The Saturn V rocket was developed by Wernher Von Braun and powered numerous Apollo lunar missions. It was among the largest and most powerful rockets ever used for space missions, consisting of three separate stages. It was an expendable launch system and was used for missions between 1967 and 1973.
The Saturn V rocket was the rocket that landed a man on the moon and literally propelled the United States to the forefront of the space race. This iconic rocket powered numerous Apollo lunar missions, along with Skylab One, and numerous models can be seen on display in aerospace museums across the United States, along with Saturn V rocket components and various prototypes.
This rocket was developed by Wernher Von Braun, a scientist who is considered one of the best rocket scientists of the 20th century. Von Braun oversaw several government contractors in the design and development of the Saturn V rocket, including IBM, Boeing, Douglas Aircraft Company and North American Aviation. The program received hefty funding from the US government, who wanted to ensure it would remain at the forefront of space exploration.
The Saturn Vs were used for missions between 1967 and 1973. This rocket was among the largest and most powerful ever used for space missions, consisting of three separate stages, each running on liquid fuel, and a control panel. Fully assembled with its payload, the rocket stood 363 feet (111 meters) tall, requiring special infrastructure and support just to assemble and prepare for launch. In the famous Apollo mission images before launch, most of the spacecraft body is actually the Saturn V rocket.
Multistage rockets are designed to allow each stage of the rocket to drop out as it is no longer needed. This is beneficial for several reasons. With a multistage rocket, different engines can be designed for different stages, which can make the rocket more efficient and ensure that the right engine is available for the right task. The development stages also allow the rocket to shed excess weight as fuel is consumed in each stage, which increases efficiency.
Given the complexities and expense involved in building the Saturn V rocket, some people might be surprised to learn that it was an expendable launch system, meaning that the components were designed for a single use and the stages are not were recovered when they fell away from the rocket. This is one reason why the space program was so expensive, because each launch required a huge investment of time, talent and funds. However, marketability also allowed researchers to redesign the rocket to accommodate new data each time a new Saturn V rocket was ordered.
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