The S-IC (pronounced S-one-C) was the first stage of the American Saturn V rocket. The S-IC stage was manufactured by the Boeing Company. Like the first stages of most rockets, more than 90% of the mass at launch was propellant, in this case RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidizer. It was tall and in diameter. The stage provided

It took roughly seven to nine months to build the tanks and 14 months to complete a stage. The first stage built by Boeing was S-IC-D, a test model. Boeing also built an additional test stage, designated S-IC-F. S-IC-16 to -25 would have been utilized for follow-on Apollo missions, including those from the Apollo Applications Program.

Design

The S-IC was composed of five major subsections.

The largest and heaviest single component of the S-IC was the thrust structure, with a mass of . It was designed to support the thrust of the five engines and redistribute it evenly across the base of the rocket. There were four anchors that held down the rocket as it built thrust. These were among the largest aluminum forgings produced in the U.S. at the time, measuring long and weighing in at . The four stabilizing fins withstood a temperature of .

The five F-1 engines were ignited in 3 staggered events, where the center engine was first ignited, followed by a diagonal pair of outer engines, and then the remaining two outer engines. These three ignition events were separated by just 300 milliseconds.

|First all-up S-IC stage built, nicknamed "T-Bird." Assembled between 1963-1965. Completed at least 22 test firings between 1965 and 1967 in support of S-IC development and test stand activation.

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| S-IC-S

| colspan=2 | Structural load testing (had no engines).

| Scrapped after completing testing at MSFC.

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| S-IC-7

| Apollo 12

| November 14, 1969

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| S-IC-8

| Apollo 13

| April 11, 1970

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| S-IC-9

| Apollo 14

| January 31, 1971

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| S-IC-10

| Apollo 15

| July 26, 1971

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| Only carried four retrorockets in two diagonally opposite compartments. Later missions returned to having eight retrorockets.

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| S-IC-11

| Apollo 16

| April 16, 1972

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| S-IC-12

| Apollo 17

| December 7, 1972

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| S-IC-13

| Skylab 1

| May 14, 1973

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| Engine shutoff changed to 1-2-2 from 1–4 to lessen loads on Apollo Telescope Mount.

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| S-IC-14

| colspan=2|Unused

| Saturn V display at Johnson Space Center.

| Scheduled to fly Apollo 18 in 1974, never flew.

Saturn S-IC-8

A 1960 study with eight F-1 engines, intended for the Saturn C-8.

Saturn IC C-3B

A 1961 study with five F-1 engines, intended for the Saturn C-3B and Saturn C-3BN.

Saturn IC C-4B

A 1961 study with five F-1 engines, intended for the Saturn C-4B.

Saturn IC C-5A

A 1961 study with five F-1 engines, intended for the Saturn C-5 and Saturn C-5N.

Saturn IC-Flat Bulkhead

A 1965 study, featuring reduced length and structural weight.

Saturn S-IC-TLB stage

A 1967 study with two F-1 engines for a reusable booster, intended for the Saturn S-IC-TLB.

Saturn S-ID Sustainer-1

A 1967 study with a single F-1 engine for a "stage and a half" booster/sustainer stage configuration.

Saturn S-ID Booster

A 1968 study with a four F-1 engine for a "stage and a half" recoverable booster, intended for the Saturn V-B, Saturn V-C, and Saturn V-D.

Saturn S-ID Sustainer

A 1968 study with a single F-1 engine for a "stage and a half" booster/sustainer stage configuration, intended for the Saturn V-B, Saturn V-C, and Saturn V-D.

See also

  • S-II
  • S-IVB
  • Apollo (spacecraft)
  • MS-IC

References

  • Stages to Saturn
  • Apollo Saturn Reference Page