Saturn IB

Saturn IB

Three launch configurations of the Apollo Saturn IB rocket: no spacecraft (AS-203), Command/Service module (most missions); and AS-204 (Apollo 5), Lunar Module
Function	Manned LEO launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Chrysler (S-IB) Douglas (S-IVB)
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	141.6 ft (43.2 m) without payload
Diameter	21.67 ft (6.61 m)
Mass	1,300,220 lb (589,770 kg) without payload
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	46,000 lb (21,000 kg)
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LC-37 & LC-34, Cape Canaveral LC-39B, Kennedy Space Center
Total launches	9
Successes	9
Failures	0
Maiden flight	February 26, 1966
Last flight	July 15, 1975
Notable payloads	Unmanned Apollo CSM Unmanned Apollo LM Manned Apollo CSM
First stage - S-IB
Engines	8 * H-1
Thrust	1,600,000 lbf (7,100 kN)
Burn time	150 seconds
Fuel	RP-1/LOX
Second stage - S-IVB-200
Engines	1 Rocketdyne J-2
Thrust	200,000 lbf (890 kN)
Burn time	480 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX

The Saturn IB (pronounced "one B", alternatively known as the Uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use in the Apollo program. It was an uprated version of the Saturn I rocket, which replaced its S-IV second stage with the much more powerful S-IVB, which gave it enough payload capability to allow it be used for early testing of the Apollo spacecraft while the larger Saturn V needed to send Apollo to the Moon was still being developed. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, it could launch either the partially fueled Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM), or the fully fueled Lunar Module (LM) into low Earth orbit.

The Saturn IB was used for two unmanned CSM suborbital flights, one unmanned LM orbital flight, and for the first manned CSM orbital mission (first planned for Apollo 1, later Apollo 7). It was also used for one orbital mission, AS-203, in which it carried neither a CSM nor a LM, so that the S-IVB would have unburned liquid hydrogen fuel remaining in its tank in orbit. The purpose of this mission was to support design of the restartable version of the S-IVB used in the Saturn V, by observing the behavior of the liquid hydrogen in weightlessness.

After completion of the Apollo Moon landing program, the Saturn IB was used to launch the Apollo CSM on three crew missions to the Skylab space station, and a joint US-USSR space mission, the Apollo Soyuz Test Project.

Specifications

NASA defines the term launch vehicle to refer to all rocket stages and guidance system used to launch a spacecraft, and the term space vehicle for the entire launch stack (launch vehicle plus spacecraft, including any shrouds or adapters.)

Launch vehicle

Parameter	S-IB 1st Stage	S-IVB-200 2nd Stage	Instrument Unit
Height	80.17 ft (24.44 m)	58.42 ft (17.81 m)	3.00 ft (0.91 m)
Diameter	21.42 ft (6.53 m)	21.67 ft (6.61 m)	21.67 ft (6.61 m)
Structural mass	92,500 lb (42,000 kg)	23,400 lb (10,600 kg)	4,400 lb (2,000 kg)
Propellant	RP-1/LOX	LH2/LOX	N/A
Propellant mass	880,500 lb (399,400 kg)	228,500 lb (103,600 kg)	N/A
Engines	Eight - H-1	One - J-2	N/A
Thrust	1,600,000 lbf (7,100 kN) sea level	200,000 lbf (890 kN) vacuum	N/A
Burn duration	150 s	480 s	N/A
Specific impulse	272 s (2.66 kN·s/kg) sea level	420 s (4.12 kN·s/kg) vacuum	N/A

Payload configurations

Parameter	Command/Service Module	Apollo 5	AS-203
Launch Escape System mass	9,200 lb (4,200 kg)	N/A	N/A
Apollo Command/Service Module mass	36,400 lb (16,500 kg) to 46,000 lb (21,000 kg)	N/A	N/A
Apollo Lunar Module mass	N/A	31,650 lb (14,360 kg)	N/A
Spacecraft LM Adapter mass	4,050 lb (1,840 kg)	4,050 lb (1,840 kg)	N/A
Nose cone height	N/A	8.3 ft (2.5 m)	27.7 ft (8.4 m)
Payload height	81.8 ft (24.9 m)	36.3 ft (11.1 m)	27.7 ft (8.4 m)
Total space vehicle height	223.4 ft (68.1 m)	177.9 ft (54.2 m)	169.4 ft (51.6 m)

S-IB stage

Main article: S-IB

Diagram of the S-IB first stage of the Saturn IB rocket

The S-IB stage was built by the Chrysler corporation at the Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. It was powered by eight H-1 rocket engines burning RP-1 fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX). Eight Redstone tanks (four holding fuel and four holding LOX) were clustered around a Jupiter rocket LOX tank. The four outboard engines were mounted on gimbals, allowing them to be steered to control the rocket. Eight fins surrounding the base thrust structure provided aerodynamic stability and control.

• Height: 80.17 ft (24.44 m)
• Diameter: 21.42 ft (6.53 m)
• Number of fins: 8
• Finspan: 39.42 ft (12.02 m)
• Engines: 8 H-1
• Thrust: 1,600,000 lbf (7,100 kN)
• Fuel: RP-1 (Refined kerosene) 41,000 US gal (155 m³)
• Oxidizer: Liquid oxygen (LOX) 66,000 US gal (250 m³)
• Burn time: 2.5 min
• Burnout altitude: 37 nmi (69 km)

S-IVB-200 stage

Main article: S-IVB (rocket stage)

Diagram of the S-IVB second stage of the Saturn IB

The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company at Huntington Beach, California. The S-IVB-200 model was similar to the S-IVB-500 third stage used on the Saturn V, with the exception of the interstage adapter, smaller auxiliary propulsion control modules, and lack of on-orbit engine restart capability. It was powered by a single J-2 engine. The propellant and oxidizer tanks shared a common bulkhead, which saved about ten tons of weight and reduced vehicle length over ten feet.

• Height: 58.42 ft (17.81 m)
• Diameter: 21.67 ft (6.61 m)
• Engines: 1 J-2
• Thrust: 200,000 lbf (890 kN)
• Fuel: Liquid hydrogen (LH2) 64,000 US gal (242 m³)
• Oxidizer: Liquid oxygen (LOX) 20,000 US gal (76 m³)
• Burn time: approx. 7 min
• Burnout altitude (for Saturn IB): orbit

Instrument Unit

Main article: Saturn V Instrument Unit

The Instrument Unit which controlled the Saturn IB and Saturn V

The Instrument Unit was built by IBM and rode atop the S-IVB stage. It was constructed at the Space Systems Center in Huntsville. This computer controlled the operations of the rocket from just before liftoff until the S-IVB was discarded. It included guidance and telemetry systems for the rocket. By measuring the acceleration and vehicle attitude, it continuously calculated the position and velocity of the rocket and corrected for any deviations.

Launch sequence events

Launch event	Time (s)	Altitude (km)	Range (km)
Ignition Command	-3.02	.	.
First Motion	-0.19	.	.
Liftoff	0.00	.	.
Initiate Pitch Maneuver	10.0	.	.
Initiate Roll Maneuver	10.0	.	.
End Roll Maneuver	38.0	.	.
Mach One	62.18	7.63	.
Max Q	75.5	12.16	.
Freeze Tilt	134.40	.	.
Inboard Engine Cutoff	140.65	.	.
Outboard Engine Cutoff	144.32	.	.
Ullage Rockets Ignition	145.37	.	.
S-IB / S-IVB Separation	145.59	.	.
S-IVB Ignition	146.97	.	.
Ullage Rocket Burnout	148.33	.	.
Ullage Rocket Jettison	156.58	.	.
Jettison LES	163.28	.	.
Start Pitch Over	613.95	.	.
S-IVB Cutoff	616.76	.	.
Orbit Insertion	626.76	.	.
Start S/C Sep Sequence	663.11	.	.
Spacecraft Separation	728.31	.	.

Saturn IB vehicles and launches

Saturn IB on its "milkstool"

The original Saturn IBs for Apollo were launched from LC-34 and LC-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Saturn IB was used between 1973 and 1975 for three manned Skylab flights, and one Apollo-Soyuz Test Project flight. This final production run did not have alternating black and white S-IB stage tanks, or vertical stripes on the S-IVB aft tank skirt, which were present on the earlier vehicles. Since LC-34 and 37 were inactive by then, these launches utilized Kennedy Space Center's LC-39B. To accommodate the height differential between the Saturn IB and the much larger Saturn V, a "milkstool" apparatus was attached to the Mobile Launcher Platform. The "milkstool" enabled the Apollo Command Module's hatch to reach the Launch Umbillical Tower's crew access arm and accommodate all the ground support connections related to fuelling and support.

All Saturn IB launches from AS-201 through ASTP

Serial Number	Mission	Spacecraft Mass (kg)	Launch Date	Notes
SA-201	AS-201	20,820	February 26, 1966	Unmanned suborbital test of Block I CSM (Command/Service Module)
SA-203	AS-203	None	July 5, 1966	Unmanned test of unburned LH2 behavior in orbit to support S-IVB-500 restart design
SA-202	AS-202	25,810	August 25, 1966	Unmanned suborbital test of Block I CSM
SA-204	Apollo 1	20,412		Was to be first manned orbital test of Block I CSM. Cabin fire killed astronauts and damaged CM during dress rehearsal for planned February 21, 1967 launch
	Apollo 5	14,360	January 22, 1968	Unmanned orbital test of Lunar Module, used Apollo 1 launch vehicle
SA-205	Apollo 7	16,520	October 11, 1968	Manned orbital test of Block II CSM
SA-206	Skylab 2	19,979	May 25, 1973	Block II CSM ferried first crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-207	Skylab 3	20,121	July 28, 1973	Block II CSM ferried second crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-208	AS-208			Standby Skylab 3 rescue CSM-119; not needed
	Skylab 4	20,847	November 16, 1973	Block II CSM ferried third crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-209	AS-209			Standby Skylab 4 and later Apollo-Soyuz rescue CSM-119. Not needed, currently on display in the KSC rocket garden
	Skylab 5			Planned CSM mission to lift Skylab workshop's orbit to endure until Space Shuttle ready to fly; cancelled.
SA-210	ASTP	16,780	July 15, 1975	Apollo CSM with special docking adapter module, rendezvoused with Soyuz 19. Last Saturn IB flight.
SA-211				Unused
SA-212				Unused. First stage scrapped. S-IVB stage converted to Skylab space station.
SA-213				Only first stage built. Unused and scrapped.
SA-214				Only first stage built. Unused and scrapped.

For earlier launches of vehicles in the Saturn I series, see the list in the Saturn I article.

Saturn IB rockets on display

SA-209 on display at KSC

Currently there are three locations where Saturn IB vehicles (or parts thereof) are on display:

• SA-209 is on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, with the Apollo Facilities Verification Vehicle. Due to severe corrosion, the first stage engines and Service Module were replaced with fabricated duplicates in 1993–1994.
• The SA-211 first stage is on display with the S-IVB-S "Battleship" static test stage stacked in a launch-ready condition at the Alabama Welcome Center on I-65 in Ardmore, Alabama. 34.954548°N 86.89193°W / 34.954548; -86.89193
• The SA-211 S-IVB stage was converted to a Skylab mockup and is on display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Cost

In 1972, the cost of a Saturn IB including launch was $55 million USD (inflation adjusted US$ 305.6 million in 2012).

External links

• http://www.apollosaturn.com/
• http://www.spaceline.org/rocketsum/saturn-Ib.html
• NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center, Skylab Saturn IB Flight ManualPDF (19.8 MB), 30 September 1972
• Saturn launch vehiclesPDF (61.2 MB)