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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn V | 7/10 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:12:08.190587+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Assembly == After the construction and ground testing of each stage was completed, they were each shipped to the Kennedy Space Center. The first two stages were so massive that the only way to transport them was by barge. Starting with the S-IC-3, the S-IC stages, constructed in New Orleans, were transported by barge, from the Michoud Assembly Facility to their testing facility and then to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The S-II was constructed in Seal Beach, California and traveled to Kennedy Space Center on the USNS Point Barrow. The S-IVB was constructed in Huntington Beach, California and was transported by air on the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy, except for the S-IVB-501 stage, which was transported by sea. After rounding Florida, all the stages transported by boat were moved down the Intra-Coastal Waterway, across the Gulf of Mexico, to San Carlos Bay. From there, they traveled across Florida through the Okeechobee Waterway, before traveling up the coast to Cape Canaveral and the Vehicle Assembly Building. Upon arrival at the Vehicle Assembly Building, each stage was inspected in a horizontal position before being oriented vertically starting with the first stage and ending with the Apollo spacecraft. NASA also constructed a large spool-shaped S-II second stage that could be used if a particular stage was delayed. These spools were identical to the real stage and contained the same electrical connections as the actual stages. NASA assembled the Saturn V on a mobile launcher by using a 230 metric tons (250 short tons) overhead bridge crane and slings to lift the first stage onto the mobile launcher. The first stage was then held in place by four support arms, and the rest of the stages stacked vertically in order. After assembly and testing were completed, the entire stack was moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad using the Crawler Transporter (CT). Built by the Marion Power Shovel Company, the CT ran on four double-tracked treads, each with 57 "shoes". Each shoe weighed around 900 kg (2,000 lb). Each CT had a length of 40 m (130 ft) and a width of 35 m (115 ft). This transporter was also required to keep the rocket level within 10 minutes of arc (0.16 degrees), as it traveled the 5.535 km (3.439 mi) to the launch site, especially at the 5 percent grade encountered at the launch pad.
== Cost == From 1964 until 1973, $6.417 billion (equivalent to $34.5 billion in 2024) was appropriated for the Research and Development and flights of the Saturn V, with the maximum being in 1966 with $1.2 billion (equivalent to $8.84 billion in 2024). That same year, NASA received its largest total budget of $4.5 billion, about 0.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States at that time. In the time frame from 1969 to 1971 the cost of launching a Saturn V Apollo mission was $185 million (equivalent to $995 million in 2024).
== Mission profile ==
=== Launch preparation === The Mobile Service Structure (MSS), on which the Saturn V sat on, was moved to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A around two months before launch. Moving the vehicle let technicians access parts normally inaccessible and allowed testing and other preparations to begin. Around 21 days before launch, technicians fueled the first stage up with RP-1. This was the only fuel that could be loaded this far from the launch date, as liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are cryogenic and could only be loaded a couple of hours before launch. The pre-count operations started around six days before launch; equipment was installed and additional testing was performed. At T−24 hours, the Saturn V was completely powered up using ground equipment and the Kennedy Space Center began monitoring wind speeds. At T−9 hours before launch, an 11-hour hold would begin to allow work on any problems discovered. After, the backup crew of the mission entered the Command Module (CM) to set the switches and circuit breakers to a predetermined position. At T−7 hours 30 minutes, the liquid oxygen tanks on all three stages began to be loaded and would finish an hour later. At T−5 hours, the liquid hydrogen tanks began to be loaded, starting with the second stage and then the third stage. Both the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks had to be continuously refilled as the previously loaded fuel boiled and evaporated. At T−3 hours 45 minutes, the crew was awakened and shortly after, another hold began. The hold lasted an hour and a half, allowing time to fix any remaining issues. At T−2 hours 40 minutes, the crew entered the Command Module and prepared for launch, with the hatch being closed 40 minutes later. In the event of an abort, the range safety officer would remotely shut down the engines and send a command for the explosive charges attached to the rocket to detonate. These explosions would open the fuel and oxidizer tanks to help disperse the fuel and minimize mixing. Around T−40 minutes, a test was conducted to see if the Saturn V could pick up the signal, with the explosives being armed at T−5 minutes 30 seconds.