Aug 20

Space Rocket History #126 – Apollo-Saturn IB: AS-201, AS-202, and AS-203

Apollo Saturn 201 employed the Saturn IB launch vehicle, which  was the up-rated version of the Saturn I rocket flown in ten earlier Saturn-Apollo missions. It featured an upgrade of the first stage engines to increase thrust from 1,500,000 lb-ft of thrust to 1,600,000 lb-ft. The second stage was the S-IVB.  This stage used a new liquid hydrogen-burning J-2 engine which would also be used on the S-II second stage of the Saturn V lunar launch vehicle…

AS-201 Recovery

AS-201 Recovery

Apollo-Saturn 201 Launch

Apollo-Saturn 201 Launch

AS-202 Launch

AS-202 Launch

AS-203 Launch

AS-203 Launch

Jun 04

Space Rocket History #116 – Apollo: Little Joe II

A few seconds after liftoff, a fin-vane at the base of the booster stuck and started the 13-meter-tall spacecraft-booster combination spinning like a bullet. Twenty-six seconds into the flight the vehicle started coming apart. The abort-sensing system signaled the launch escape tower rocket to fire and pull the spacecraft away…

White Sands New Mexico

White Sands New Mexico

Launch Pad Abort Test

Launch Pad Abort Test

Little Joe II, A-001 with BP-12

Little Joe II, A-001 with BP-12

Little Joe II Flight Profile

Little Joe II Flight Profile

Little Joe II Real Emergency.

Little Joe II Real Emergency.

Little Joe II On the Pad

Little Joe II On the Pad

Little Joe Pad Abort Test

Little Joe Pad Abort Test

A-001 Launch

A-001 Launch

Little Joe II A-002

Little Joe II A-002

May 28

Space Rocket History #115 – Saturn I: SA-4, SA-5, SA-6, and SA-7

Saturn 1, SA-6 was the first orbital launch of an Apollo Spacecraft by a Saturn Launch Vehicle and also the first flight utilizing an active ST-124 Stabilized Platform.

Saturn I SA-5

Saturn I SA-4

SA-5 Demensions

SA-5 Demensions

SA-5 Section Cuts

SA-5 Section Cuts

S-IV Second Stage of SA-5

S-IV 2nd Stg of SA-5

SA-5 on the Pad

SA-5 on the Pad

SA-5 Launch

SA-5 Launch

SA-6 Demensions

SA-6 Demensions

SA-6 Spacecraft

SA-6 Spacecraft

SA-6 on the Pad

SA-6 on the Pad

Von Braun, Mueller and Rees watching SA-6

Von Braun, Mueller and Rees watching SA-6

SA-7 Launch

SA-7 Launch

Apr 30

Space Rocket History #111 – Apollo: Early Lunar Module Design and Saturn SA-3”

During 1962, NASA faced three major tasks: first the mode selection and its defense (covered in episodes 106-109), second keeping North American moving on the command and service modules (covered in episode 110) and third finding a contractor to develop the separate landing vehicle required by that approach.  Which we will cover today in episode 111.

One-eighth scale Lunar Module shown by Grumman

One-eighth scale Lunar Module shown by Grumman

Bell Aerospace Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

Bell Aerospace Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

Saturn SA-3 Launch

Saturn SA-3 Launch