Saturn V

WAEC Rockets
Space Racer
SAM-66
Sunbird II
Pi
Sprint
Leviathan
Space Racer II
Arcturus Mk. 1
Roswell or Bust!
Brinley
Short March
Discovery
XW-1
Apollo-LES
Sprint II
Lone Star
Mercury-Redstone
Shenzhou
Saturn 1B
Saturn V
Gemini-Titan II
Juno I
Chrysler Building

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WAEC Inventory

Fleet Photos

For as long as I've been involved deeply in model rocketry, I believe, I've been thrilled and tantalized by the idea of building and flying a model Saturn V, a scale representation of the manned moon rocket, the largest rocket ever. However, I'd never gotten around to building such a rocket, for a variety of reasons: the available kit selection was not particularly good, the design is complicated, a Saturn V would naturally have to be large, and the small fins in the rear would make a scale model hard to stabilize. Ignoring these difficulties, I placed the construction of a scale Saturn V at the top of my list of Nine Objectives for the final year of the WAEC.

I considered and abandoned more ideas for this model than any of the WAEC's other original designs. I began by attempting to convert my 1/200 plastic Saturn V, which I'd built two years earlier, into a flying model (which seemed reasonable, since my conversion of the companion Saturn 1B was proceeding well). But, I abandoned that idea when I realized that the smallest engine that could lift a model of that weight would be a D (far too powerful for a plastic model), and a cluster of, say, 5 mini engines would be too complicated to pull off effectively. I then came up with the conviction that I did not want to scratchbuild a Saturn V. Conversions of existing static models were out. This was when I realized that the existing market for Saturn Vs was abysmal. I was looking for something around, say, 1/200 scale, like my plastic model, which is big enough to be impressive, but not too big to be simply imposing and cumbersome. I found three flying models: one by Neubauer in 1/400 scale or so (far too small), a rerelease of the old Estes model in 1/100 scale (too large and complicated), and a new model by Apogee Components in 1/72 scale (far too big and far too complicated, and not to mention expensive).

Next, I tried finding a suitable plastic model to convert, since my existing 1/200 version wouldn't work. I decided the 1/96 Revell model would be too big and heavy, and I couldn't find the 1/144 Airfix version anywhere for a good price.

Eventually, I landed on the idea of converting a paper model, the sort that's available on the internet. I didn't want anything too big and complicated, but I also didn't want a tiny model which would barely look like a Saturn V, and wouldn't fly like one at all. I eventually found a simple model at the site for the Lower Hudson Valley Challenger Center Gift Shop (really just a large collection of paper models). The model was in quite a small scale, but I scaled it up to about 1/560 scale. This way, the lower (S-IC) stage would fit around a BT-20 tube.

I built the model rather quickly and cheaply, throwing together pieces without much regard for the quality of my work, just wanting to the get the model finished and flown to accomplish another objective. I'm definitely disappointed with the results of my model. I didn't plan very far in advance how I'd stabilize the model, so I had to cut it open to put clay in the front. This ruined the aesthetics of the model, I believe.

For the sake of achieving the objective, and for no other reason, I flew the model once, on June 15, 2004. Since it was rather heavy, I fired it off on an A10-3T engine. It leapt off the pad and shot upward, much faster than I'd expected, arcing up and over before finally coming down on the other side of the street that borders the launch range I was using. It crashed on the sidewalk, and broke into several pieces, since I didn't have much in the way of a recovery system. I raced over and picked up the pieces (although I couldn't find the toothpick I was using for an LES). It was a disappointing (but fitting) end for a disappointing model.

Saturn V Specifications

Subject: Saturn V (typical)
Scale: 1/560
Length: 20 cm
Core Diameter: 1.8 cm (BT-20)
Engine Mount: 13 mm
Nose: Scale spacecraft with simplified LES
Stabilization: 4 clipped-delta fins and nose weight
Recovery: Separation
Number of Flights: 1

Saturn V Plans

Official WAEC plans

Saturn V Images

	The WAEC's two lackluster scale paper model rockets, the Gemini-Titan II on the left and the Saturn V on the right.
	A composite view of the 1/200 Saturn V which I briefly considered converting into the flying model for this objective.
	The complexity of the engines on the 1/200 model illustrate how difficult it would be to convert this model into a flying rocket.
	The fragile plastic spacecraft would also have been quite difficult to strengthen suitably for flight.
	The Saturn V paper model, as damaged by its only flight.
	Detail of the paper engine fairings, singed during boost.
	The model rebuilt, April 2007.
	Top view of the rebuilt model.
	Launch of the Apollo 13 mission, April 11, 1970. (NASA)
	Rear view of the Saturn V on display at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, photographed in 2003.
	Front view.

Saturn V Flight Log

Date:	Propulsion:	Remarks:
June 15, 2004	A10-3T	Stable boost, high apogee, but unsafe recovery and rough landing.