a few launches later
Stage S4 a cluster of 6 hydro-lox - 100% success - great plumbing
Excellent editing CHA
I'm always impressed by the high degree of narrative literacy in these early NASA videos. Gotta love 'em!
60 years ago Federal Agency NASA inherited the F-1 engine & Saturn design & programs… NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… Now 50+ years later NASA’s throwback, throwaway SLS/Orion costs $4+ billion per launch. NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
This is a superb look at the Saturn 1. I kept looking for my Father who had been with von Braun since day 1 in Huntsville as a Sheet Metal Former . He was involved in the construction of the launch pad as a QC guy . WONDERFUL VIDEO !
Glad you liked it. Sounds like your dad had some very interesting connections and activities. Very cool.
During our high school homecoming rally on the afternoon of October 27, 1961 our student body president who was the MC interrupted the festivities to announce that the first launch of a Saturn I at Cape Canaveral had been successful. I knew the guy fairly well and was surprised he did that. Most of those present who were not already standing jumped to their feet and a lengthy ovation ensued. I didn't know at the time that many others cared as much about the space program as my two best friends and I did. Although, our school was one block west and across the street from the Rocketdyne plant which manufactured the H-1 rocket engines for the S-I first stage of the Saturn I and the local burb was something of a company town in those days.
Hi Dale, that is an awesome story, thank you! ~ Victor, at CHAP
Was that 'local burb' Canoga Park?
@@dougball328 Yes.
@@dalecomer5951 I loved the F1 that sat out in front of the building. Looked like a battleship at the bottom and a Swiss watch at the top.
@@dougball328 That engine was a "mockup" built with parts from engineering development engines. It didn't have most of its internal parts. I believe it was moved to the California Science Center to be displayed with the Shuttle Endeavor.
I guess you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to get 1.5 million pounds of thrust to push 6.2 million lbs of rocket mass to a speed of 6,164 mph!
Truly love these nuggets of gold about our history. Thank you for sharing, and thank you to those who save and preserve these films for future generations to learn and enjoy.
Such a great and noble cause, thank you again.
Hi Gilzor, glad you enjoyed this. Thank you for the kind words. Hope you can explore some of our other films as well.
~ Victor, CHAP
The mass at launch of a Saturn I was 1.124 million lbs. The first stage thrust at liftoff was just under 1.5 million lbf for a thrust to weight ratio of 1.34 which was good at that time.
The number you quote is Apollo moon mission all up weight
Total thrust at liftoff was just under 5 × 1.5 million lbf for the S-IC first stage of the Saturn V.
@@dalecomer5951 This video does not cover the F5 engine. However, your citation is correct.
I was privileged to spend 7 years in the Saturn V program; 1.5 years at Boeing building major subassemblies for the S-1C stage. My first job was to build the bottom thrust ring. 3 weeks later my boss told me they were thinking about “letting me go, because I just wasn’t getting it.” I told him “I could find all the parts on the ring, but I couldn’t make the drawing match what was in the assembly fixture.” He explained, “Didn’t you know we’re building it upside down!” My 5.5 years with North American Aviation at the Mississippi Test Facility; now named the John C. Stennis Space Center; test firing all of the S-II 2nd stage. At NAA’s Seal Beach facility I found minute parts being dropped onto the top of the upper LH2 tank and wrote it up, since I was a propulsion systems inspector. This shutdown all work at the top of the rocket
Hi Norman, that is quite fascinating! It sounds like you had a number of interesting assignments and a great career in the space program projects. It must have felt great to be part of something so historical. I was a little too young to have worked for NASA back in the early days, but a bit envious of those who did. How many years did you work on these programs altogether? ~ Victor, CHAP
pls give more stories of your time there
@@megamachine7818 “Howdy Mega!” I have now lived in Houston for the past 30 years, but those days are still quite fresh in my mind. To continue the story of shutting down all the work at the top of the rocket; 3 months later when the vehicle was in the test stand in Mississippi, NAA’s engineers asked me what had to be done to fix the issue. We had learned about extremely narrow gap between the liquid hydrogen tank dome and the sidewall of the rocket. We then understood that any tanking of that tanks with LH2(-423 DegF) would cause the forward tank dome to shrink, which would cause an extremely small increase in that gap allowing them to slip further down into the gap. After the tanking was over and the metals returned to room temperature the spring steel clips would damage the aluminum dome, creating a weak spot in the structure, which could very well cause a failure of that structure during future tanking/test firing/or even during the launch! It took them another month to figure out that they should X-Ray that entire area; which involved wrapping 100’ of film around the whole vehicle. What showed up on the x-ray was over 200 of those clips; hundreds of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars; some ball point pens and plastic combs; a 1/2” X 9/16th wrench; and a 10 lb piece of steel called a bucking bar! NO ONE had ever reported any of this, so now what had to be done?! We had to remove some of the most sophisticated foam insulation(at that time) to remove the 900 bolts attaching the forward skirt; at this point the FBI got involved since this was a case of “sabotage of a national asset!!!! They wrapped a plastic sheet around the vehicle so they could investigate fingerprints, etc. When the crane lifted up the forward skirt, all the items listed came falling out, BUT when they started to lower it back down the crane operator mistakenly raised it a little bit more, and many dollar bills came falling out!!! This was 1965, in California, so can you figure it out why this happened? I was so proud to have been a part of NAA’s workforce with the history of their accomplishments, but this was so out of place,and what did I get for it? The look of absolute anger on my supervisors face!
I later found another “minor” discrepancy inside the LO2 tank at the bottom of the vent mask where a 3/8” sensing line wasn’t safety wired. So I wrote it up and we safety wired it on the spot. This same discrepancy was found on the next 3 stages, and we did the same thing on each one, except the #4 vehicle. I found it again, wrote it up, but it was the end of the shift so I went home. 3 days later I was called into my Quality Control Managers office, Mr. Joe Honesty! His name fit his character, and he was surrounded by 6 engineers from all the affected departments: Space Division, Rocketdyne, NASA, DCAS, and I was asked to “buy it back.” I politely declined to do so, and he said “It’s just safety wire.” I then started to explain the failure analysis I was aware of, which ended up with the failure of the rocket! All 6 of those engineers were bobbing their heads in unison(like wooden bird on top of a water glass). I then told them, “That is NOT why I won’t buy it back!” Their puzzled look took a different turn when I said “There’s 3 guys riding on top of this, and that’s why I won’t buy it back!” They all then initialed, stamped, or signed it off; nothing was done to the vehicle, and I never saw the inside of any other LO2 tanks! And all of them did their job!
To conclude how we worked over that 5 1/2 years I once saw a book with all of our names on recording our work days. In 2 1/2 years I had a grand total of 9 days off; 3 of which I asked for! When we were laid off at the end, we were still working 7 days a week!
@@normanwoodward4440 Amazing memories, Mr. Woodward, all of them! Thank you for commenting...🇺🇸 😎👍☕
Very cool thanks!!
I can't decide whether the US only ever had one narrator in the 60's or if they all just sounded alike...
Great vid though.
Hi Andy, yes, I agree, the mellow sounding voice shows up in so many vintage films. They must have gone to the same voice training school. : ) Thanks for the observation.~ Victor
@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject Again, I believe the narrator is Paul Frees.
Thanks!! Awesome as usual.
It's a shame the Saturns were not used beyond Apollo and Skylab.
Interesting that this old film makes no mention of Von Braun or German technology at all (even though it shows Von Braun several times). It leads you to believe that the Redstone rocket was based on Goddard's work, instead of the V-2, which is of course its true predecessor.
Hi KaneAndShelly, yes, a very good point! After Sputnik scared the U.S. Gov., they gave von Braun lots of authority and latitude to create rockets based on his designs and input. He was key at the time. I have seen this mentioned in other films, but this one does not go there at all. ~ Victor
And no mention that Sputnik was launched by the USSR.
@@FredPilcher Right?! I guess they might have assumed anyone consuming this content would have already known that Sputnik was launched by the USSR? Just speculation.
During my 5.5 years test firing the S-II stages in Mississippi, there was a weight saving modification made by eliminating the 3 helium tanks for maintaining the LH2 tank pressure during the countdown and 1 st stage flight time. Natural boil-off of the LH2 was found to to be sufficient. They sent one of Werner Von Braun’s #2 men(I never learned his name) and I was given the task to show him the completed modification. 3 helium tanks, support structure, some regulators, lines, and hoses were replaced with a simple check valve near the upper stage quick disconnect interface. I’ll never forget his comment made with a heavy German accent; “Das is zimple; das is goott!” And then he walked away!
@@normanwoodward4440Thanks for sharing this great story!
I love the spirit of these old videos. Even the music seems to say "everything is possible with technology". Today, all we have is climate crisis - too bad!
Funny though that they did not mention the role of the Germans in missile (V2) development, although Wernher von Braun and Hermann Oberth are shown in the video.
Greetings from Germany.
Hi OPA111AM, greetings. Glad you found our channel. Hope you will explore some of the other vintage tech videos we have to share. Thanks for your feedback too. ~ Victor, at CHAP
Everything is possible with technology, but also needs political priority. Back then there was priority as it was a national purpose to beat the Russians to the moon. So if some lowly tech needed 500 ft of coax for a test rig, he had no problem procuring it. He might have had a problem from his supervisor saying why the installation wasn't done yesterday.
Nice video clip, keep it up, thank you :)
Hi Rixtronix, glad you enjoyed it. We hope to continue. : ) ~ Victor, at CHAP
1) This narrator is so reminiscent of the 1950s. At one point he says "conquest" of space, rather than "exploration." I think I've seen at least one low-budget sci-fi movie from the '50s for which he narrated. (Some of those movies used a narrator speaking over stock footage in order to provide exposition, because they couldn't afford to film the required scenes.)
2) At 5:08, the narrator calls NASA "N-A-S-A." Never heard it said that way.
3) The video talks about how the first stage of the Saturn I (one) and IB (one-bee) rockets were a cluster of 8 smaller rockets. It was nicknamed "Cluster's Last Stand."
4) I noticed a typo which appears 3 times in the first paragraph of the video description. "1960's" is possessive, meaning "belonging to 1960." It should read "1960s." Thank you for posting this historical artifact.
when NASA first was formed it was typically written N.A.S.A. and so naturally had to be pronounced that way, since it is in fact an acronym and not word in itself
Just amazing to see the technology of the time being used to accomplish such an incredible feat. Great video!
If Musk has his way, somewhat sadly and nostalgically, his Starship will become the largest rocket ever launched into space. I hope it's all it's cracked up to be as the eventual Saturn V sure was.
Hi Glenn, I guess we will see how high he eventually goes! (no pun intended) ~ Victor, CHAP
NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… so bloated, pork driven, incompetent Federal Agency promised America & Congress a ‘cheap, safe, reliable’ new shuttle at $4 million per launch.. then delivered STS, at $1.6 billion per launch the most unaffordable, dangerous & unreliable space vehicle in history… then NASA promised us a ‘quick & dirty’ Constellation now SLS/Orion… now 16 years and $60 billion later SLS/Orion still not flown & will cost $2-4 billion PER LAUNCH.. Federal Agency NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
Nasa recently announced still had an early Saturn 1 booster (Block 1 without stabilizing fins 1.3 mil lbs thrust) ,, Available for anyone who can haul it away
0:14 Correction: “In the ancient world God-fearing men of science cataloguing the visible universe”...
/These were shoulders upon which today’s scientists stand.
I saw Wernher von Braun twice in the movie.
Yes, very good catch! -
Are there any videos out about the Saturn 5's LVDC?
Guys: So, what do we call this new rocket
Von Braun: Eh, vell, first successful design for USA called the Choopiter, so I think Zaturn comes next, hein
After watching this video, RUclips recommended the excellent video, The Mighty Saturns: Saturn 1 and 1B, here: ruclips.net/video/_z1a1R7RUfM/видео.html&ab_channel=MarkGray . It's not a "vintage" film but a very in-depth video on the early Saturns. A good follow-up to this film. (Btw, I love this channel for the vintage films you share. I'm a computer geek and a space nut, so this video was right up my alley!)
I never knew there was a Saturn with 8 engines. Was the next Saturn rocket called "5" because it had 5 engines?
Hi Jack, good question. The rocket was originally called the C-5 and had 5 engines. It was renamed around February 1963 as the "Saturn V". There is an interesting history regarding the naming of the rockets in this and previous space programs. NASA's web sites are the best source for that. It is a detailed history. Thanks! ~ Victor, CHAP
So they were able to do all this with 1960s technology. And now - getting to the moon is "too complicated". Our phones have more computational capability, many times over, than the Saturn V navs. You'd think it would be a hop skip and an jump by this point.
Sure. Pop yourself right into a rocket from 60 years ago.
NASA’s Saturn V cost a staggering, unaffordable, unsustainable $1.23 billion per launch… so bloated, pork driven, incompetent Federal Agency promised America & Congress a ‘cheap, safe, reliable’ new shuttle at $4 million per launch.. then delivered STS, at $1.6 billion per launch the most unaffordable, dangerous & unreliable space vehicle in history… then NASA promised us a ‘quick & dirty’ Constellation now SLS/Orion… now 16 years and $60 billion later SLS/Orion still not flown & will cost $2-4 billion PER LAUNCH.. Federal Agency NASA is blazingly incompetent, wasteful & should be downsized or eliminated.. replaced with public funded x-prizes for private companies accomplishing specific US space gals like lunar colonies, trips to Mars, visits to asteroids, etc.
YOU might think that, and you'd be wrong. The facts tell a different story. It's not too complicated, it's too expensive. Rockets are not computers, and rocket technology has not evolved at anything even remotely close to the rate at which computers have developed. The Saturn V was already pushing the limits of the physically possible, and those physical limits haven't changed.
It is still very expensive. Large chemical rockets are a major manufacturing undertaking. We are nowhere near a hop, skip, and a jump.
The issue is not one of capability but one of motivation. Beating the Russian at anything/everything was paramount in the 60s. Beating them to the moon was a national priority. Now no one cares about going to the moon, or even Mars for that matter. Musk is a big motivator, but it will take more than just SpaceX to make it happen.
German technology, German scientists