How Did The Saturn 5 Rocket Work? | James May: On The Moon | Earth Science

James May meets Harrison Schmitt, one of the last men to ride Saturn 5 and learns a bit about the science behind a rocket with six million components. Subscribe: bit.ly/Subscrib...
Taken From James May: On the Moon
Welcome to BBC Earth Science! Here we answer all your curious questions about science in the world around you (and further afield too). If there’s a question you have that we haven’t yet answered let us know in the comments on any of our videos and it could be answered by one of our Earth Science experts.
/ headsqueezetv

[@rockstopsthetraffic]

"You're in Top Gear" *puts on glasses*

[@Thanatos2996]

YYEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

[@JBaughb]

Well, he sure as hell isn't going to say fifth gear. That would just put a bad taste in his mouth.

[@JMChladek]

And for that he will be nagged in the afterlife by a pedantic Scotsman (Sir Jackie). ;)

[@jeffm6767]

Captain Slow strikes again.

[@greenxdsayhi1802]

Tonit on butom gér

[@Formulka]

I see what you did there at the end.

[@ramisaht9349]

Formulka very sharp of hem

[@teamryan69]

Well, he was XD. probably for the best if that's what the BBC want.

[@aoshi1992]

You do a grand tour on the moon

[@Formulka]

oh wow, I thought it was a tongue in cheek reference but it was actually a shameful plug :P

[@TheEgg185]

Subliminal advertisement

[@smithfan22]

I’m happy they built a hanger to hold the rocket. For many years it wasted away outside being damaged by Houston weather. Such a masterpiece of engineering shouldn’t have been left to rust.

[@muddshshshark]

theres more than one u no

[@akizeta]

You'd think with all the money they got by faking the moon missions they could have afforded a shed to put it in sooner than that. [/sarcasm]

[@MarsFKA]

smithfan22 The Kennedy Space Center's Saturn 5 was in a similar condition - the space coast environment is very hard on equipment and machinery - and was finally put under cover in 1997. I've seen it three times now and it is very well preserved. The Saturn at Huntsville is also now under cover.

[@Vector_Ze]

I didn't know where this video was made. But I am in full agreement. The story is the same for the Saturn V static display at KSC. The last time I visited, in 2011, I was relieved to see they'd finally sheltered it.

[@johncronin9540]

MarsFKA I’ve seen the one in Huntsville, before it was refurbished and enclosed. A video just doesn’t do justice to the size of the Saturn. The one in Huntsville has the full system, but was used for ground testing, not for actual flight. The other two were supposed to be used for Apollo 18-20, which were all cancelled.

[@MichaelVLang]

That ship was quite sophisticated. Perhaps the basic idea of a rocket isn't. But the way the F1 is controlled is very ingenious, and the idea of making it was audacious. An utter monster of a machine.

[@mikem5043]

Harrison Schmitt has always been one of my favorite Apollo guys

[@yassassin6425]

Disappointingly, he's a climate change denialist.

[@sadham2668]

@@yassassin6425oh shit your right, that’s pretty disappointing honestly.

[@fromnorway643]

@@yassassin6425 Indeed! Being an expert on lunar geology doesn't make you an expert on planets with _atmospheres,_ unlike climatologists like James Hansen who has studied the atmospheres of Earth and other planets since before Armstrong walked on the Moon.

[@420sakura1]

Huh?! ​@@yassassin6425

[@kerajit]

Flying to the moon must have been a grand tour.

[@WarguyPlayz]

I don't think you get the joke mate

[@trickcyclists]

And... you can't spell programme.. :-)

[@johncronin9540]

Samuel Rosenberg Voyager 2 did fly the “grand tour” and flew by all four Outer Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn, and is just now exiting the Solar System. Even today, doing a manned “grand tour” would not be possible (and the planets won’t be in the proper alignment for several decades) as it’s essentially a one way trip. The logistics would be a nightmare, as life support, and supplies would require a huge spacecraft. You would also need to bring along a lot of fuel if you ever wanted to return home, because the Voyagers got most of their speed from gravity boosts from those planets. Jupiter would likely be the most difficult for a manned crew, as the radiation is deadly. No other spacecraft since Voyager has returned to Uranus or Neptune.

[@ismaellopez3963]

Being in the space program back in the late 1950s to the 1960s and early 1970s meant you had balls.

[@simonruszczak5563]

A grand tour of Hollywood.

[@kulmainer]

Dear Mr. Harrison Schmitt, thank you so much for having explained us the Saturn V Rocket. You were the last Man on the moon, you have experienced so much, I think you know so much we all will never know! Dear Mr. Schmitt, thanks again, your work will be in the history of human mankind! I was 7 years old when Apollo 11 launched together with Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins, again thanks! Best greetings out of Bavaria, Germany!

[@rockaholictom]

6 million components. James May The Reassembler: Saturn 5 rocket.....

[@RWoody1995]

In the words of clarkson if that happenes "A BBC film crew just hung themselves"

[@summushieremiasclarkson4700]

*hanged

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

hung*

[@mortensen1961]

No, hanged. "Hanged" is the past tense for execution by strangulation or snapping the neck by a rope.

[@johncronin9540]

rockaholictom Well, many of the parts were redundant, so that one failure wouldn’t cause an abort. The designers of the Saturn booster in particular had a large number of redundant systems. And it certainly worked well. It never had a major failure, a rarity in those early days of rocketry. It even survived two lightning strikes during the launch of Apollo 12. Everything on the CM had to be “rebooted”, but the Saturn’s “brain” (the guidance system), the Instrument Unit (IU) was well shielded, and it kept the booster on course into orbit.

[@zimman56]

I just visited this exhibit yesterday! So damned amazing, I loved getting to see this rocket, thanks for the suggestion, May!

[@SoupErman01]

Tonight on the reassembler, I take this classic 1960s spaceship and reassemble it from it's 6 million component parts!

[@henrijayy]

*I SAWED THIS ROCKET IN HALF*

[@ismaellopez3963]

@@matthewdavidjarvis6039 *12 months and 100 episodes later* "Okay everyone, we are 12% done with the rocket. We still need a few more time."

[@ismaellopez3963]

@@matthewdavidjarvis6039 *100 years and 9000 episodes later* "We are 73% done with the rocket. Still 27% away from it being finished."

[@anonymousstout4759]

@@ismaellopez3963 *130 years later and 10302 episode later* Okay everyone we finally completed the 80% of it but since we have better technology and rocket we are going to switch to other option

[@ismaellopez3963]

@@anonymousstout4759 epic waste of time there lmao

[@Red5.0931]

Am I the only one that enjoys James May's science?? I like him on GT but I want to see more science from him!

[@ogdrummer3826]

I like how he said top gear and not fifth gear ;)

[@sparrowlt]

There was a joke from Jezza long time ago (like 10 years ago) "allways use Top gear.. renember Fifth gear is no good"

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

sparrowJLT The competing show that was a Top Gear ripoff called itself 5th Gear. I guess that made "5th gear" unmentionable at the BBC.

[@TheKurtkapan34]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 i mean, fifth gear was more down to the real formula of being a car show wasn't it. like the top gear in 90s. after 2002, top gear became much more than that but it kinda lost its educational/journalism side. fifth gear filled that hole. you'd watch fifth gear for education and insights, you'd watch top gear for fun.

[@sparrowlt]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 5th Gear was what Tiff Needell, Vicky Henderson and Quentin Wilson wento to do when the original Top Gear was cancelled in the late 90s.. then Jezza went to do standaline videos along Andy Willman .. and few years later BBC offered Willman and Clarkson to recover TG .. their rivality was of course an ongoing joke among them.. Clarkson continued doing videos with Needell and Henderson across the years well after both shows had been on the road

[@garrold7123]

1st gear*

[@hanyoukimura]

Always enjoy May narrating a program.

[@Multrakiller]

James: "It's not very sophisticated" Don't make me send Jeremy Clarkson down to haunt you!

[@u2mister17]

Reminds me, a retired plumber, all the times an electrician told me he tried being a plumber and decided wiring was his calling. Holding back liquid pressures past all those fittings........amazing.

[@boncheung4315]

I mean, how hard can it be?

[@ankit22sharma]

He said top gear! On a BBC channel.... Ohh rest my beating heart!

[@deemey95]

its from 2009

[@ankit22sharma]

Ben Deem but BBC put it up now... So they are trying to get whatever they can

[@RWoody1995]

that's the joke.

[@justbored3.14]

i've seen this rocket in person... it's breathtaking

[@alexandersonmei]

I watch britlab only because of James may

[@mrpoopybutthole6314]

Alexander Anderson nnn

[@TheEgg185]

This is one of the best gentlemen in existence.

[@nickg90125]

I’ve seen the Saturn 5 in person and its truly amazing

[@petervalovic5504]

It is saturn v !!!

[@AlaskaSkidood]

You're coasting, you're in *The Grand Tour*

[@josiahricafrente585]

May: “You’re in top gear.” Me: “He said the words! He said the words!”

[@NxDoyle]

My daily commute used to be a 20 mins drive from Taylor Lake Village to Webster. It was 15 mins if I stayed on NASA Road 1 most of the way, but I couldn't resist hanging a right into Saturn Ln so I could drive past the Rocket Park hangar that this segment is filmed in.

[@Blibbz]

guys, this recording was taken in 2009, way before James left top gear.

[@katzen3314]

I thought he looked WAY younger than on the GT.

[@adriankepler5254]

no he is using a new lego from june

[@trickcyclists]

Sir Blibblob.... Yeah, that's why he got the plug in !

[@davidolie8392]

As Heinlein said, low earth orbit is halfway to everywhere.

[@michaelclentworth1283]

Therefore, all future flights to the Moon should be from the ISS, or any future replacements of it, rather than ground-launched.

[@michaelclentworth1283]

@Voltaic Fire Spaceplanes will definitely get more people into orbit.

[@vixo2d343]

I love the way James May explains everything...

[@mrscary3105]

Huge James May fan!

[@gallendugall8913]

Hooray for May!

[@chrisbowring4298]

Some correction is in order. You're only holding and gesturing with the command and service module sections that will be departing Earth orbit in route to the Moon. A very necessary element in order to land on the Moon is the (LM), lunar module and it's descent stage. Which will be attached together on their outbound journey to the moon, but will be left behind upon return. Very good! I watch the BBC channel every chance I get on my local cable network! 👏👍

[@Doping1234]

I wouldn't classify the turbo pumps in the motor as "not very sophisticated"

[@riparianlife97701]

The turbo pumps could make the Columbia River flow backward.

[@kyle6800]

Exactly. Simple does not mean imprecise.

[@gasgiant7122]

He’s like chuck Norris, to him they are “not very sophisticated “

[@G-ra-ha-m]

"Not very sophisticated" is perhaps referring to the turbo pumps existence and size. A modern closed cycle engine like the RD-180 simply eliminated these dinosaurs and there is another issue with the F-1 engines, they are cooled with a series of small tubes that form the combustion chamber - presenting great frictional loss so the turbo pump has to be much bigger then in a modern engine. Incidentally the tubular cooling also creates a limit of combustion pressures which severely limits power and efficiency, couple that with the strange choice of non mixing straight through injectors on the injector plate means that much of the fuel in the F-1 burns 'safely' outside of the engine with a bright yellow glow and huge tail flame. The F-1 engine is such a poor design that no aspect of it's design was ever used again and NASA totally redesigned the engines for the Shuttle in order to get an efficient launch. The F-1 choice of tubular cooling, straight injectors and external turbo pump are notably missing from the world's best rocket engines today, the RD-180 and derivatives.

[@DAMORBEL]

"It's the science behind . . " Sorry Dylan , the Apollo project rockets had little or nothing to do with science, which is about discovering the working of nature. The Apollo project worked by assembling a whole collection of fundamental principles in such a way that the 6 million parts all worked together to get the desired result - a man on the Moon and back again, safely. The people who do this kind of work are called 'engineers' who understand very well every detail of what is needed, they are absolutely not carrying out 'scietific experiments' where the crews lives are dependent on the result. With a disaster like the 'Challenger Shuttle' explosiong (killed all crew and passengers) it was not a failure on the part of the designers, the failure was due was to Launch Control (NASA management) deciding to launch an ice coated vehicle that was much colder than its design specification. Launch Control had received advice from the designers not to launch in the icy conditions because the seals on the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) would not close to gas tight at such a low temperature with the consequential total LoV (loss of vehicle). Doing anything like that in the military produces an immediate courts martial. It is very strange that the relevant NASA decision takers were not charged with murder or at least with incompetence because they chose to ignore their own specification.

[@ErickC]

TLI doesn't cause the spacecraft to leave the Earth's orbit per se, it just modifies the orbit from a circular parking orbit to a highly eccentric transfer orbit that allows the vehicle to be captured by the moon's gravity.

[@markmiller6844]

Kudos to Dr. Schmitt for not getting visibly miffed at James May for making the same asinine comment TWICE. "Capt. Slow" lived up to his name in this clip. "It's actually not very sophisticated, is it?" What?!

[@joijaxx]

Wow thanks for the great explanation!

[@2ndmaus]

In top gear and on to the grand tour of our solar system aye? Lol

[@Rekomeister]

"It's not very sophisticated " ( at 1:20 ) ?!?! It is the most complex and and ingenious machine ever made. Everybody agrees. Mr. James May forgot to take his medicine that day.

[@1337CodeMaster]

I'd argue that title goes to the LHC

[@RB747domme]

Mihai Voiculescu He means, in the world of 1960s rocketry, it's not really very sophisticated. Just pipes, plumbing impellers, and the control of fuel. That kind of technology had been around since the Second World War. What is impressive apart from anything else, is the scale. No rocket had ever been built on this kind of scale before. That's what makes it impressive. You have to remember James' engineering knowledge - he wasn't knocking it, he was as impressed as anyone else, he was just saying it's amazing how simple something like this is, and how effective it was.

[@jasperweaver3563]

Saying this is complex compared to today is like saying the pyramids are more complex then the Eiffel Tower... not even close. No arguing it was amazing, but the "most complex" ship sailed in the 80's

[@soxnation1000]

@@RB747domme "Just pipes." Yet somehow 50 years later, it's still the only rocket in history that has put men on the moon. Go read Stages of Saturn and the years that engineers spent trying to overcome the combustion instability, LOX pump explosions, welding defects, and guidance and computer problems that delayed the program over and over. Guess none of them were as brilliant as you.

[@soxnation1000]

@@jasperweaver3563The proof is in the pudding. No other space vehicle has done the complex the Saturn V did in putting men to the moon and back. Until another vehicle can demonstrate that it can do that better than the Saturn V, "more complex" my ass.

[@tobiasfellas]

I thought he was going to say 5th gear but he avoided that

[@nabhanyushetti9872]

Jeremy's explanation to the working of Saturn V: POWER!!!!!!!

[@dickfitswell3437]

I was very glad when they finally put the V in a enclosed, climate controlled building. Been several times while it was outdoor. Sure, it looked really awesome sitting at JSC but Its too hot in Texas to keep her in the elements. Plus she is close to Clearlake & Galveston and rust. If you havent seen the Saturn V in person then you should add it to the bucket list. Video does no justice. In person you will find yourself awe at the sheer size. It, to this day was the fastest thing ever built.(I think something coming into Earth went faster but it was aided by gravity and The V had to fight gravity). Also, We should have got 1 of the Shuttles, and not a actual size model. NY did not deserve one. Mission Control is in Houston (Clearlake) Astronauts have and probably always will train here (Ellington Field). We have the Vomit Commet too. The 1st word on the moon; after the landing checklist was complete was not "New York". It was "Houston...the Eagle has landed". Cool Video

[@burtwonderstone5315]

I wish I knew what model of the Saturn V he had at the end. I'd love to buy one.

[@FlorisMsvld]

Ever found out?

[@burtwonderstone5315]

@@FlorisMsvld Nope.

[@user_16309]

Dry good analogy! Never thought of it that way.

[@MikhaelAhava]

Last bit of word made my day!

[@keanehgz]

I like the fact that he could have said fifth gear as well but didn't hahaha

[@alirae1071]

It's incredible! I grew up idolizing Sally Ride! Wow!

[@robertoneill1979]

Our finest hour 🤩

[@jollyjakelovell4787]

the editor cut to quickly at the end, should have been a bit of pause at the end after captain Slow wryly said top gear.

[@mihaimih4669]

from 0:50 to 1:25 James put the "rocket science" concept in something normal in terms of the ingenuity and creativity, witch is right, build big for more fuel. well done for the truth

[@juliesczesny90]

You forgot about the LM, which actually LANDED on the moon? It's housed within the odd shaped looking part, that looks like an elongated dog med collar! It's attached to the SM, until the astronauts were ready to dock the CM with the LM! THAT IS TOP GEAR! Then they'd disconnect it, bolts would blow the housing off, flip the CM/SM around, dock it properly, at the correct time. - Daughter of one of the Rockwell Engineers, who worked on Sat V stage 2, all CM Block-2s to the moon, and that LM encasement. You're welcome.

[@samivillatorrevillatorre7532]

Maravilliso hazaña inolvidable para toda la humanidad 🌵🌵🇲🇽

[@TheUpsidedowner.]

I do like the way Mr Schmitt's humility and wisdom brings out this boyish fascination in May - he knows who the star of this show is and for once it isn't him.

[@allgood6760]

Coop vid!.. thanks! 👍🇳🇿

[@AfonsoSousa31]

Want to hear a joke? 3:56

[@MikhaelAhava]

AfonsoSousa31 the initial release of this one hour documentary for the UK was June 21, 2009, God, that was…6 and a half years ago, more or less.

[@pseudotasuki]

It's a catchy name!

[@deemfingtee]

the initial release of this one hour documentary for the UK was June 21, 2009, God, that was…6 and a half years ago, more or less.

[@franekkimono7012]

the initial release of this one hour documentary for the UK was June 21, 2009, God, that was…9 years ago, more or less.

[@silentrussians1363]

AfonsoSousa31 e

[@jameslyddall]

So happy I have come across this and not seen the comment board bombarded with flat earth dome trolls.

[@spikespa5208]

Yet. The cretins will show up sooner or later.

[@DigitalicaEG]

Shows you why SpaceX is doing something truly amazing by landing back those initial stage rockets

[@VolksTrieb]

thats truly remarkable but they arent as big as the saturn V and also have very very much better components and computers. For its day the saturn V was unbelievably advanced. At that time computers were so big you could just fit it in a room. The computer of the saturn V was so increadibly advanced for its time you cant imagine... SpaceX could just use a cellphone if they wanted to. Space X is good and does really get new stuff going, which I prefer over all our standard-marketing-bullshit we have got today... But for my the saturn V is more fascinating. I will be pleased if space X really somehow (manned or unmanned) gets someone or something to mars with no flaws. That would really be a big show ;)

[@sparrowlt]

Im really looking forward to december to see if they can finally launch the Falcon heavy..and if they finally do that BFR new rocket.. sounds a bit like smoke.. but so did the SpaceX thing of using reusable rocket stages capable of launching several tons into orbit reliably.. and they did it.. they are making the space race and space advancements real again (specially after the shuttle retiring setback)

[@xXJeReMiAhXx99]

falcon heavy is up to 5 million pounds of thrust, getting into saturn V territory there, absolutely agreed though it's unbelievable how advanced and powerful that rocket was, probably the most impressive to date.

[@jwilson2793]

Artemis 1 definitely stole thunder away from Starship, hope the latter will finally have a full assembly launch and get into orbit before the Artemis 2 mission…

[@zanemurcha9742]

The Saturn V was so big because it needed to carry the weight of the Astronauts balls.

[@xoxoj]

Not a lot of people can say what he can say. ❤️

[@Zamolxes77]

He had to mention Top Gear, when talking about rockets !

[@crankcasy]

What is the model That James is using at the end of this video? can you purchase it.

[@Grouuumpf]

I don't know about that one in particular, but there are several models you can purchase, one of them by Revell (probably the one I hear the most about)

[@Grouuumpf]

and it looks quite like this one, but I could be wrong

[@crankcasy]

It appears to be a lot more substantial than the Revell kit.

[@Amstelchen]

probably the UK Airfix kit, not the Revell one. I do own both of them, Revell has a deployable SLA, but Airfix hasn't.

[@sergiofrinchezki9089]

just buy the lego one thats coming out soon

[@FlyingAce1016]

weird this one and the one at the space and rocket center are both missing the interstage part between stages 2 and 3.. dang wish we had one fully complete to display.

[@notmadeofpeople4935]

The title should be "A subjective impression of the Saturn V" There was almost no information about how it actually works.

[@almostfm]

There's plenty of information about how it worked. Just because you want to think there isn't info or don't know how to look it up doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[@redgamer821]

Notmade ofPeople go watch the full documentary this is just a segment

[@SuperPlaystationlove]

every time I see his face I think of captain boring but what he talks about is interesting

[@silverlve70]

3:55 "...You're in top gear..." Roll credits

[@popra432]

Man propose The Stig to be pilot for the next Moon missions!:))))))

[@pmazzucca]

Don't forget about the LM (LEM) Lunar Module.Without the LM your not landing on the moon and returning to lunar orbit (it the only spacecraft designed to operate in the vacuum of space and the only manned spacecraft to land on a extraterrestrial surface) The most fault free component of the whole scheme!

[@frankieford7668]

Well done.!..Dr Slow....👍

[@ARose-ik2mi]

The irony of having Captain Slow going over one of the fastest man made objects ever.

[@bumpty9830]

"... you're coasting--you're in top gear." This quotation needs no further citation. It could only be spoken by Mr. Slowly.

[@PizzaChet]

You gotta love the emphasis on Top Gear!

[@vapenation7061]

3:56 pun intended.

[@riparianlife97701]

I've been in that building! I wish the fairings were there. There's an F1 engine at the Seattle museum of flight.

[@maxk4324]

Close, the first stage fuel was RP-1 which is more similar to Jet-A, where as aviation fuel is more similar to normal gasoline.

[@KaoruKat]

"You're in Top Gear" - video ends ahhhhh, my heart DX

[@kallewirsch2263]

The comparison to a gear box is not really a good analogy. The purpose of a gear box is to be able to change the ratio of momentum to number of revolutions and thus to adapt the relatively fixed engine power to what is needed right now. The purpose of staging is a completely different one. You do it in order to get rid of mass you do not have to heave up into orbit.

[@CrossWindsPat]

Just..... Let us have this please...

[@Gw0wvl]

He said it in a way so that ' Everyone ' could understand the concept , Not just mechanical Engineers or Rocket scientists etc ...... Everyone .

[@3gunslingers]

That was surprisingly... accurate. Not many short documentaries have pulled this off so far. Thank you.

[@m.s.l.7746]

I should really make the twenty mile drive to JSC to see the Saturn 5 sometime.

[@bessie2275]

Great video

[@thefowlyetti2]

He forgot the Lunar Module at the end, your not landing on the moon without one.

[@RonSonntag]

Oh ho! Nicely done.

[@PNolandS]

The “model” he used was and still is such a function and good looking toy, too bad they stopped making them. Still got mine, and I’m only missing one leg from the lunar lander.

[@Warriorking.1963]

Who manufactured that toy Saturn V?

[@AlonsoRules]

The most extraordinary thing about this rocket was the only thing that came back was the tiny pointed bit at the top below the escape system

[@f1matt]

RIP Al Warden

[@DCcopter]

Who is that

[@stratoblaster3236]

@@DCcopter Command Module Pilot for Apollo 15. One of 24 Moon walkers. Passed in March, at age 88.

[@yassassin6425]

@@stratoblaster3236 There were 12 moonwalkers. You are correct, that Alfred Warden was the CM pilot, but that meant he never descended to the surface. The two that did on that particular mission were Dave Scott and Jim Irwin.

[@bishopvick6373]

ouch saying that last line had to hurt

[@MrGregory777]

This was made in 2009 so yeah he can say Topgear without it being akward

[@stephensmith7405]

You forgot the LEM. The service module turned around, picked up the LEM and then went to the moon.

[@Agarwaen]

you forgot it's "LM"

[@SJSUPhilosopher]

Did I hear host James May say that six million moving parts is pretty simple? Schmitt was too polite to quarrel with him openly but Schmitt refused to agree with him and slightly changed the subject.

[@GuardianSoulkeeper]

He said in concept it's simple.

[@grandicellichannel]

The scale model James' using for explaining the vector Saturn stages at the end of the video is a Lego model or what? Thanks! :)

[@anasslimshady]

I would watch an ad for James May

[@ShannonSmith4u2]

It's crazy, when they left earth's gravity and headed out to the moon, they had to be going where the moon would be not where it was.

[@williamcroker9076]

Yeah it worked perfectly in putting three men into low earth orbit and no farther........ brilliant design

[@leor6089]

James may is my lord and saviour because no one like Jeremy and Richard understand him and he reminds me of myself

[@spamcan9208]

Where can I watch the full documentary?

[@mesonparticle]

Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt

[@tejasrao3]

Anyone know what model James uses in the diner?

[@myfavoritemartian1]

Of the four Saturn V rockets on display, only one was flight capable. (The one at Houston) The rest were made to be displays. I saw Apollo 8 launch and I will remember the sound and overwhelming feeling of power until I draw my last breath. (And I was 21 miles away)

[@stratoblaster3236]

There are actually only three left. Two of them were made from varies portions of the three cancelled Apollo missions (mixed and matched), and the third one, in Huntsville, was SA-500D... made to go through the dynamic structural tests at the Huntsville facility. The one in Huntsville was never meant to fly, but the other two were.

[@myfavoritemartian1]

@@stratoblaster3236 You have different information than I have. I'll research it a little more. Thanks for the prod.

[@myfavoritemartian1]

@@stratoblaster3236 SA500 at Huntsville, Sa513 at KSC, SA514 at Johnson and the SA515 is split up to two places, Infinity Science center and Nat. Air and Space Museum in DC. There are more pieces too, like the converted to be a mock up for Skylab and some at Alomogordo. The one at Johnson Space Center is the only whole one made to be launched. (But it has mixed pieces)

[@stratoblaster3236]

@@myfavoritemartian1 You may be correct about the SA 515 being split up, But the information I got from KSC was that the rocket there is made up from one of the cancelled Apollo missions, along with the first stage that was used about 20 times for engine test firings. I don't know how much is accurate, but that info came from them. They also said that another first stage from one of the later rockets was used in the launching of Skylab I. I don't know if this is true or not, but a tour guide down at KSC said that he wasn't positive, but he believed that the original first stage from the KSC rocket was the one for Skylab I.

[@rickardbergh5431]

And then the Space Shuttle turned out to be the most lethal US spacecraft; the 1986 Challenger explosion attributed to a faulty o-ring on the starboard SRB, and the 2003 break-up of Columbia during reentry after a piece of ET insulation came off during liftoff, ripping up the orbiter heat shield.

[@yassassin6425]

Yes, sadly the shuttle claimed the lives of 14 astronauts but that was in 135 launches versus 13 of the Saturn V. However, NASA were very fortunate that more of these missions didn't end in disaster. The shuttle was a flawed design, sat in a prone position at launch, the heat shield was exposed and vulnerable and it lacked a viable launch escape system. Incidentally, technically Challenger didn't 'explode'. The failure of the o-ring seal on the right side SRB that you refer to allowed white-hot exhaust gases to leak out. These gases burned through part of the external tank, and the aft booster attachment strut. When the rear of the tank gave way, the strut gave way also, which allowed the booster to pivot around the top attachment strut and crash into the top of the tank. The external tank disintegrated, which allowed many thousands of litres of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to spill out and vapourise. This is what caused the large white cloud that is so iconic an image of the Challenger accident. The orange glow was caused by the subsequent ignition of the hydrogen.

[@fromnorway643]

I like the Saturn V much more than the Shuttle, but that comparison is a bit unfair. The Shuttle had 135 launches while the Saturn v had only 13, and 3 of those (Apollo 4 and 6 and Skylab) were unmanned and couldn't have killed anyone. We will never know if a hypothetical 14th Saturn V launch would have ended in a disaster.

[@4stro6oy]

the origin of statistical approach of quality management

[@memadmax69]

Rocket science is easy... ... it was metallurgy that was the crux of the matter. Whole new metals/techniques had to be invented/created in order to create the worlds strongest rockets....

[@jason66801]

what brand of model is that? i can never find one that has all the stages and where the command module and service module seperate

[@itastain]

Anyone know where the rest of this is?

[@SickChikin535]

i always eat at that restaurant he was at near the end. good food.

[@drakkus13]

A question to Mr. James May. Can a piston engine get heavier, the higher the rpms.?

[@User-zz6si]

0:24 when a posh bird hooks up with you more than once

[@JasonHoughton]

I still don't understand why you have to travel at such high speed to get into space. I think of it this way; as being at the bottom of a deep swimming pool; as long as you are travelling upwards, no matter how fast, you will always get to the surface of the water. Why isn't the same true? as long as you are travelling up (lets ignore fuel cost for the sake of argument) you will eventually get to the surface, in this case; get through earths atmosphere and into space. Id be interested in someone trying to convince me the above isn't true.

[@GuardianSoulkeeper]

Every moment you are in the air, you need to spend fuel to keep yourself in the air. As a result, the longer you take to get out of the atmosphere and into orbit, the more fuel you're burning just to keep the height you've gained. It gets worse: The fuel you need to burn adds more weight to your rocket, meaning you're spending more fuel to carry the fuel you need to burn to keep you in the air. Result: Burn as fast as possible to spend as little fuel as possible.

[@kareemsalessi]

This short clip describes how Apollos were faked::: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4fFZqClbap7kKs

[@lisathaxton1634]

@@GuardianSoulkeeper you dont just go into space you go into orbit

[@stephenpage-murray7226]

Orbit not ‘space’

[@strider7362]

Well, if one did what you described, they'd have to indefinitely keep expending fuel to stay up because if earth's gravity. To go with your pool analogy, imagine being on the bottom of it with a huge balloon of air that's pulling you up - you'd have to keep swimming down to stay there! However what going really really fast while in space accomplishes is this: you keep falling towards earth, but you're going so fast you keep missing, and that's what staying in orbit means.