S-I

The S-I was the first stage of the Saturn I rocket used by NASA for the Apollo program.

Design

The S-I stage was powered by eight H-1 rocket engines burning RP-1 fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX) as oxidizer. The design of the S-I was based on Jupiter and Redstone tanks to leverage existing chains. A central Jupiter tank was surrounded by a cluster of eight Redstone tanks. Four of these Redstone tanks contained LOX and four contained RP-1. The outer tanks were painted to alter thermal conditions inside the tanks and to provide a "roll pattern" used to estimate radial motion during flight. The engines were arranged in two clusters, a group of four fixed central engines and a group of four outer gimbaled engines. The gimbals allowed the stage to be controlled with thrust vectoring. On launches after SA-5, eight fins were added to enhance control during atmospheric flight.

History

The S-I stage was developed by Chrysler and consisted of 9 tanks that were previously used on existing rockets. The central tank was a Jupiter tank that held liquid oxygen. This Jupiter tank was sounded by eight Redstone tanks, four for liquid oxygen and four for RP-1. The first four launches had no fins on the S-I, but the remaining six added them to improve stability during atmospheric flight. The initial launch of the Saturn I consisted of an active S-I, an inactive S-IV and inactive S-V stage. Tensions were high as a launch vehicle of this size had never flown before. The S-I was partially loaded with propellant to lessen the destruction if an anomaly occurred near or on the pad. In the end, the launch was successful and the subsequent SA-5 launch was identified by John F. Kennedy as the launch that put the U.S. above the USSR in terms of lift capability.

Flight history