Moon rocket engines recovered from bottom of Atlantic ocean

[columbia]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/03/ ... tic-ocean/

That's kind of remarkable.

[Bioshock]

I'm surprised they didn't find the Flyers down there while they were at it.

[mac5155]

Potw.

[tifosi77]

Absolutely amazing. If you get the chance to go see one of those F1 engines in person, do it.

It's bonkers to think that my Galaxy SIII has more computer processing power than all of NASA had when they sent dudes to the moon.

[shafnutz05]

On a related note, I noticed Voyager I and II were back in the news this week.

I find it absolutely incredible that both of these spacecraft are STILL delivering data back to NASA even as they rapidly approach the outer edge of our solar system.

And just look at what Voyager 2 accomplished. Over the span of the 1980s, this single spacecraft encountered and photographed all four of the outer gas giants, along with many of their moons. Now, much like it's sister craft, it heads boldly into interstellar space. Just amazing stuff.

[pittsoccer33]

I remember reading (perhaps an urban legend) that the plans for the Saturn V rockets has been lost

[newarenanow]

Wow. THat's awesome.

And Bioshock, awesome posts.

[relantel]

On a related note, I noticed Voyager I and II were back in the news this week.

I find it absolutely incredible that both of these spacecraft are STILL delivering data back to NASA even as they rapidly approach the outer edge of our solar system.

And just look at what Voyager 2 accomplished. Over the span of the 1980s, this single spacecraft encountered and photographed all four of the outer gas giants, along with many of their moons. Now, much like it's sister craft, it heads boldly into interstellar space. Just amazing stuff.

And don't forget Voyager 6

[tifosi77]

I remember reading (perhaps an urban legend) that the plans for the Saturn V rockets has been lost

If true, I would imagine there are myriad factors that might explain that.

Annnnnnd...... a quick trip to the Google Box bears that out. Seems many of the subs are defunct, and the medium in which a lot of the data was stored was obsolete within a few years. There have been sufficient advances in rocketry since 1969 that I'm not sure a Saturn V rocket would even be viable today, anyway.

Interesting to read that this rocket system would cost $4.4 billion per launch in today's money......






Edited because I can't count commas.

[JS©]

I'm surprised they didn't find the Flyers down there while they were at it.

boom

[Shyster]

The overall Saturn V would be antiquated by today’s standards, but there are plenty of components that would still be perfectly viable with a little modernization, like the F-1 and J-2 engines. I take the view that the Space Transportation System (i.e., the STS, or space shuttle) was essentially a dead-end and the space program would have been better served by continuing to develop and modernize rockets like the Saturn V and I-B. The SLS in operation was far more expensive than it was ever planned to be, and it was strictly limited to low-Earth orbit. More than 30 years after ending Saturn V production, NASA is spending a ton of money to develop the Space Launch System (SLS)—a family of shuttle-derived rockets that in its most powerful form will only barely surpass the performance offered by the original Saturn V.

In terms of cost, SpaceX is mum on most of the details, but they have announced that they are working on a “Merlin 2” engine that would rival if not exceed the Saturn’s F-1 engines in terms of thrust. A rocket using those engines could offer more capacity than NASA’s SLS at a fraction of the cost. (Assuming the SLS ever flies in the first place; Congress could always cut off the funding.)

[tifosi77]

And of course, more power means greater payload capacity or the ability to truly escape Earth's gravity and scoot about the neighborhood.

[columbia]

columbia's father weighs in:

Quite a Find! The F1 engines were designed & built by Rocketdyne in Canoga Park.
Their main facilities were on Desoto Ave, about two miles south of the AI hqs buildings where I worked.
Both R'dyne & AI were divisions of NAA, which later became Rockwell International.

[DMcGrew]

I visited the Kennedy Space Center a few weeks ago and got to see a Saturn V rocket. It was the coolest machine I've ever seen. There's no way to appreciate how large it is until you stand next to it. It is AMAZING.

[shafnutz05]

I visited the Kennedy Space Center a few weeks ago and got to see a Saturn V rocket. It was the coolest machine I've ever seen. There's no way to appreciate how large it is until you stand next to it. It is AMAZING.

With any other poster I would feel bad saying this, but.....pics or it didn't happen

[tifosi77]

When I was a kid I visited KSC and the Saturn V was outside the visitor center. Have they moved it?

[DocEmrick]

My pap on my dad's side worked for Rocketdyne. Very cutting edge stuff at the time, most of them were German

[redwill]

And just look at what Voyager 2 accomplished. Over the span of the 1980s, this single spacecraft encountered and photographed all four of the outer gas giants

Thank you for not giving pics of Uranus.

[relantel]

When I was a kid I visited KSC and the Saturn V was outside the visitor center. Have they moved it?

Still there.

[columbia]

And just look at what Voyager 2 accomplished. Over the span of the 1980s, this single spacecraft encountered and photographed all four of the outer gas giants

Thank you for not giving pics of Uranus.

That's going to be in tomorrow's dossier.

[MRandall25]

And just look at what Voyager 2 accomplished. Over the span of the 1980s, this single spacecraft encountered and photographed all four of the outer gas giants

Thank you for not giving pics of Uranus.

[Pitt87]

I'm surprised they didn't find the Flyers down there while they were at it.

Bazinga.

[stinky]

I think it would cost 4 billion to launch, not trillion. And the lack of computing power always amazed me too, even the early space shuttles had very little computing power.

[tifosi77]

Derh, you're right. I can't count commas.

[King Sid the Great 87]

I'm surprised the EPA hasn't been all over leaving engines in the ocean. Surely some ecosystem in the Atlantic has been distrubed by this.