Saturn C-4 Credit - © Mark Wade

The launch vehicle actually planned for the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous approach to lunar landing. The Saturn C-5 was selected instead to have reserve capacity.

Manufacturer: Von Braun. LEO Payload: 99,000 kg (218,000 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Payload: 32,000 kg (70,000 lb). to a: Translunar trajectory. Liftoff Thrust: 26,990.400 kN (6,067,683 lbf). Total Mass: 2,347,180 kg (5,174,640 lb). Core Diameter: 10.06 m (33.00 ft). Total Length: 76.00 m (249.00 ft). Flyaway Unit Cost $: 58.290 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.

• Stage Number: 1. 1 x Stage: Saturn S-IB-4. Gross Mass: 1,813,729 kg (3,998,587 lb). Empty Mass: 108,823 kg (239,913 lb). Thrust (vac): 30,962.526 kN (6,960,653 lbf). Isp: 304 sec. Burn time: 155 sec. Isp(sl): 265 sec. Diameter: 10.06 m (33.00 ft). Span: 11.28 m (37.00 ft). Length: 28.96 m (95.01 ft). Propellants: Lox/Kerosene. No Engines: 4. Engine: F-1. Status: Study 1960.

• Stage Number: 2. 1 x Stage: Saturn S-II-4. Gross Mass: 294,731 kg (649,770 lb). Empty Mass: 24,938 kg (54,978 lb). Thrust (vac): 3,557.313 kN (799,716 lbf). Isp: 420 sec. Burn time: 296 sec. Isp(sl): 300 sec. Diameter: 10.06 m (33.00 ft). Span: 10.06 m (33.00 ft). Length: 16.76 m (54.98 ft). Propellants: Lox/LH2. No Engines: 4. Engine: J-2. Status: Study 1960.

• Stage Number: 3. 1 x Stage: Saturn IVB. Gross Mass: 119,920 kg (264,370 lb). Empty Mass: 13,311 kg (29,345 lb). Thrust (vac): 1,031.983 kN (231,999 lbf). Isp: 425 sec. Burn time: 475 sec. Isp(sl): 200 sec. Diameter: 6.61 m (21.68 ft). Span: 6.61 m (21.68 ft). Length: 17.80 m (58.30 ft). Propellants: Lox/LH2. No Engines: 1. Engine: J-2. Status: Study 1960.

1961 August - Launch Vehicle: Saturn C-3, Saturn C-4.

• Heaton Committee recommends earth orbit rendezvous for Apollo mission Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Apollo Lunar Landing. The Ad Hoc Task Group for Study of Manned Lunar Landing by Rendezvous Techniques, Donald H. Heaton, Chairman, reported its conclusions: rendezvous offered the earliest possibility for a successful lunar landing, the proposed Saturn C-4 configuration should offer a higher probability of an earlier successful manned lunar landing than the C-3, the rendezvous technique recommended involved rendezvous and docking in earth orbit of a propulsion unit and a manned spacecraft, the cost of the total program through first lunar landing by rendezvous was significantly less than by direct ascent.References: 16.

• Working group on large launch vehicles Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. In a memorandum to D. Brainerd Holmes, Director, Office of Manned Space Flight (OMSF), Milton W. Rosen, Director of Launch Vehicles and Propulsion, OMSF, described the organization of a working group to recommend to the Director a large launch vehicle program which would meet the requirements of manned space flight and which would have broad and continuing national utility for other NASA and DOD programs. The group would include members from the NASA Office of Launch Vehicles and Propulsion (Rosen, Chairman, Richard B. Canright, Eldon W. Hall, Elliott Mitchell, Norman Rafel, Melvyn Savage, and Adelbert O. Tischler); from the Marshall Space Flight Center (William A. Mrazek, Hans H. Maus, and James B. Bramlet); and from the NASA Office of Spacecraft and Flight Missions (John H. Disher). (David M. Hammock of MSC was later added to the group.) The principal background material to be used by the group would consist of reports of the Large Launch Vehicle Planning Group (Golovin Committee), the Fleming Committee, the Lundin Committee, the Heaton Committee, and the Debus-Davis Committee. Some of the subjects the group would be considering were:
  1. an assessment of the problems involved in orbital rendezvous,
  2. an evaluation of intermediate vehicles (Saturn C-3, C-4, and C-5),
  3. an evaluation of Nova-class vehicles,
  4. an assessment of the future course of large solid-fuel rocket motor development,
  5. an evaluation of the utility of the Titan III for NASA missions, and
  6. an evaluation of the realism of the spacecraft development program (schedules, weights, performances).
  Rosen set November 20 as a target date for a recommended program.References: 16.

• Second decision on launch vehicles Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. Class: Manned. Golovin Committe studies launch vehicles through summer, but found the issue to be completely entertwined with mode (earth-orbit, lunar-orbit, lunar-surface rendezvous or direct flight. Two factions: large solids for direct flight; all-chemical with 4 or 5 F-1's in first stage for rendezvous options. In the end Webb and McNamara ordered development of C-4 and as a backup, in case of failure of F-1 in development, build of 6.1 m+ solid rocket motors by USAF.References: 26, 27.

• Saturn C-5 launch vehicle configuration selected Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Apollo Lunar Landing. Rosen Committee studies in November and December indicated that the most flexible choice for Apollo was the Saturn C-4, with two required for the earth orbit rendezvous approach or one for the lunar orbit rendezvous mission, with a smaller landed payload. The panel rejected solid motors again, but Rosen himself still pushed for Nova. An extra F-1 engine was 'slid in' for insurance, resulting in the Saturn C-5 configuration. The Manned Space Flight Management Council decided at its first meeting that the Saturn C-5 launch vehicle would have a first stage configuration of five F-1 engines and a second stage configuration of five J-2 engines. The third stage would be the S-IVB with one J-2 engine. It recommended that the contractor for stage integration of the Saturn C-1 be Chrysler Corporation and that the contractor for stage integration of the Saturn C-5 be The Boeing Company. Contractor work on the Saturn C-5 should proceed immediately to provide a complete design study and a detailed development plan before letting final contracts and assigning large numbers of contractor personnel to Marshall Space Flight Center or Michoud.References: 16.

• Bilstein, Roger E, Stages to Saturn, US Government Printing Office, 1980. ISBN: 0160489091. Excellent account of the evolution, design, and development of the Saturn launch vehicles. More at amazon.com...

• Lowther, Scott, Saturn: Development, Details, Derivatives and Descendants, Work in progress. Availabe chapters may be ordered directly from Scott Lowther at web site indicated. Accessed at: http://www.webcreations.com/ptm.

• Stuhlinger, Ernst, et. al., Astronautical Engineering and Science: From Peenemuende to Planetary Space, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964.