Saturn V(rev 2), Saturn IB and Skylab

[sgt_flyer]

Hello as, i guess, all of you, i really like mulbin's work on the munbug series, i decided to remake a rocket which looks even more like a real Saturn V. (i used mulbin's munbug V lander as a placeholder for the moment)

nevertheless, this one is more about the rocket itself

now i have saturn V's little sister, Saturn IB

Saturn V

a new and improved version of my first saturn V (apart from the service module, everything has been remade - starting with the improvements i made for the S IVb on saturn Ib - also has a new lander (the lander is not really appolo like, but with the limited space i have inside the fairing, that's the best i can do )

Showcase (clic on the image to access the gallery):

The rest of the mission, you should have seen plenty of time, the service module can return from mün after the münar mission, but if you want to circularize in LKO before landing, you'll have to do an aerobrake.

the file - the rocket has 781 parts and 657 tons on the pad, it's taller and slightly wider than the original.

Saturn V revision 2

this improved version has more delta-V in first stage, improved TWR and delta-V in second stage, and improved TWR in third stage.

it also have much better fairings (interstage fairing between first and second stage remade to be completely hollow (1 of the fairing's cubic strut will explode on decoupling, but it won't damage the second stage) and a payload fairing which opens like on the real one

the new lander, at 12 tons, is quite a beast (the descent module has a twr around 1.71 on kerbin, so be careful with the throttle when landing on mün - although it allowed me to test the module on kerbin )

custom Action Groups :

1 - decouple the launch tower from the command pod (used after the escape tower has run out of fuel after abort)

2 - toggle the lander's descent engines.

3 - deploy parachutes (in case of abort, to prevent going through all those stages )

Abort sequence : will decouple the command pod from the rocket, and the escape tower will make the command pod veer off course from the rocket's path, press '1' once the escape.

Ascent profile :

set your throttle to full thrust and liftoff.

Start your G-turn slowly at 8000m (you'll usually run out of fuel on first stage around 12000 / 13000m)

decouple your first stage (the decouping occurs in three steps : 1 - first stage jetissoning / 2 - interstage fairing jetisonning / 3 - second stage ignition) - just wait for the separatrons to finish burning between the steps )

continue your g-turn slowly (hit 45° angle of attack at 20km, and 30° at 30km, and aim to be level with the horizon between 40000m and 43000m. second stage run dry usually around 35000m.

once at the horizon, keep burning until your apoapsis is around 81000m - then wait until apoapsis to circularize (while still in atmo, the drag will slightly lower your apoapsis, so 81000m before engine shutdown should be enough to stay over 80000m).

make your münar injection burn (i usually burn until i'm on a collision course with mün, correcting to a free return trajectory with the service module when midway to mün)

once the third stage did it's job, decouple the fairings, then the service module, and go pick your lander from the third stage. (don't forget to activate ASAS before decoupling the service module from the third stage) (the staging should have been fixed on this version).

you can then deploy your lander's legs, and the service module antenna with just a press on the gear key

after you made your midcourse correction with the service module to a free return trajectory, it's a standard münar mission from then

after you landed on mün, don't forget to disable your descent module's engines with key '2' - to prevent accidents when decoupling the lander's ascent stage (for lander ascent, set your throttle to 1/3, and stage).

don't forget aerobraking when returning to kerbin if you want to be able to circularize in lko.

Saturn IB

so here we have saturn IB, which has just enough delta-V to put the service module alone in LKO

this saturn IB helped me to improve the SIVB (which is the saturn IB second stage) and the fairings, so these were reused on my saturn V rev 2:)

showcase : (clic the image to access the gallery)

the file : (443 parts, 248 tons on the pad)

http://www./download/3g6gfbtu1aukjbj/Saturn_1B.craft

Action groups :

the action groups are almost the same than on the Saturn V rev2

so key 1 to decouple the escape tower after an abort,

and key 3 to open the parachutes after abort.

abort key : decouple the command pod from the rocket, and igniting the escape tower to make the command pod veer off course from the rocket's path.

gear key : deploy the service's module antenna

Ascent profile :

go full throttle and liftoff.

start your G-turn at 8000m (make a slow turn to reach a 45° angle of attack at 20000m)

you'll usually run out of fuel on the first stage around 15000m - decouple the first stage, then eject the shroud once the separatrons stopped firing, and ignite the second stage's engines once the second set of separatrons stopped firing, and resume your G-turn (you'll be around 20000m at this time, so head directly for your 45° angle of attack) - the escape tower will be jetisonned when you ignite your second stage's engines.

continue your slow G-turn, to reach a 30° angle of attack around 30000m, then go for a 15° angle of attack at 40000m, and go for a 0° angle at 50000m. (your apoapsis should have almost reached it's point by then, so be sure to check )

aim for a 80000m apoapsis - (i usually push the apoapsis to 81000m before shutting down the engines, the few drag left will make the apoapsis go slightly down by the time you escape the atmosphere)

once at apoapsis, circularize.

kill all rotation before decoupling the fairing - and enjoy the fairing's opening. stage a last time to free the service module from the second stage - then do what you need to do in LKO with a service module before heading back to the ground

Here's a newcomer, Skylab (launched by Saturn V)

(clic the image to access the gallery)

Warning : high number of parts the Skylab on saturn V with the full fairings, is standing at 1005 parts - the skylab itself is around 350 parts.

i made a low part count version with no fairing, using my angara A5 as a launcher, which as a much more manageable number of parts

bonus on the station : i added a deployable ladder near the docking port, if you rotate your service module so the capsule's hatch face the ladder before docking, your kerbals won't need to use their EVA packs.

i also included some lights, for night dockings (they will only light up the docking port and the approaching service module)

note on the side solar panels : on the real one, the solar panels are folded along the sides of the skylab during ascent, the solar panels mount unfold before the solar panels deploy - i tried to emulate this with stock parts, but to no avail. (the only time i managed to get Jr docking port's attraction, it simply made the solar panels mount wobble greatly, shattering the solar panels, and in the end, the mount did not even connect)

the apollo telescope mount is supossed to rotate without being decoupled from the skylab to get in place, but i prefered to simply hide some RCS thrusters in the apollo's mount batteries, and translate it to it's final docking port.

Custom action groups :

key 1 : Toggle the Apollo Telescope Mount RCS thrusters. (don't forget to disable them if you need the RCS thrusters to rotate skylab once it's fully deployed)

key 2 : Toggle the 4 small radial engines (i added them for convenience, but they won't take you very far)

key 3 : deploy the side solar panels

key 4 : deploy the ATM solar panels

Skylab on saturn V :

download link : http://www./view/oidigq973w7f6qa/Skylab.craft

Ascent profile :

activate ASAS and go full throttle,

start your G-turn around 8000m, make a nice curve to level with the horizon between 45000m and 50000m (first stage usually jetisonned around 18000m)

push your apoapsis to 100km, before circularizing once you reached your apoapsis.

once circularized, jetisson the fairings, and decouple the saturn's second stage. (the second stage has RCS and monopropellent, a probe core and a ASAS included, so you should be able to deorbit it.)

Skylab on Angara A5 launcher(for those who need a low part count launcher) :

Ascent profile :

activate ASAS and go full throttle,

start your G-turn around 8000m, make a nice curve to level with the horizon at 40000m (the angara has a better TWR than the Saturn V version) - the first stage is usually jetisonned around 30000m.

push your apoapsis to 100km, then circularize once you reach your apoapsis.

decouple the second stage once circularized. (you can deorbit the second stage, it comes included with RCS / command probe / ASAS).

Station Deployement :

kill all rotation on the skylab (don't activate ASAS for deploying the ATM, simply warp time here to kill rotation)

decouple the ATM, and translate and rotate it around with RCS to one of the side's docking ports. (you should need only thrusting and rotating to the left and right, and a little backward)

note : the telescope mount thrusters have been placed around the COM of the telescope mount - so i did not need to include a ASAS inside it.

once the telescope mount is in place, orient it so the telescope mount face the sun, and deploy the station panels (key '3') then the telescope panels (key '4')

you can now send in a apollo service module from my Saturn 1B to crew your skylab (the 3 kerbals in a service module will have plenty of space, there's room for 12 inside the station ^^)

as always, have fun !

Old files :

Original Saturn V with Mulbin's munbug V lander

original Saturn V image gallery

Edited June 20, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[musketeer]

This looks absolutely amazing! How many parts is it, by the way? Looks like a lot...

[Henri von Braun]

Wow! Now that's a proper Saturn, with all the decals and paint jobs !

[iDan122]

Thas is amazing what you did with stock parts. Well done! Do please upload the .craft file and how many parts does it have?

[sgt_flyer]

i updated the first post with the .craft file, and the ascent profile.

i upgraded a bit the third stage's fairing, the fairing jetisonning is a bit better, with less parts. (final part count : 702, with 568 tons at liftoff)

here's the new jetisonning :

[GusTurbo]

Awesome. There seems to be some sort of realistic craft renaissance going on right now.

[Wayfare]

Apollo is all the rage these days Awesome rocket, sir!

[nettcod]

Looks good. What's the part count?

[sgt_flyer]

it's mentionned in the post 702 parts for 568 tons at liftoff

[Mulbin]

Very pretty! Glad to see my Mk V pod has found a use.

You have inspired me to rethink my own saturn V to look more like the real thing... initial test are now going well. Tricky though to get it looking more like yours but with the DV I need for the larger MK VII lander!... oddly I notice your craft is 13 tons heavier than mine, even with the smaller lander (fully loaded Munbug VII is 555 tons) but I can't see where the weight is coming from! I'll have to look more closely at your ship in the VAB... you have already inspired me with your use of the square metal plates to shield the crossfeed from the first stage engines, has made my fuel system much easier to plan now I know this trick!

[sgt_flyer]

@ mulbin - the third stage is bigger than the one on your jool V, and i've hidden some additional tanks inside the stages to get some extra Dv (as the third stage is propelled by a skipper, with an additional lvt 30 clipped inside, it's more for the TWR requirements than the Delta-v here that i needed this trick) so i guess that's where the extra weight come from (note : the problem i had with your new eagle, is that it was too big to fit inside )

Edited June 13, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[sgt_flyer]

reworked the third stage's fairing, and i'm working on a saturn 1B develloped from my saturn V third stage (this one will barely get the service module into LKO, and there's nothing inside the fairing)

Edited June 13, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[GusTurbo]

you have already inspired me with your use of the square metal plates to shield the crossfeed from the first stage engines, has made my fuel system much easier to plan now I know this trick!

Now I'm curious about this trick. How exactly does it work?

[sgt_flyer]

the square metal plates have two advantages, especially for Mainsails : 1 - they do not have crossfeed, so if you place your metal plate between your tank and the mainsail, the mainsail will be isolated from the tank (so the fuel flow is much easier to make, especially on tank clustering) - second advantage, by having a 'buffer' between the mainsail and the tank, it should severely diminish the overheating tendencies of the mainsails note : you still need to strut the mainsail a bit to avoid it going through your rocket

here's an example about overheat protection : the central mainsail is separated by a square plate from the jumbo tank - and i have a fuel line going from the central tank to the central mainsail. (although using a modular girder has more or less the same effect on overheat, and you don't need the fuel line in this case.)

[sgt_flyer]

i will upload soon the saturn 1B it helped me redevelloping the SIVB stage, and more important the fairing itself (but i'll have to devellop a new lander for saturn V if i use this fairing) this new fairing now opens like the real one

[sgt_flyer]

added Saturn IB to the first post (and linked to the imgur albums, so it's less image cramped in the post:p).

[Drunkrobot]

That would murder my little laptop! Still, looks amazing!

[nettcod]

That Saturn 1-B looks amazing!

[MK3424]

Yep she is a beaty! S-IB!

[sgt_flyer]

okay, i've added a new version of the Saturn V on the first page - this one has better TWR in second and third stage, and higher delta-v in the first stage, so it should be much more easier to get into orbit with it, also it has a new homemade lander (mulbin's landers can't fit inside the new fairing)

this version of the saturn V was created from the improvements i made of the S-IVB when i develloped the S-IB rocket (payload fairings and better TWR). also the interstage fairing between the first and the second stage is now a complete ring. (nothing inside the interstage unlike the previous version )

I guess the next step would be to make Skylab from the Saturn V rev 2

Edited June 18, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[sgt_flyer]

Sneak Peek (yes, it has both side solar panels still attached ^^), and my service module (launched later from my saturn 1- is attached to it.

Edited June 20, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[sgt_flyer]

two new pics of the skylab in orbit

and i stumbled upon this : this year was the 40th birthday of Skylab's launch - it was launched may 14th 1973

Edited June 20, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[sgt_flyer]

Added the Skylab download link and ascent instructions to the first page. (i also included a low part count launcher for the skylab - because the version with Saturn V as a launcher has 1005 parts , there's instructions for both launchers).

Have fun

[sgt_flyer]

new version of the Saturn 1B in the works

it will have various improvements :

cosmetics around the base of the first stage - to look more like the real one

Early engine cutoff for the center engines of the first stage (they will cut off 8s before the outer engines)

improved interstage : the interstage will push the S-IVB during separation, and you will be able to ignite the S-IVB engine during the interstage SRB's burn, only to jetisson the interstage 10 seconds later (the new interstage being totally hollow, it will not affect the S-IVB engine thrust)

the escape tower will be jetisonned at the same time than the interstage.

improved payload fairing : no more I-Beam connecting the S-IVB to the CSM the CSM is now hold directly by one of the four panels. still tweaking this one to have a good opening sequence (note : i develloped my own version it, it does not work the same way than Mulbin's version actually, it works in a reverse way compared to Mulbin's munbug VIII fairing)

of course, every upgrade i made for the saturn 1B will sooner or later be adapted to the saturn V

Edited June 23, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[Nephf]

Why don't use a Stock LES?