1969

[Martin]

quote:

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16 July 1969:
Apollo 11 takes off for the Moon
The Apollo 11 space rocket has taken off successfully from Cape Kennedy, Florida, at the start of the first attempt to land a man on the Moon.
An estimated one million people gathered from all over the state to see the giant Saturn 5 booster rocket blast off.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/16/newsid_4091000/4091551.stm

I was very young when this happened but I do remember being woken up in the early hours to watch the first man walk on the moon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

[MjO]

Martin, as you brought up the subject of the Apollo 11 and the Saturn 5 Rocket I thought your readers may be interested in some facts and figures concerning the Saturn 5 3-Stage Rocket with an Apollo Spacecraft Payload.

Saturn V Rocket - With Apollo Spacecraft Payload
=====================================

Stage 1.
======
Size: Height: 138 ft Diameter: 33 ft
Engines: 5 F1
Retro: 8
Fuel: Kerosene: 214,200 Gallons
Liquid Oxygen: 346,400 Gallons
Fuelled Stage Weight: 5,028,000 lbs
Thrust: 7,500,000 lbs (160,000,000 HP)

Burn: 2.5 Mins Takes the Vehicle to 36 Miles at 6000 MPH.
Burn: 15 Tons of Fuel/Second
Each Fuel Pump is capable of Powering 2 x QE2 Liners

Stage 2.
======
Size: Height: 81.5 ft Diameter: 33 ft
Engines: 5 J2
Retro: 4
Fusilage: 8
Fuel: Liquid Hydrogen: 267,700 Gallons
Liquid Oxygen: 87,400 Gallons
Fuelled Stage Weight: 1,064,000 lbs
Thrust: 1,000,000 lbs

Burn: 6.5 Mins Takes the Vehicle to 108 Miles at a Speed
Approaching Orbital Velocity of 17,400 MPH
Burn: 1 Ton of Fuel/Second.

Stage 3.
======
Size: Height: 58 ft Diameter: 21.7ft
Engines: 1 J2
Attitude Control: 16
Fuel: Liquid Hydrogen: 66,900 Gallons
Liquid Oxygen: 20,400 Gallons
Fuelled Stage Weight: 265,000 lbs
Thrust: 200,000 lbs

Burn: 2 Mins To take Vehicle into Orbit.
Re-Ignition
Burn: 6 Mins to Escape Velocity 24,900 MPH

Instrument Unit.
============
Size: Height: 3 ft Diameter: 21.7ft
Stage Weight: 4,100 lbs

Cotrol Gear for Launch Vehicle.

Apollo SpaceCraft.
==============
Command Module:
----------------
Size: Height: Diameter: 13 ft
Attitude Control: 12
Weight: 11,000 lbs

Service Module:
----------------
Size: Height: 22 ft Diameter: 13 ft
Engines: 1
Attitude Control: 16
Weight: 52,000 lbs

Lunar Module:
--------------
Two Stages:
Engines: 1 Ascent 1 Descent
Attitude Control: 16
Total Weight: 32,000 lbs

Escape Tower with 2 Engines.

Fully fuelled and Loaded Apollo Spacecraft weighs
Approx: 95,000 lbs

Saturn V Rocket with Payload: 365 ft Tall
Able to Launch: 280,000 lbs into Orbit.
Approx Weight: 6,456,100 lbs (3000 Tons)

Full Service Unit and Rocket: 16,000 Tons