The Apollo/Saturn V Center

A VERY well done exhibit. A must see for all ages! To begin, you are shuffled along with the rest of your busmates to a number of "experiences", including a simulation of Mission Control at T minus a couple minutes before the launch of Apollo 13.

There is also a presentation of the Lunar Landing- you start out viewing some of Walter Cronkite's television broadcasts and end up watching video of the landing augmented by a stage, replicas, and some inspirational words from Apollo astronauts.

The major thing to see, the thing you couldn't miss if you tried, is an actual Saturn V suspended in full glory from the ceiling. Unfortunately, when I was there we spent too much time before starting the bus tour, so by the time we got to the Saturn V building we were rushed out before I could see everything that I needed to.

The Saturn V Launch Vehicle

The most powerful vehicle ever built. After hanging around the the Rocket Garden for a while- seeing the Saturn IB and all the gigantic F-1 engines lying around- I thought I was ready for the Saturn V. Not quite. At right is the Saturn V and a Mercury Redstone- to scale!

Let's start at the bottom...

Stage One

These five F-1 engines, each consuming three tons of propellant a second, are capable of providing over 7.5 million pounds of thrust. To put it in perspective- that's enough thrust to send a spacecraft to the moon!

Seriously though, the Saturn V's payload is about four times the shuttle's.

Stage 1, or S-IC, is basically a huge 2-chambered gas tank- holding 2,151,000 kilos (4.7 million pounds) of Lox (liquid oxygen) and Kerosene.

Stage 1 fires for about 160 seconds. During that time the rocket reaches an altitude of about 70 km (43½ miles).

Stage Two

S-II has five J-2 motors and 452,000 kg (996,000 lb.) of Lox and LH2 (liquid hydrogen) for fuel.

Stage 2 burns for 390 seconds, bringing the vehicle to about 170 km (106 MI) above the Earth.

Stage Three

S-IVB has one J-2 motor and ~106,600 kg (235,000 lb.) of Lox/LH2. Stage 3 can burn for 420 seconds- however it is used first to establish a parking orbit and then, when "go" for TLI, the craft is injected into a translunar orbit.

Velocity at this point is about 35,000 ft/sec (~24,000 MPH!).

Lunar Module

The tapered section is where the LEM rides. After TLI (about 3½ hours from launch), the covering is blown off and the service module maneuvers to pick up the LEM via docking clamps on the tip of the command module.

Once that's done, it's three days to the moon!

Here is the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM)- sometimes called a "gremlin". It was the first manned spacecraft designed to operate completely outside of any atmosphere.

Two astronauts land on the moon, explore, then rendezvous with the CSM in lunar orbit and return to Earth.

Command and Service Module

Once returned to Earth orbit, the Service Module is abandoned the capsule comes screaming in for a fiery splashdown in the Pacific.

Breaking forces are as high as 6½g. The maximum force of launch is about 4g.