Regan Brown
The Saturn V rocket is a product of NASA's Apollo programme, which aimed to put humans on the moon. The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second, with a total burn time of 150 seconds. The fuel used was refined kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen, which were mixed and burned in the thrust chamber to produce thrust. The Saturn V rocket produced 7.5 million lbs (3.4 million kg) of thrust and was used during launch for about 2 minutes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Fuel burned per second | 20 tons or 40,000 pounds |
| Total fuel burned | 2,214,000 kilograms |
| Fuel type | Refined kerosene and liquid oxygen |
| Engine | Rocketdyne F-1 |
| Number of engines | 5 |
| Height | 363 feet or 110 meters |
| Cost | $1.5 billion |
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What You'll Learn
The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second
The Saturn V rocket burned an estimated 20 tons of fuel per second. This equated to a flow rate of 3,357 US gallons or 12,710 litres per second. The Saturn V rocket was used for the Apollo program, including the Apollo 11 mission, which landed two people on the moon in 1969.
The rocket's first stage used five F-1 rocket engines, which produced 7.5 million lbs (3.4 million kg) of thrust and was used during launch for about 2 minutes. The F-1 engines burned RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene) as fuel and used liquid oxygen as an oxidiser. The F-1 engine is the most powerful single-nozzle liquid-fuelled rocket engine ever flown, with each engine generating 1,500,000 lbs of thrust.
The second stage of the Saturn V rocket, the S-II, also used liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel. The third stage, the S-IVB, burned for almost six minutes, giving the spacecraft a velocity close to the Earth's escape velocity. The Saturn V rocket cost about $1.5 billion in today's dollars and produced a roar so loud that it reached 203 decibels.
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The fuel was refined kerosene and liquid oxygen
The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second. The fuel was refined kerosene and liquid oxygen. This combination is known as kerolox and was selected for its high density and powerful thrust capabilities. Kerosene, also known as RP-1, is a highly refined version of jet fuel. It was chosen for its ease of storage and stable properties. It is also denser than liquid hydrogen, reducing the volume and weight of the associated tankage.
Liquid oxygen was used as the oxidizer. The combination of kerosene and liquid oxygen produces more specific impulse or thrust than LH2/LOX burning, which is essential for getting a 4-million-pound rocket off the ground. The Saturn V rocket’s first stage carried 203,400 gallons of kerosene and 318,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. This powerful combination provided the massive thrust needed to lift the rocket off the launch pad.
The Saturn V rocket used five Rocketdyne F-1 engines in its first stage. Each F-1 engine burned 5,683 pounds of oxidizer and fuel per second, generating 1,500,000 pounds of thrust. The combined flow rate of the five F-1s in the Saturn V was 3,357 gallons or 28,415 pounds per second. The F-1 engines were the most powerful single-combustion chamber liquid-propellant rocket engines ever developed.
The second stage of the Saturn V rocket switched to liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for higher efficiency. Liquid hydrogen has a very low melting and boiling point, so it remains pumpable in the cold temperatures of space. It also has very high efficiency (specific impulse), which is important for major burns during flight in space.
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The S-IC stage used five F-1 engines
The S-IC stage of the Saturn V rocket used five Rocketdyne F-1 engines, which burned a mixture of RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidizer. The F-1 engine is the most powerful single-chamber, single-nozzle liquid-fuel engine ever flown, with each engine burning 5,683 pounds (2,578 kg) of fuel and oxidizer per second, or 20 tons of fuel per second overall. The Saturn V rocket burned a total of 2,214,000 kilograms of fuel during its flight, with the S-IC stage providing 33,000 kN (7,500,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.
The five F-1 engines were ignited in three staggered events, with the center engine ignited first, followed by two outer engines, and then the remaining two outer engines. This staggered ignition lessened the load on the thrust structure, as instantaneous ignition of all five engines would have caused immense stress on the stage. The F-1 engines were arrayed in a quincunx, with the center engine fixed in position and the four outer engines capable of hydraulic gimbaling to steer the rocket.
The liquid oxygen tank in the S-IC stage held 334,500 US gallons (1,266 cubic meters) of LOX, while the fuel tank held 209,000 US gallons (790 cubic meters) of RP-1 fuel. The tanks and engine configuration presented unique design challenges, such as insulating straight lines for the LOX to pass through the fuel tank and adding extra holes in the fuel tank for the LOX lines.
The F-1 engines played a critical role in the success of the Saturn V rocket, which served as the main launch vehicle for the Apollo program. The engines' development originated from a 1955 U.S. Air Force requirement for a very large rocket engine, and NASA recognized the value of such powerful engines for space exploration. The F-1 engines' performance and design have influenced subsequent proposals and studies for rocket engines and boosters, including the Saturn-Shuttle and the Pyrios booster.
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The S-IC stage burned for approximately 150 seconds
The Saturn V rocket is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle that was developed by NASA for the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. It was flown from 1967 to 1973 and was used for nine crewed flights to the Moon and to launch Skylab, the first American space station. The Saturn V rocket had three stages and was powered by liquid fuel.
The first stage of the Saturn V rocket is known as the S-IC stage. It was built by the Boeing Company at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, and tested at the Mississippi Test Facility (now known as the Stennis Space Center) in Hancock County, Mississippi. The S-IC stage was powered by five Rocketdyne F-1 engines, which were ignited seven seconds prior to lift-off. The center engine was shut down after 142 seconds to reduce the rate of acceleration, while the four outer engines burned for 168 seconds. The outer engines could be hydraulically turned with gimbals to steer the rocket.
The S-IC stage had a total burn time of approximately 150 seconds. During this time, the stage burned a significant amount of fuel. The empty weight of the S-IC stage was 290,000 pounds (131,542 kilograms), but when fully fueled, it carried 203,400 gallons (770,000 liters) of RP-1 fuel and 318,065 gallons (1,204,000 liters) of liquid oxygen, bringing its total weight to 5,100,000 pounds (2,131,322 kilograms). This large amount of fuel allowed the S-IC stage to produce a total of 7,610,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.
The S-IC stage played a crucial role in the Saturn V rocket's overall mission. It was designed to lift the entire rocket to an altitude of 220,000 feet (67,056 meters) and accelerate it to a speed of more than 5,100 miles per hour (8,200 kilometers per hour). This initial boost provided by the S-IC stage set the foundation for the subsequent stages of the Saturn V rocket's journey into space.
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The S-IC stage provided 7,500,000 lbf of thrust at sea level
The Saturn V rocket burned 20 tons of fuel per second. The rocket was made up of three stages: the S-IC, the S-II, and the S-IVB. The S-IC was the first stage of the Saturn V rocket and was manufactured by the Boeing Company. It was 42 metres (138 feet) tall and 10 metres (33 feet) in diameter. The S-IC stage provided 7,500,000 lbf (about 33,000 kN or 34,500 kN according to another source) of thrust at sea level, using five Rocketdyne F-1 engines. The centre engine was fixed in position, while the four outer engines could be hydraulically turned to steer the rocket. The S-IC had a burn time of approximately 150 seconds.
The S-IC's fuel consisted of RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidiser. The liquid oxygen tank held 334,500 US gallons (1,266 cubic metres) of LOX. The lines through which the LOX ran to the engine had to be straight, which meant they had to pass through the fuel tank. This required insulating these lines inside a tunnel to prevent the fuel from freezing. The S-IC's liquid oxygen tank was connected to the S-II stage by a forward skirt, which also contained telemetry equipment and LOX tank vent lines.
The S-IC was built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, with wind tunnel testing taking place in Seattle and machining of tools in Wichita, Kansas. It took around seven to nine months to build the tanks and 14 months to complete a stage. The first stage built by Boeing was the S-IC-D, a test model. In addition to test stages, NASA ordered 15 flight stages to support the initial Apollo program.
The largest and heaviest single component of the S-IC was the thrust structure, with a mass of 24 short tons (48,000 lb or 22,000 kg). It supported the thrust of the five engines and evenly distributed it across the base of the rocket. The five F-1 engines were ignited in three staggered events, with the centre engine igniting first, followed by two outer engines, and then the remaining two outer engines. This staggered approach reduced the stress on the thrust structure.
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Frequently asked questions
Saturn V burns 20 tons of liquid fuel per second.
Saturn V uses RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer.
The Saturn V rocket burned for about 2.5 minutes during the Apollo 11 mission. It used around 20 tons of fuel per second, so it likely burned 50 tons of fuel during that mission.
Each launch of the Saturn V rocket costs about $1.5 billion in today's dollars.
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