Skip to comments.

Saturns fury: effects of a Saturn 5 launch pad explosion

The Space Review ^ | 04/03/06 | Dwayne A. Day

Posted on by KevinDavis

The Saturn 5 was the largest rocket ever built by the United States. A true monster of a launch vehicle, it generated over 33 million newtons of thrust at liftoff and carried 2.5 million kilograms of fuel and oxidizer. If the Saturn 5 exploded, it could do so with the force of a small atomic bomb, the equivalent of half a kiloton, or about 1/26 the size of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Naturally, this was a significant concern for Apollo program officials.



During the course of the Apollo program, NASA officials conducted several studies to evaluate the effects of the ultimate worst-case scenario: a launch pad explosion of a Saturn 5 rocket. This was the worst possible accident for several reasons. The Saturn was most loaded with fuel at that point and posed the greatest danger to people on the ground. It also presented the fewest abort options, requiring the firing of the Launch Escape System (LES) rockets that would blast the Command Module away at high acceleration.



(Excerpt) Read more at thespacereview.com ...

TOPICS:

Miscellaneous

News/Current Events

KEYWORDS:

rockets

saturn5

space





To: RightWhale; Brett66; xrp; gdc314; anymouse; NonZeroSum; jimkress; discostu; The_Victor; ...





To: KevinDavis



Soviet N-1



by 3 posted onby BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)

To: KevinDavis

Thanks! I was at the Kennedy Space Center last Friday. The size of the Saturn 5 was... just... awesome! (Haven't downloaded the pictures from my digital camera yet...) (And so odd, to see how primitive some of its technology looks today...)



by 4 posted onby sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com | Libs: Celebrate MY diversity! | Iran Azadi 2006)

To: BenLurkin

And who couldn't love this movie quote/



Hey Harry, you know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has two hundred thousand moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good doesn't it?



by 5 posted onby cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)

To: BenLurkin

Was that the Energiya (or something like that)?



by 6 posted onby sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com | Libs: Celebrate MY diversity! | Iran Azadi 2006)

To: sionnsar

The N-1 mentioned in the Space Review article.



by 7 posted onby BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)

To: KevinDavis

Been there and done that:



http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/txcity/





by 8 posted onby 76834 (There's nothing wrong with sobriety in moderation.)

To: sionnsar

I heard the first Saturn V lift off. From Jacksonville.



To: KevinDavis

This reminds me of something so badly done it is unbelievable, and that was the construction of the Air Force's space shuttle launch facility at Vandenberg. they built the shuttle launch pad too close to the control tower, so that a shuttle explosion would have destroyed the entire facility. Hence they scrapped the Air Force Shuttle base after spending billions to construct it. And no one was even hanged as a result?



To: sionnsar

(And so odd, to see how primitive some of its technology looks today...) Yup -- you couldn't possibly rebuild one of them these days, due to the shortage of manufacturers for '50s and '60s-era electronics and materials, among other things.



To: Williams

they built the shuttle launch pad too close to the control tower, so that a shuttle explosion would have destroyed the entire facility.



That's one way to keep mission control on their toes.



by 12 posted onby cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)

To: KevinDavis

I love this kind of insider information on the space program. The level of detail they had to consider is incomprehensible.



To: fnord; phantomworker; sd-joe; Jack Black; TXBSAFH; SouthernBoyupNorth; Ichneumon; ...



Geezer Geek ping.



This is a very low-volume ping list (typically days to weeks between pings).

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this list.



This is a very low-volume ping list (typically days to weeks between pings).sionnsar if you want on or off this list.

by 14 posted onby sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com | Libs: Celebrate MY diversity! | Iran Azadi 2006)

To: Williams

they built the shuttle launch pad too close to the control tower, so that a shuttle explosion would have destroyed the entire facility. Hence they scrapped the Air Force Shuttle base after spending billions to construct it. And no one was even hanged as a result? Two shuttles lost due to known design flaws and I can't remember anyone being brought to task.



To: sionnsar

the Energia is a much more recent design - made to boost their version of the shuttle. the N-1 was a Saturn-era competitor.



by 16 posted onby King Prout (many complain I am overly literal. this would not be a problem if so many were not under-precise)

To: KevinDavis

From what I seem to remember from watching the spacecraft dvd series on the Saturn V and the Saturn I rockets was that the first stage of the Saturn I rocket became the second stage on the Saturn V. Truly one of the most remarkable rockets ever designed. I also believe when they launched the missions to skylab and the Apollo Soyuz rendezvous they used the shorter Saturn I rockets.



To: I Drive Too Fast

Saturn 1-B



To: null and void

"I heard the first Saturn V lift off. From Jacksonville." Wow.

I'm guessing 80-90 miles?



by 19 posted onby labette (Sell your soul to the Devil and he'll throw in the blinders at no additional charge.)

To: labette

Mapquest says 165 miles. Call it ~130 as the crow flies.



It was loud enough that I heard it from inside over the live coverage on TV.



Got outside in time to see it arcing over the Atlantic.



Very impressive...



Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

FreeRepublic , LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794

FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson