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Forum:	Mercury - Gemini - Apollo
Topic:	Apollo space vehicle propulsion elements

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Your Reply: HTML is ON UBB Code is ON Smilies Legend	[QUOTE]Originally posted by Solarplexus: [B]There you go, thank you. A very informative video. Thanks to Amy too. So, 83 rocket engines in total, plus five on the escape tower if we include them, total 88. Or 84 on Apollo 15 as Blackarrow noted. A solid number. Would love to see them all laid out on a hangar floor. [/B][/QUOTE]
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<table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="600"><TR><td bgcolor="#000000"><TABLE BORDER=0 cellpadding=4 border=0 cellspacing=1 WIDTH="100%"><TR bgcolor="#660000"><TD COLSPAN=2><CENTER>T O P I C     R E V I E W</CENTER></TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Solarplexus</TD><TD>How many rocket engines was there in total on the Apollo space vehicle, large and small ones? I know there were five F-1s (first stage) and six J-2s (second and third stage). Eight retrorockets on the Saturn V first stage, four on the second stage and maybe four on the third stage, 16? The escape tower, four. A main engine on the service/command module plus 12 attitude control system rockets. Two main engines on the lunar module descent/ascent stages (one each). Additionally 16 smaller thrusters on the LM ascent stage.62 in grand total, is that correct?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>space1</TD><TD>I believe the escape rocket had a single rocket motor with 4 nozzles. At any rate it also had a jettison rocket engine at the nose.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>SpaceAholic</TD><TD>Low, number well over 80. You under counted CSM RCS and there were S-II/S-IVB ullage motors and APS engines too.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Solarplexus</TD><TD>Huh, yes I obviously missed some there. Thanks for answers. I assumed by pictures that there was four engines in the escape tower, minus two there then. But a lot more engines on the S-II/S-IVB ullage motors and APS engines. At <A HREF="http://www.spaceline.org/rocketsum/saturn-v-apollo.html" TARGET=_blank>Spaceline</A> it is stated that there was 41 separate engines on the Saturn V. That must include retro rockets on all stages and separation rings I guess.So it adds up. I will try to find some more info on the service/command and lunar modules.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Blackarrow</TD><TD>You need to take account of the fact that on Apollo 15 the number of first-stage retro-rockets was reduced from 8 to 4, but the number was restored to 8 for Apollo 16.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>paul.i.w</TD><TD>Here's a useful video going through all 83 engines and motors.<center><iframe width="400" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F2c9LPNRonQ?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen>

Solarplexus

There you go, thank you. A very informative video. Thanks to Amy too.

So, 83 rocket engines in total, plus five on the escape tower if we include them, total 88. Or 84 on Apollo 15 as Blackarrow noted. A solid number. Would love to see them all laid out on a hangar floor.

Jim Behling

Escape tower had only three (escape, jettison and pitch over). The number of nozzles do not equate to number of motors. The escape motor had four nozzles but only one motor grain. Same with the jettison (multiple nozzles with one grain).

Solarplexus

That's confirmative, thanks. I just included the number of engines stated in the end of the video, at 6:03 min. Then we have 83 engines plus 3 at the escape tower, 86 in total. 82 on Apollo 15. And all had to work, amazing.

Blackarrow

And all would have been in vain if the mortars that blew out the parachutes hadn't worked. But those were pyrotechnics, not rockets, and I don't think they count, or we would have to increase that number a lot!

Jim Behling

quote:
Originally posted by Solarplexus:
And all had to work, amazing.

No, the escape and pitch motor did not operate for a successful launch.

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