john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) (03/12/91)
In article <1991Mar11.063845.8672@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) summarizes: > Congress is very interested in the Augustine commission's recommendation > for a heavylift launcher, and there is starting to be specific interest > in one particularly heavylift launcher... the Saturn V!! On my way back from the Confederate Air Force air show last fall, I stopped in Houston to visit the rocket park. That was the first time I looked at a Saturn V. My first impression was that the think was large laying on its side, so it must be huge when it is standing up. After wandering around for a while, I started to notice all of the individual parts that make up the Saturn V and how each part was connected to the rocket. I came to a personal conclusion that I could make or purchase any one of the parts, therefore I could build an entire Saturn V if I wanted to. Although the command and serivce modules in the visitor's center appeared to be too complex for me to build, the rest of the Saturn V is just a few large aluminum tanks with a few other parts (like engines) added on. Then it dawned on me that each of those parts were designed for a particular weight, strength, functionality, temperature range, vibration response, etc. Each part had to function more or less flawlessly while the vehicle was powered by what was little more than a controlled explosion. Every piece of the Saturn V must have been the result of a team of engineers, and was tested and retested innumeral times. All without the benefit of modern supercomputers, or even the luxury of a hand calculator. It amazes me that the Saturn V was possible at all, let alone 25 years ago. I wouldn't mind seeing the Saturn V fly again, but I would like to think that we (humans, including those north of the boarder) could do better. Knowing that a problem has a solution makes the problem that much easier to solve. -john- -- =============================================================================== John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!rosevax!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john ===============================================================================
aaa@pixar.com (Tony Apodaca) (05/11/91)
In article <1991Apr26.133342.21112@infonode.ingr.com> hychejw@infonode.ingr.com (Jeff W. Hyche) writes: > I drive by Pathfinder every day. Its at the Marshal Space >Flight Center in Huntsville Al. It on display mounted to a complete >launch system of SRB and exturnal tank. Right next to it is the mockup >of the Saturn V. Sad to say, this Saturn V is not a mockup. It is the real thing. The most powerful machine ever built by man, unused, just rusting away. Now it's the world's largest birdhouse. There is another at JSC. Made me cry. -- UUCP: {sun,ucbvax}!pixar!aaa Tony Apodaca ARPA,BITNET: aaa%pixar.uucp@sun.com Pixar, Richmond, CA, USA "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (05/12/91)
In article <1991May10.173923.6272@pixar.com> aaa@pixar.com (Tony Apodaca) writes: >>... in Huntsville Al... Right next to it is the mockup >>of the Saturn V. > > Sad to say, this Saturn V is not a mockup. It is the real thing. Well, almost. It is a "test article", done as a dress rehearsal for the production facilities and used for ground testing. It was never considered flight-ready, although it probably could have been flown in a pinch. (How do I know? I read the sign in front of it, which says "test article" explicitly.) The two ex-flight-ready Saturn Vs are the ones at KSC and JSC. -- And the bean-counter replied, | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology "beans are more important". | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry