SATURN S-IVB is built by DOUGLAS (Aug, 1963)
SATURN S-IVB is built by DOUGLAS
A key factor in the NASA Apollo program, the Saturn S-IVB, operating as the second and final stage of the Saturn IB, will place the Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit. It will also operate as the third and final stage of the Saturn V, which NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has assigned to sending a manned Apollo to the moon late in this decade. S-IVB is 58 feet tall and 22 feet in diameter.
Today, all three subcontractors of the saturn V (Boeing, North American, and Douglas) are merged together as The Boeing company. The Mercury and Gemini spacecraft were also built by a heritage Boeing company, McDonnell.
Comment by KD5ZS — January 14, 2010 @ 3:43 pm
Lot of aerospace history in those names.
Starting with Apollo 13, NASA targeted those third stages to impact with the Moon to create events for the seismographs left behind. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken high-res photos of all of the Apollo landing sites and it finally captured a picture of the Apollo 14 S-IVB impact
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pa.....4sivb.html
As stated on the website “The Apollo impact velocity was at 5,682 mph. The booster component weighed 30,835 lbs at the time of impact, and the impact energy was equivalent to just over 10 tons of TNT. A seismometer placed in 1969 by Apollo 12 astronauts recorded the vibrations, which lasted for about three hours.”
Comment by Firebrand38 — January 14, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
That site will be interesting to check out when we start exploring the surface of moon again. I remember reading Popular science at the time and the article had pointed out that the first impact made the “moon ring like a bell.”
Comment by KD5ZS — January 14, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
KD5ZS: I remember that article too. http://books.google.com/books?.....38;f=false they were talking about the ascent stage of the Apollo 12 that had crashed earlier.
Comment by Firebrand38 — January 14, 2010 @ 6:44 pm
A forty year career at one company is not inconceivable. So imagine starting at Douglas in the 20s, building biplanes, and working up to moon rockets!
Comment by Essjay — January 14, 2010 @ 8:21 pm
Essjay: It was an amazing time. I think it was part of the CBS coverage of Apollo 11 but they were interviewing a woman who was a little girl during the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk and now she was going to watch men walk on the Moon. That and the message from Charles Lindbergh wishing the crew and Mission Control the best of luck.
Comment by Firebrand38 — January 14, 2010 @ 8:30 pm
When I was at McDonnell Douglas in the early 1990′s, a teammate celebrated his 50th service anniversary– so far I have only made it to 20 years and am now looking for work!
Comment by KD5ZS — January 15, 2010 @ 2:35 pm