The Saturn V

The words

1. All Up Testing

   Apollo 4 tested all three Saturn V stages in one flight on November 9, 1967. The uncrewed mission also checked the third stage’s ability to restart in orbit.

   Did you know?

   Apollo 4 also carried an uncrewed Apollo command and service module, plus a lunar-lander test article. NASA tested spacecraft hardware along with the rocket.

   NASA: Apollo 4’s complete-rocket test (opens a new tab)

2. Boeing

   Boeing was Saturn V’s first-stage contractor at Michoud. NASA assigned the plant to rocket production in 1961 as the Apollo program expanded.

   NASA: Michoud’s manufacturing history (opens a new tab)

3. Bulkhead

   Saturn V’s upper stages used common bulkheads between their propellant tanks. A single insulated partition separated the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

   pp. 167, 211–214 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

4. Cryogenic

   Saturn V’s liquid hydrogen and oxygen were cryogenic propellants, kept extremely cold. Leaks of cryogenic fuel could create an explosion hazard.

   pp. 90, 165 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

5. Douglas

   Douglas built the S-IVB, Saturn V’s third stage. Its single J-2 engine could restart after the rocket reached Earth orbit.

   pp. 160, 163–164 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

6. Hydrogen

   Liquid hydrogen fueled the J-2 engines in Saturn V’s upper two stages. Liquid oxygen supplied the oxidizer for their combustion.

   pp. 90, 160–164, 211–212 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

7. Marshall

   Saturn V was developed at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It belonged to a family that also included the smaller Saturn I and Saturn IB.

   Did you know?

   Saturn V’s final launch in 1973 carried Skylab into Earth orbit. That version used two powered stages instead of the three used for Apollo.

   NASA: Saturn V’s roles and stages (opens a new tab)

8. Michoud

   NASA took over Michoud in 1961 for large launch-vehicle production. The existing factory became a manufacturing base for Saturn V’s first stage.

   Did you know?

   Before the rocket era, the Michoud plant manufactured Army tank engines under a contract awarded to Chrysler in 1951.

   NASA: Michoud’s manufacturing history (opens a new tab)

9. Mississippi

   NASA’s Mississippi Test Facility began firing Saturn V stages in 1966. These ground tests checked the large rocket hardware needed for the Apollo Moon missions.

   NASA: Mississippi stage-test history (opens a new tab)

10. Mueller

    George E. Mueller led NASA’s human spaceflight office. He pressed for all-up Saturn V testing to meet the Moon-landing schedule.

    pp. 348–350 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

11. New Orleans

    New Orleans housed Michoud, where Saturn V’s first stages were manufactured. Water access helped NASA choose the site for handling such large rocket hardware.

    NASA: Michoud’s manufacturing history (opens a new tab)

12. North American

    North American Aviation built Saturn V’s S-II second stage. It used five J-2 engines and liquid-hydrogen fuel.

    pp. 211–212 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)

13. Nova

    Nova was a proposed rocket for landing a large spacecraft directly on the Moon. NASA chose lunar-orbit rendezvous, using a smaller lander carried by Saturn V.

    NASA: Nova and the lunar mission choice (opens a new tab)

14. Third Stage

    The S-IVB first placed Apollo into Earth orbit, then restarted for the journey toward the Moon. Apollo 4 tested that restart during an uncrewed Earth-orbit mission.

    NASA: Apollo 4’s complete-rocket test (opens a new tab)

15. Ullage

    The unfilled space in a tank containing liquid.

    The S-IVB’s auxiliary rockets helped settle liquid propellants toward the tank bottoms before its engine restarted in orbit.

    p. 163 · Bilstein: Saturn stages and testing (opens a new tab)