WORLD OF SCIENCE
Werner’s wonderful rockets
DR. T. V. PADMA
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Saturn Rockets were built under the leadership of Werner von Braun, a German by birth.
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Launching a spaceship to the moon was not easy. It required a powerful rocket. Lunar rockets called Saturn Rockets were built under the leadership of Werner von Braun, a German by birth. Saturn 1 was a two-stage rocket. Saturn 1 vehicles were launched successfully between 1961 and 1965.The 1st unmanned Apollo spacecraft was launched by it. Saturn 1V was an upgraded version of Saturn 1. It was scheduled to launch Apollo. Unfortunately a fire broke out in Apollo 1 killing a
ll three astronauts in it.
Improved version
s and this did not include the spacecraft section. The first stage was 138 ft long and had the biggest job. It travelled the shortest distance but had to lift the six million pound vehicle from the launch pad to an altitude of about 36 miles and a speed of 6000 mph and it had to do it in two-and-a-half minutes! It had five engines and burned a combination of refined kerosene and liquid hydrogen. The second stage was designed to reach an altitude of about 100 miles and a velocity of about 17400mph. The third stage had to put the spacecraft into Earth orbit. Later it was re-ignited to begin the long journey of the spacecraft to the Moon.
The Apollo capsule incorporated many features in its three modules. The Command module served as living and working quarters for a three-man crew. Instrument panels and consoles lined the walls. The cylindrical service module was designed to house the spacecraft’s support systems — its electrical power, oxygen supplies and service propulsion system or SPS. The SPS engine controlled by a computer was the one to put the Apollo spacecraft into orbit around the Moon and bring it back to the Earth again.
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