Few launch vehicles are as iconic and distinctive as NASA's behemoth
rocket, the Saturn V, and none left such a lasting impression on those
who watched it ascend. Developed with the specific brief to send humans
to the Moon, it pushed rocketry to new scales. Its greatest triumph is
that it achieved its goal repeatedly with an enviable record of mission
success. Haynes' Saturn V Manual tells the story of this magnificent and
hugely powerful machine. It explains how each of the vehicle's three
stages worked; Boeing's S-IC first stage with a power output as great as
the UK's peak electricity consumption, North American Aviation's S-II
troubled second stage, Douglas's workhorse S-IVB third stage with its
instrument unit brain - as much a spacecraft as a rocket. From the
decision to build it to the operation of its engines' valves and pumps,
this lavishly illustrated and deeply informative book offers a deeper
appreciation of the amazing Saturn V.