luke strawwalker
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Well, here's probably the biggest one I've done yet... worked on it most of the day! It's the "Modified Launch Vehicle (MLV) Saturn V Improvement Study Composite Summary Report" from July 1965. It's only 76 pages, but most all of it is relevant to modeling the rockets in question (or at least answering why certain versions were recommended and some weren't, and how the evolution of the Saturn V would likely have gone had it become reality). The rocket configurations started off looking at just uprated engines, the 1.8 million pound thrust F-1A, and the 205,000 lb thrust and 220,000 lb thrust upgraded J-2. The configurations also went on to incorporate a new high-pressure high ISP liquid hydrogen engine, the HG-3, which was capable of over 315,000 lbs thrust. Tank stretches to all the stages to increase propellant capacity and beefing up the structures to handle the increased flight acceleration loads and heavier payloads on top were the main changes.
Further investigations also looked at increasing engine counts in all stages (except the S-IVB third stage) as a potential short-term upgrade step using off-the-shelf F-1 and J-2 rocket engines, reducing the costs and risks of engine development programs, while leaving the door open later to further modifications later to use the upgraded engines at a later time if and when they became available. The S-IC with an additional F-1 engine, for a total of SIX first stage engines, was studied, along with the requisite strengthening and stretched propellant tanks to carry the fuel for the sixth F-1. The S-II stage was redesigned for SEVEN J-2 engines, and the possibility of a tank stretch to increase propellant capacity from 970,000 lbs to 1.2 million lbs was investigated. A very beefed up S-IVB stage was investigated as well, first with a standard or uprated J-2, which would be capable of handling the greater flight loads of the beefed up first and second stages and heavier payloads on top, which later would have been capable of having an uprated J-2 engine dropped in. Another S-IVB stage variant was looked at that would use the high pressure high thrust HG-3 engine, which would require a new thrust structure and substantial beefing up to handle the higher thrust levels, so was practically a whole new stage. Part of the study also focused on using the NERVA nuclear rocket engines as potential nuclear stage engines, which when coupled with Saturn upgrades would have had TREMENDOUS payload capabilities, easily doubling the capacity of Saturn V, or more. The main problem with the nuclear stages was the huge size of the hydrogen propellant tank for the nuclear rocket engine reactor... these variants topped out at 470 feet tall-- over 100 feet taller than the standard Saturn V, and 60 feet taller than the VAB doors! Potential solutions to this quandary were discussed as well. The study also looked at designs using the UA-1205 solid rocket motor from Titan III, clustering four of them around the first stage MS-IC for additional liftoff thrust. This was a truly HUGE launch vehicle!
All in all, it's a FASCINATING read in to the "what might have been" had Saturn been continued into the mid-late 70's. It also presents a WEALTH of potential Saturn V variants that were proposed and planned but never actually happened, with enough data to construct them. Some of the nuclear versions were truly mammoth! Any would make interesting models. Pictures from the study will follow with appropriate descriptions...
Later! OL JR
View attachment NASA Study Summary- Modified Launch Vehicle Saturn V Improvement Study.txt
Further investigations also looked at increasing engine counts in all stages (except the S-IVB third stage) as a potential short-term upgrade step using off-the-shelf F-1 and J-2 rocket engines, reducing the costs and risks of engine development programs, while leaving the door open later to further modifications later to use the upgraded engines at a later time if and when they became available. The S-IC with an additional F-1 engine, for a total of SIX first stage engines, was studied, along with the requisite strengthening and stretched propellant tanks to carry the fuel for the sixth F-1. The S-II stage was redesigned for SEVEN J-2 engines, and the possibility of a tank stretch to increase propellant capacity from 970,000 lbs to 1.2 million lbs was investigated. A very beefed up S-IVB stage was investigated as well, first with a standard or uprated J-2, which would be capable of handling the greater flight loads of the beefed up first and second stages and heavier payloads on top, which later would have been capable of having an uprated J-2 engine dropped in. Another S-IVB stage variant was looked at that would use the high pressure high thrust HG-3 engine, which would require a new thrust structure and substantial beefing up to handle the higher thrust levels, so was practically a whole new stage. Part of the study also focused on using the NERVA nuclear rocket engines as potential nuclear stage engines, which when coupled with Saturn upgrades would have had TREMENDOUS payload capabilities, easily doubling the capacity of Saturn V, or more. The main problem with the nuclear stages was the huge size of the hydrogen propellant tank for the nuclear rocket engine reactor... these variants topped out at 470 feet tall-- over 100 feet taller than the standard Saturn V, and 60 feet taller than the VAB doors! Potential solutions to this quandary were discussed as well. The study also looked at designs using the UA-1205 solid rocket motor from Titan III, clustering four of them around the first stage MS-IC for additional liftoff thrust. This was a truly HUGE launch vehicle!
All in all, it's a FASCINATING read in to the "what might have been" had Saturn been continued into the mid-late 70's. It also presents a WEALTH of potential Saturn V variants that were proposed and planned but never actually happened, with enough data to construct them. Some of the nuclear versions were truly mammoth! Any would make interesting models. Pictures from the study will follow with appropriate descriptions...
Later! OL JR
View attachment NASA Study Summary- Modified Launch Vehicle Saturn V Improvement Study.txt