The Saturn V was the largest operational launch vehicle ever produced. Standing over 363 feet high with its Apollo spacecraft payload, it produced over 7.5 million pounds of thrust at lift-off. The Saturn V was the first large vehicle in the U.S. space program to be conceived and developed for a specific purpose. The lunar landing task dictated the make-up of the vehicle, but it was not developed solely for that mission. As President Kennedy pointed out when he issued his space challenge to the Congress on May 25, 1961, the overall objective is for "this Nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth." He said of the lunar landing project: "No single space project in this period will be more exciting. or more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish... " The Saturn V and Apollo programs were the biggest single technological undertaking in U.S. history. The total cost was to exceed 25 billion dollars to put the first two men on the moon. But most of that money was spent in the United States! The 300,000-pound first stage was 33 feet in diameter and 138 feet long. It was powered by five F-1 engines generating 7.5 million pounds of thrust. The booster burned 203,000 gallons of RP-1 (refined kerosene) and 331,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (LOX) in 2.5 minutes. Saturn V's second stage was powered by five J-2 engines that generated a total thrust of a million pounds. The 33-foot diameter stage weighed 95,000 pounds empty and more than a million pounds loaded. It burned some 260,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 83,000 gallons of liquid oxygen during a typical 6- minute flight. The third stage of the vehicle was 21 feet and 8 inches in diameter and 58 feet and 7 inches long. An interstage adapter connected the larger diameter second stage to the smaller upper stage. Empty weight of the stage was 34,000 pounds and the fueled weight is 262,000 pounds. A single J-2 engine developing up to 225,000 pounds of thrust powered the stage. Typical burn time was 2.75 minutes for the first burn and 5.2 minutes for a translunar injection. The vehicle instrument unit sat atop the third stage. The unit, which weighed some 4,500 pounds. contained the electronic gear that controlled engine ignition and cutoff, steering, and all other commands necessary for the Saturn V mission. The diameter of the instrument unit was 21 feet and 8 inches, and its height was 3 feet. Directly above the instrument unit in the Apollo configuration was the Apollo spacecraft. It consisted of the lunar module. the service module, the command module, and the launch escape system. Total height of the package was about 80 feet. All of this was assembled by giant cranes indoors in the Vehicle Assembly Building. This building was, at the time, the largest volume enclosed in a single structure; it was so large, it had its own 'weather' inside. You can get a feel for how big this building is by looking for the cars in the parking lot. Return