S-IVBs still in orbit

[Winston]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-IVB

S-IVB-503N Apollo 8 December 21, 1968 Heliocentric orbit
S-IVB-504 Apollo 9 March 3, 1969 Heliocentric orbit
S-IVB-505 Apollo 10 May 18, 1969 Heliocentric orbit
S-IVB-506 Apollo 11 July 16, 1969 Heliocentric orbit
S-IVB-507 Apollo 12 November 14, 1969 Heliocentric orbit; Believed to have been discovered as
an asteroid in 2002 and given the designation J002E3

Object J002E3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J002E3

 

[Winston]

From the thread: Spotting solar-orbiting Saturn V stages

https://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/000967.html

Astronomers at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Lab identified an S-IVB stage in September 2002 based on its paint.

"Rather than looking like a known asteroid, the colors were consistent with the spectral properties of an object covered with white Titanium oxide (TiO) paint," Hergenrother said. "The Apollo Saturn S-IVB upper stages were painted with TiO paint," he noted.

Observations conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology further confirmed the UA astronomers research. Infrared spectra "confirm that J002E3 is a dead ringer for white TiO paint," Hergenrother added.

As a result, the UA astronomers concluded that object J002E3 is most likely a S-IVB stage from either Apollo 8, 10, 11, or 12, with Apollo 12 being most likely.

Why finding those S-IVBs will most likely remain accidental:

It's my understanding that the orbits are unpredictable and somewhat chaotic. Even though we know the parameters of the engine burns that put the S-IVb's into solar orbit, there was outgassing from the stages that imparted other forces to alter their trajectories. Toss in the three-body problem of the effects of Sun, Moon, and Earth, add a pinch of solar radiation pressure, and bake for 40 years, and you have an uncertainty souffle.

S-IVB for Apollo 12 – temporarily recaptured in Earth orbit 2002, escaped again 2003

 

[georgegassaway]

And here's a video explaining why the Saturn-V S-IVB's after Apollo-12 are not in orbit.

That ignores Skylab, since it was literally a shell of its original self, with no propulsion, launched into LEO by the Saturn-V's S-II 2nd stage (which stayed in orbit for a few years). And it re-entered anyway in 1979. As was true of the Saturn-IB launched S-IVB's into LEO.

[video=youtube;kDyEWbQK8xc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDyEWbQK8xc[/video]

 

[BMG22]

And here's a video explaining why the Saturn-V S-IVB's after Apollo-12 are not in orbit.

That ignores Skylab, since it was literally a shell of its original self, with no propulsion, launched into LEO by the Saturn-V's S-II 2nd stage (which stayed in orbit for a few years). And it re-entered anyway in 1979. As was true of the Saturn-IB launched S-IVB's into LEO.

I always have been impressed how they built Skylab (and the unlaunched Skylab B) out of repurposed S-IVB's.....much better then the "wet workshop" idea they had. I would have loved to have seen other ideas they had in the Apollo Applications Project come to fruition.

 

[Nytrunner]

An uncertainty soufflé.

I'm going to lever that into a discussion at work this week.