1 00:00:01,268 --> 00:00:03,403 NARRATOR: At the beginning of the 1960s, 2 00:00:03,437 --> 00:00:08,042 President Kennedy issues an incredible challenge. 3 00:00:08,075 --> 00:00:10,945 PRESIDENT KENNEDY: I believe that this nation should commit itself 4 00:00:10,978 --> 00:00:14,715 to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, 5 00:00:14,748 --> 00:00:16,316 of landing a man on the moon 6 00:00:16,350 --> 00:00:19,119 and returning him safely to the Earth. 7 00:00:19,152 --> 00:00:21,187 DON BINNS: I thought he was nuts! 8 00:00:21,221 --> 00:00:23,790 Technically it was unbelievable. 9 00:00:23,824 --> 00:00:25,492 ♪ ♪ 10 00:00:25,526 --> 00:00:30,231 DON BRINCKA: There was going to be some serious problems on the way. 11 00:00:30,264 --> 00:00:35,603 NARRATOR: Reaching the moon will require a rocket of immense power: 12 00:00:35,636 --> 00:00:38,873 the mighty Saturn V. 13 00:00:38,906 --> 00:00:43,744 ♪ ♪ 14 00:00:43,777 --> 00:00:45,545 ANDREW: This is a kind of power 15 00:00:45,579 --> 00:00:50,684 that you really cannot wrap your brain around. 16 00:00:50,717 --> 00:00:54,254 NARRATOR: To succeed, those involved will push engineering 17 00:00:54,288 --> 00:00:55,589 to the limit. 18 00:00:55,622 --> 00:01:02,462 JERRY: It was something bigger than we have ever built before. 19 00:01:02,496 --> 00:01:05,632 NARRATOR: They must overcome catastrophic failures. 20 00:01:05,666 --> 00:01:09,803 [Explosions] 21 00:01:09,836 --> 00:01:12,405 MYRON: There were massive problems with it 22 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:15,142 that just were overwhelming. 23 00:01:15,175 --> 00:01:18,545 NARRATOR: And do it all within a decade. 24 00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:24,552 The goal: to build a rocket to send men to the moon. 25 00:01:24,585 --> 00:01:30,458 This is the story of the unsung heroes who built the Saturn V. 26 00:01:30,490 --> 00:01:39,766 [♪ theme music ♪] 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,169 ♪ ♪ 28 00:01:42,202 --> 00:01:45,739 NARRATOR: December 21st, 1968. 29 00:01:45,772 --> 00:01:49,309 Astronauts Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell 30 00:01:49,343 --> 00:01:53,314 prepare to embark on a daring mission. 31 00:01:53,347 --> 00:01:56,217 They hope to make history by becoming the first humans 32 00:01:56,249 --> 00:02:00,887 to leave Earth and orbit the moon. 33 00:02:00,921 --> 00:02:05,159 That means risking their lives on board the first manned launch 34 00:02:05,192 --> 00:02:08,529 of the giant Saturn V. 35 00:02:08,562 --> 00:02:10,531 ED: We weren’t going just to Earth orbit. 36 00:02:10,564 --> 00:02:15,736 We were going to the moon and back, 240,000 miles away. 37 00:02:15,769 --> 00:02:17,838 NARRATOR: Engineers have built a rocket weighing 38 00:02:17,871 --> 00:02:23,643 6.2 million pounds and containing over 3 million parts. 39 00:02:23,677 --> 00:02:27,414 MISSION CONTROL: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11.. 40 00:02:27,447 --> 00:02:31,384 MYRON: If we had a failure the damage could be overwhelming, 41 00:02:31,418 --> 00:02:36,123 and of course the crew’s chance of survival is very minimal. 42 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:38,558 MISSION CONTROL: 10, 9... 43 00:02:38,592 --> 00:02:43,964 We have ignition sequence. The engines are on... 44 00:02:43,997 --> 00:02:54,040 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. We have lift off. 45 00:02:54,074 --> 00:02:57,010 [Rocket engines roaring] 46 00:02:57,044 --> 00:03:02,716 ♪ ♪ 47 00:03:02,749 --> 00:03:09,055 NARRATOR: The story of the Saturn V begins here in Huntsville, Alabama. 48 00:03:09,089 --> 00:03:12,159 In the 1950s, the city becomes home to a group 49 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:19,433 of German engineers with a specialist skill: rocketry. 50 00:03:19,466 --> 00:03:21,768 During the Second World War they are responsible 51 00:03:21,802 --> 00:03:24,238 for developing the V-2 rocket, 52 00:03:24,271 --> 00:03:28,075 the world’s first liquid-propelled missile. 53 00:03:28,108 --> 00:03:33,547 They’re led by the charismatic Wernher Von Braun. 54 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:35,816 But when Nazi Germany collapses, 55 00:03:35,849 --> 00:03:38,719 Von Braun and his team surrender 56 00:03:38,752 --> 00:03:40,921 and are eventually brought to Huntsville 57 00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:45,125 to work on America’s fledgling rocket program. 58 00:03:45,158 --> 00:03:48,828 For 12 years they design rockets for military use, 59 00:03:48,862 --> 00:03:54,234 including the Redstone and Jupiter. 60 00:03:54,267 --> 00:03:59,873 Then, on October 4th, 1957, the Soviets launch Sputnik 1, 61 00:03:59,906 --> 00:04:04,110 the world’s first satellite. 62 00:04:04,144 --> 00:04:10,183 The Space Race has begun -- and the USA is trailing. 63 00:04:10,217 --> 00:04:14,555 For rocket engineers like Don Binns, it’s a bitter blow. 64 00:04:14,588 --> 00:04:17,691 DON BINNS: I remember you’d listen to Sputnik going round 65 00:04:17,724 --> 00:04:19,492 and going beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, 66 00:04:19,526 --> 00:04:21,561 and it says, yes, they beat us, 67 00:04:21,595 --> 00:04:25,766 and we’ll have to really get our nose to the grindstone 68 00:04:25,799 --> 00:04:28,969 and move ahead and see if we can’t catch up. 69 00:04:29,002 --> 00:04:33,006 MISSION CONTROL: [unintelligible]. Lift off! 70 00:04:33,039 --> 00:04:36,476 NARRATOR: In 1958 Von Braun’s team successfully launch 71 00:04:36,510 --> 00:04:40,114 America’s first satellite, Explorer One, 72 00:04:40,147 --> 00:04:43,417 on board their Juno rocket. 73 00:04:43,450 --> 00:04:47,754 But Von Braun is targeting a much bigger goal -- 74 00:04:47,788 --> 00:04:53,327 and he believes he has the team to achieve it. 75 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:57,464 Among them was army engineer Jim Odom. 76 00:04:57,497 --> 00:05:01,267 JIM: Dr. Von Braun was one of the most remarkable men 77 00:05:01,301 --> 00:05:03,336 I’ve ever known. 78 00:05:03,370 --> 00:05:09,076 He was a great leader, he was a very good engineer. 79 00:05:09,109 --> 00:05:11,011 And the team that he brought over here 80 00:05:11,044 --> 00:05:15,682 was absolutely outstanding. 81 00:05:15,715 --> 00:05:18,651 NARRATOR: Von Braun’s team have been developing a pioneering series 82 00:05:18,685 --> 00:05:23,924 of liquid-propelled rockets called Saturn. 83 00:05:23,957 --> 00:05:27,661 ANDREW: Von Braun always had his eye on 84 00:05:27,694 --> 00:05:29,596 bigger and bigger booster rockets 85 00:05:29,629 --> 00:05:34,367 that could launch larger and larger payloads into space. 86 00:05:34,401 --> 00:05:38,605 And he tried to solve that problem by taking 87 00:05:38,638 --> 00:05:41,908 smaller rockets and clustering them together, and that was 88 00:05:41,942 --> 00:05:47,748 the basis for the very early Saturn rockets. 89 00:05:47,781 --> 00:05:49,783 NARRATOR: April 1961. 90 00:05:49,816 --> 00:05:58,291 The Soviets launch the first man into orbit, Yuri Gagarin. 91 00:05:58,325 --> 00:06:03,163 For President John F. Kennedy it’s the final straw. 92 00:06:03,196 --> 00:06:07,200 He ups the stakes dramatically for America’s rocket engineers. 93 00:06:07,234 --> 00:06:10,003 PRESIDENT KENNEDY: I believe that this nation should commit itself 94 00:06:10,036 --> 00:06:13,806 to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, 95 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:15,308 of landing a man on the moon 96 00:06:15,342 --> 00:06:17,845 and returning him safely to the Earth. 97 00:06:17,878 --> 00:06:22,015 ♪ ♪ 98 00:06:22,048 --> 00:06:24,684 No single space project in this period 99 00:06:24,718 --> 00:06:26,987 will be more impressive to mankind, 100 00:06:27,020 --> 00:06:30,090 or more important for the long-range exploration of space. 101 00:06:30,123 --> 00:06:34,327 NARRATOR: Don Binns and his colleagues are taken aback. 102 00:06:34,361 --> 00:06:36,230 DON BINNS: When I heard him make that announcement, 103 00:06:36,263 --> 00:06:41,735 we all watched it on TV, and I thought he was nuts. 104 00:06:41,768 --> 00:06:46,106 I mean, it was an amazing challenge. 105 00:06:46,139 --> 00:06:50,877 Technically it was unbelievable. 106 00:06:50,911 --> 00:06:53,647 ED: I couldn’t believe it. I could not believe it. 107 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:57,217 We just needed someone to step up and say, 108 00:06:57,250 --> 00:06:58,384 let’s go to the moon, 109 00:06:58,418 --> 00:07:03,723 because we were competing big-time with the Russians. 110 00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,392 Kennedy believed in us. 111 00:07:05,425 --> 00:07:08,061 In fact he came to the Cape, 112 00:07:08,094 --> 00:07:09,696 and Von Braun took the President around 113 00:07:09,729 --> 00:07:12,732 and showed him the Saturn being tested. 114 00:07:12,766 --> 00:07:15,035 NARRATOR: Von Braun comes face to face with the man 115 00:07:15,068 --> 00:07:19,973 who’s set this seemingly impossible goal. 116 00:07:20,006 --> 00:07:22,075 ED: And the question he asked Von Braun was, 117 00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:24,243 "Are we gonna beat the Russians to the moon?" 118 00:07:24,277 --> 00:07:25,779 Von Braun said, "Yes, Mr. President, 119 00:07:25,812 --> 00:07:27,180 we’re gonna beat the Russians to the moon, 120 00:07:27,213 --> 00:07:29,515 and we’re gonna do it within the time frame you said." 121 00:07:29,549 --> 00:07:31,751 End of conversation. 122 00:07:31,785 --> 00:07:35,155 NARRATOR: This is the challenge Von Braun has been waiting for, 123 00:07:35,188 --> 00:07:38,258 and teams of engineers across America begin work 124 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:42,495 on a mighty moon rocket. 125 00:07:42,529 --> 00:07:44,931 DON BRINCKA: So there were several different approaches, 126 00:07:44,965 --> 00:07:47,701 and each one had some technical disadvantages 127 00:07:47,734 --> 00:07:49,536 and technical advantages, 128 00:07:49,569 --> 00:07:53,807 and I would say Von Braun was probably the primary influence 129 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,010 on what was actually selected. 130 00:07:57,043 --> 00:08:01,681 NARRATOR: The initial plan is to use a method called Direct Ascent. 131 00:08:01,715 --> 00:08:06,753 Assemble an enormous rocket, and fly directly to the moon. 132 00:08:06,786 --> 00:08:10,890 Then land a large spacecraft on the lunar surface... 133 00:08:10,924 --> 00:08:15,762 before blasting off and returning directly to Earth. 134 00:08:15,795 --> 00:08:19,332 It seems simple enough... on paper. 135 00:08:19,366 --> 00:08:21,401 But engineers soon realize that building 136 00:08:21,434 --> 00:08:24,270 such a giant rocket by the end of the decade 137 00:08:24,304 --> 00:08:26,540 simply isn’t feasible. 138 00:08:26,573 --> 00:08:29,776 Von Braun favors a different method, but finally decides 139 00:08:29,809 --> 00:08:34,080 on a technique known as lunar orbit rendezvous. 140 00:08:34,114 --> 00:08:36,717 Head to the moon with a smaller spacecraft -- 141 00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:40,487 one that shuttles the astronauts to and from the lunar surface 142 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,924 -- while a mother ship waits in lunar orbit. 143 00:08:44,958 --> 00:08:47,394 The final element is a rocket powerful enough 144 00:08:47,427 --> 00:08:50,664 to take men to the moon. 145 00:08:50,697 --> 00:08:53,700 WERNHER: This is what we call the Saturn V, 146 00:08:53,733 --> 00:08:57,503 and the takeoff weight of this monstrous rocket 147 00:08:57,537 --> 00:09:04,144 will be about 6 million pounds, or 3,000 tons. 148 00:09:04,177 --> 00:09:06,346 NARRATOR: At the Davidson Center in Huntsville, 149 00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:11,384 the rocket’s huge size can be fully appreciated. 150 00:09:11,418 --> 00:09:13,954 This is one of the three Saturn Vs 151 00:09:13,987 --> 00:09:16,890 painstakingly restored to a pristine condition 152 00:09:16,923 --> 00:09:22,962 by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 153 00:09:22,996 --> 00:09:28,602 They are the largest artifacts in the institution’s collection. 154 00:09:28,635 --> 00:09:31,671 After a multi-million-dollar restoration project, 155 00:09:31,704 --> 00:09:33,940 they now take pride of place at displays 156 00:09:33,973 --> 00:09:37,343 in Houston, Huntsville and at the Kennedy Space Center 157 00:09:37,377 --> 00:09:41,248 in Florida. 158 00:09:41,281 --> 00:09:43,550 Looking at them, it’s possible to understand 159 00:09:43,583 --> 00:09:46,986 a key engineering principle Von Braun uses 160 00:09:47,020 --> 00:09:51,491 to create such a powerful rocket. 161 00:09:51,524 --> 00:09:55,628 The Saturn V isn’t one rocket, it’s three -- 162 00:09:55,662 --> 00:09:57,197 stacked on top of each other -- 163 00:09:57,230 --> 00:09:59,132 known as stages. 164 00:09:59,165 --> 00:10:03,736 ED: Staging was a big deal in rocketry... 165 00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:05,939 NARRATOR: Stage One will use a cluster of five 166 00:10:05,972 --> 00:10:10,176 giant F-1 engines to lift the 3,000-ton rocket 167 00:10:10,210 --> 00:10:14,147 to a height of 42 miles before separating. 168 00:10:14,180 --> 00:10:18,885 ED: The booster drops away and then the second stage ignites. 169 00:10:18,918 --> 00:10:22,789 NARRATOR: Stage Two will use five smaller J-2 engines 170 00:10:22,822 --> 00:10:27,226 boosting the rocket to 115 miles above the Earth. 171 00:10:27,260 --> 00:10:31,498 ED: And it drives the vehicle up near the edge of Earth orbit, 172 00:10:31,531 --> 00:10:33,633 and then the third stage kicks in. 173 00:10:33,666 --> 00:10:37,503 NARRATOR: Stage Three has just one J-2 engine. 174 00:10:37,537 --> 00:10:42,342 ED: That puts the spacecraft and the third stage in orbit. 175 00:10:42,375 --> 00:10:45,011 NARRATOR: Before igniting a second time. 176 00:10:45,044 --> 00:10:48,080 ED: And the reigniting of that third stage was a big deal, 177 00:10:48,114 --> 00:10:52,151 because that puts you on a path to the moon. 178 00:10:52,185 --> 00:10:53,653 NARRATOR: Meeting Kennedy’s deadline 179 00:10:53,686 --> 00:10:56,756 will push the rocket engineers to the breaking point, 180 00:10:56,789 --> 00:10:58,357 as they prepare to take on the one of the 181 00:10:58,391 --> 00:11:02,428 greatest engineering challenges the world has ever seen. 182 00:11:02,462 --> 00:11:07,500 [Rocket engines igniting] 183 00:11:07,534 --> 00:11:12,005 ♪ ♪ 184 00:11:12,038 --> 00:11:15,575 NARRATOR: At 363 feet tall, even today, 185 00:11:15,608 --> 00:11:19,245 the mighty Saturn V rocket is still the largest rocket 186 00:11:19,279 --> 00:11:21,915 ever built. 187 00:11:21,948 --> 00:11:26,319 [Rocket engines igniting] 188 00:11:26,352 --> 00:11:28,421 ♪ ♪ 189 00:11:28,454 --> 00:11:31,123 Restored by the Smithsonian Institution, 190 00:11:31,157 --> 00:11:33,926 an example stands with other Apollo artifacts 191 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:42,535 in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. 192 00:11:42,569 --> 00:11:46,106 This fully renovated Saturn shows that the mighty rocket 193 00:11:46,139 --> 00:11:49,075 has a cluster of five F-1 engines 194 00:11:49,108 --> 00:11:53,913 powering the first stage. 195 00:11:53,947 --> 00:11:58,318 Myron Pessin is one of the first stage engineers. 196 00:11:58,351 --> 00:12:00,620 MYRON: The biggest engines we had built up to that time 197 00:12:00,653 --> 00:12:03,156 were 200,000 pounds of thrust. 198 00:12:03,189 --> 00:12:07,126 This was a million and a half pounds of thrust. 199 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,630 NARRATOR: Each engine is 20 feet long, 12 feet across, 200 00:12:10,663 --> 00:12:15,401 and, at 10 tons, heavier than a school bus. 201 00:12:15,435 --> 00:12:17,971 Five of these engines will fire the rocket 202 00:12:18,004 --> 00:12:21,608 and three astronauts to a height of 42 miles. 203 00:12:21,641 --> 00:12:27,013 So they must be rigorously tested, and become man-rated. 204 00:12:27,046 --> 00:12:31,450 MYRON: To qualify the F-1 engine we called man-rated, 205 00:12:31,484 --> 00:12:36,022 we required 500 successful starts, 206 00:12:36,055 --> 00:12:40,993 which means you have to fire a lot of engines. 207 00:12:41,027 --> 00:12:43,963 NARRATOR: Test-firing the cluster of five F-1 engines 208 00:12:43,997 --> 00:12:48,668 presents a huge challenge. 209 00:12:48,701 --> 00:12:52,605 So engineers construct giant stands in Huntsville 210 00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:54,941 and at NASA’s Mississippi test facilities 211 00:12:54,974 --> 00:12:59,045 on the banks of the Pearl River. 212 00:12:59,078 --> 00:13:03,649 Ron Tepool is involved in the test firings here in Huntsville. 213 00:13:03,683 --> 00:13:07,053 RON: The engines would have gone up on Level 10, 214 00:13:07,086 --> 00:13:12,491 which is at where those two holes are up there. 215 00:13:12,525 --> 00:13:14,927 NARRATOR: But to ensure the test stand isn’t engulfed 216 00:13:14,961 --> 00:13:17,297 by searing rocket exhaust, 217 00:13:17,330 --> 00:13:19,899 engineers construct a giant deflector 218 00:13:19,932 --> 00:13:24,637 that can withstand the blast and direct it sideways. 219 00:13:24,671 --> 00:13:28,175 RON: If they all five fired down through that aspirator, 220 00:13:28,207 --> 00:13:30,042 and the heat came out and deflected up 221 00:13:30,076 --> 00:13:33,212 about 500 feet out, and 100 feet into the air, 222 00:13:33,246 --> 00:13:38,284 this deflector is cooled with water from the pump house 223 00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:40,654 that supports this test stand 224 00:13:40,687 --> 00:13:46,660 that has a capability of 280,000 gallons of water per minute. 225 00:13:46,693 --> 00:13:49,029 NARRATOR: April 1965... 226 00:13:49,062 --> 00:13:53,667 Engineers prepare to test-fire the cluster of five F-1 engines 227 00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:57,837 that will eventually power the Saturn V’s first stage. 228 00:13:57,870 --> 00:14:01,507 Ed Buckbee was NASA’s press officer at the time. 229 00:14:01,541 --> 00:14:06,012 ED: I was called in by my boss, and he said, 230 00:14:06,045 --> 00:14:08,281 magazine is sending their photographer down 231 00:14:08,314 --> 00:14:11,250 to cover this test firing." 232 00:14:11,284 --> 00:14:13,253 He sets up his camera, and I said, 233 00:14:13,286 --> 00:14:16,790 "You know, when it does ignite you’re going to see 234 00:14:16,823 --> 00:14:21,094 this huge ball of fire come out of the engines, 235 00:14:21,127 --> 00:14:23,363 and for a moment there won’t be any noise, 236 00:14:23,396 --> 00:14:25,899 and all of a sudden the sound will hit you 237 00:14:25,932 --> 00:14:28,835 and you’re gonna feel the vibration in your chest 238 00:14:28,868 --> 00:14:32,839 and the heat will come up your pants leg, 239 00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:36,476 and it’s really rather scary when the first time 240 00:14:36,509 --> 00:14:38,111 you see one of these." 241 00:14:38,144 --> 00:14:39,512 He looked at me and said, "Young man, 242 00:14:39,545 --> 00:14:43,649 I’ve covered fires, tornadoes, wars, floods. 243 00:14:43,683 --> 00:14:45,685 I think I can handle this." 244 00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:49,155 [Alarm] 245 00:14:49,188 --> 00:14:59,298 [Booster firing] 246 00:14:59,332 --> 00:15:02,502 I looked at the photographer. 247 00:15:02,535 --> 00:15:08,041 He had turned and was running across the field 248 00:15:08,074 --> 00:15:11,144 away from the firing test, 249 00:15:11,177 --> 00:15:14,013 and he never got one picture of the firing 250 00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:19,318 of the Saturn V booster. 251 00:15:19,352 --> 00:15:22,121 NARRATOR: The firing of these engines has a profound effect 252 00:15:22,155 --> 00:15:26,593 on the people living in neighboring Huntsville. 253 00:15:26,626 --> 00:15:32,031 ED: You could feel the ground vibrate some distance away, 254 00:15:32,064 --> 00:15:34,233 several miles away I’m told, 255 00:15:34,267 --> 00:15:37,170 but if we were getting cloud cover, what would happen was, 256 00:15:37,203 --> 00:15:40,873 the sound would go up, ricochet back down 257 00:15:40,907 --> 00:15:44,711 somewhere in the city. 258 00:15:44,744 --> 00:15:46,546 [Booster firing] 259 00:15:46,579 --> 00:15:50,483 We would have people calling about windows broken, 260 00:15:50,516 --> 00:15:58,124 and chandeliers shaking and coming apart. 261 00:15:58,157 --> 00:16:01,060 NARRATOR: But it’s not just the windows that are shattering. 262 00:16:01,093 --> 00:16:05,030 [Explosion] 263 00:16:05,064 --> 00:16:09,902 Testing quickly uncovers a critical problem with the F-1. 264 00:16:09,936 --> 00:16:13,940 One that’s causing them to catastrophically disintegrate... 265 00:16:13,973 --> 00:16:15,908 in seconds. 266 00:16:15,942 --> 00:16:19,712 Reaching the moon within the decade will remain a dream 267 00:16:19,745 --> 00:16:24,950 unless engineer Sonny Morea and his team can fix this flaw. 268 00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:27,620 SONNY: It was the program’s showstopper. 269 00:16:27,653 --> 00:16:31,190 We would not have gone to the moon until we had a fix on that. 270 00:16:31,224 --> 00:16:33,993 We would not risk the astronauts on that vehicle 271 00:16:34,026 --> 00:16:38,831 when we had an engine that could blow up underneath them. 272 00:16:38,865 --> 00:16:41,835 LEE: This became a big enough issue that we were concerned 273 00:16:41,868 --> 00:16:46,806 that we were going to impact the goal that was set 274 00:16:46,839 --> 00:16:50,009 to get to the moon in the decade. 275 00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:52,044 A team was put together to solve this problem 276 00:16:52,078 --> 00:16:56,115 that put the best minds together, from around the world. 277 00:16:56,148 --> 00:17:00,285 NARRATOR: Sonny and his colleagues pinpoint the cause. 278 00:17:00,319 --> 00:17:03,455 SONNY: Combustion instability is a frequency 279 00:17:03,489 --> 00:17:06,425 that gets set up whenever anything burns. 280 00:17:06,459 --> 00:17:08,828 One of the ways to think about it is, 281 00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:11,831 if they’re familiar with a candle burning in a room, 282 00:17:11,864 --> 00:17:15,134 you know that the candle flickers during the burning. 283 00:17:15,167 --> 00:17:18,504 Part of that flickering is the fact that it’s unstable, 284 00:17:18,538 --> 00:17:22,809 the fire is unstable. 285 00:17:22,842 --> 00:17:25,445 NARRATOR: Like the candle, liquid propellants injected 286 00:17:25,478 --> 00:17:29,282 into the rocket chamber burn in an unstable way, 287 00:17:29,315 --> 00:17:32,819 creating powerful shock waves that rapidly oscillate 288 00:17:32,852 --> 00:17:36,823 until the force shakes the engine apart. 289 00:17:36,856 --> 00:17:41,194 [Explosion] 290 00:17:41,227 --> 00:17:45,064 Finding a solution will take America’s top engineering minds 291 00:17:45,097 --> 00:17:47,666 the best part of two years. 292 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:51,404 SONNY: We went to a process that involved the use of baffles. 293 00:17:51,437 --> 00:17:54,206 Now if you look at the face of the rocket engine in here, 294 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:55,575 the face of the injector, 295 00:17:55,608 --> 00:17:58,778 you’ll notice that there are several compartments. 296 00:17:58,811 --> 00:18:00,980 NARRATOR: It works like this: 297 00:18:01,013 --> 00:18:04,083 Instead of the propellants entering the combustion chamber 298 00:18:04,116 --> 00:18:08,354 as regulated jets, the baffles interrupt the flow, 299 00:18:08,387 --> 00:18:11,156 subtly changing the way they ignite 300 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:16,996 and reducing combustion instability. 301 00:18:17,029 --> 00:18:21,967 The 1st stage of of the Saturn V is back on track. 302 00:18:22,001 --> 00:18:24,804 ♪ ♪ 303 00:18:24,837 --> 00:18:27,139 The second stage is taking shape on the other side 304 00:18:27,173 --> 00:18:30,877 of the country, at Seal Beach, California. 305 00:18:30,910 --> 00:18:33,613 But the engineers of North American Aviation 306 00:18:33,646 --> 00:18:36,716 are way behind schedule. 307 00:18:36,749 --> 00:18:40,419 ANDREW: The engineers who were building the second stage 308 00:18:40,453 --> 00:18:45,058 of the Saturn V found themselves in a kind of a squeeze. 309 00:18:45,091 --> 00:18:49,829 The first stage of the Saturn V had already been defined, 310 00:18:49,862 --> 00:18:53,432 and the third stage had also been designed 311 00:18:53,466 --> 00:18:57,837 before the second stage was even being developed. 312 00:18:57,870 --> 00:19:00,906 There was this constant battle to save weight, 313 00:19:00,940 --> 00:19:03,776 and the burden fell on the engineers 314 00:19:03,809 --> 00:19:06,512 who were designing the second stage. 315 00:19:06,545 --> 00:19:08,580 NARRATOR: The second stage must lift astronauts 316 00:19:08,614 --> 00:19:11,617 to a height of 115 miles. 317 00:19:11,651 --> 00:19:16,789 It has to be incredibly powerful yet incredibly light. 318 00:19:16,822 --> 00:19:21,293 When complete, just 9% of its total weight is metal; 319 00:19:21,327 --> 00:19:26,065 91% will be liquid propellants. 320 00:19:26,098 --> 00:19:29,068 ANDREW: They had to find every way they could possibly think of 321 00:19:29,101 --> 00:19:31,303 to save weight in that stage, 322 00:19:31,337 --> 00:19:35,508 thinning the metal to the point where you really sort of worry, 323 00:19:35,541 --> 00:19:39,278 is this okay to do? 324 00:19:39,311 --> 00:19:41,780 NARRATOR: Many months are spent skimming every last ounce 325 00:19:41,814 --> 00:19:46,619 of metal from stage two -- but it’s still not enough. 326 00:19:46,652 --> 00:19:50,122 Engineers need to find another weight saving solution -- 327 00:19:50,156 --> 00:19:51,591 quickly. 328 00:19:51,624 --> 00:19:55,595 ANDREW: The stroke of genius that they came up with 329 00:19:55,628 --> 00:20:01,534 was to do what was called the common bulkhead. 330 00:20:01,567 --> 00:20:03,169 If you look inside the second stage, 331 00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:06,739 you’ve got one tank for liquid oxygen 332 00:20:06,772 --> 00:20:09,408 and another tank for liquid hydrogen. 333 00:20:09,442 --> 00:20:13,913 And those two tanks take up a certain amount of space. 334 00:20:13,946 --> 00:20:15,080 Somebody realized, 335 00:20:15,114 --> 00:20:19,285 what if we could merge the two tanks together 336 00:20:19,318 --> 00:20:25,090 and create a single curved divider between them? 337 00:20:25,124 --> 00:20:27,193 NARRATOR: Having a common bulkhead reduces the height 338 00:20:27,226 --> 00:20:29,895 of the stage by almost 10 feet, 339 00:20:29,929 --> 00:20:33,533 and sheds an impressive four tons of weight. 340 00:20:33,566 --> 00:20:36,869 It’s a breakthrough for the Stage Two engineers, 341 00:20:36,902 --> 00:20:42,040 but the schedule has slipped even further. 342 00:20:42,074 --> 00:20:46,345 Kennedy’s deadline looks unachievable. 343 00:20:46,378 --> 00:20:54,953 NARRATOR: And in November 1963, NASA ups the pressure. 344 00:20:54,987 --> 00:20:58,891 Against the wishes of Von Braun, NASA shortens the schedule 345 00:20:58,924 --> 00:21:04,830 by removing several of the team’s test launches. 346 00:21:04,864 --> 00:21:08,234 ANDREW: Their concept was that you would launch 347 00:21:08,267 --> 00:21:14,807 the Saturn rocket with one live stage and two dummy stages 348 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,408 on its first mission. 349 00:21:16,442 --> 00:21:19,679 If that worked, then the next time you would add 350 00:21:19,712 --> 00:21:21,314 a live second stage. 351 00:21:21,347 --> 00:21:23,216 You’d still have a dummy third stage, 352 00:21:23,249 --> 00:21:26,018 and if that worked, well, then you could launch 353 00:21:26,051 --> 00:21:31,757 all three stages as live stages. 354 00:21:31,791 --> 00:21:34,994 NARRATOR: But NASA now want to accelerate the launch schedule 355 00:21:35,027 --> 00:21:40,399 and test the live rockets all at once. 356 00:21:40,432 --> 00:21:44,970 The first batch of launches -- Apollos 1, 2, 3 and 5 -- 357 00:21:45,004 --> 00:21:49,742 will use Von Braun’s smaller Saturn IB rocket. 358 00:21:49,775 --> 00:21:54,680 The Saturn V’s first unmanned flight will become Apollo 4, 359 00:21:54,713 --> 00:21:57,082 followed by a second unmanned launch 360 00:21:57,116 --> 00:21:59,852 eventually called Apollo 6. 361 00:21:59,885 --> 00:22:04,156 The first Apollo astronauts will finally fly into Earth orbit 362 00:22:04,190 --> 00:22:05,992 on Apollo 7. 363 00:22:06,025 --> 00:22:09,295 And Apollo 8 will send men to orbit the moon 364 00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:11,096 for the very first time. 365 00:22:11,230 --> 00:22:15,568 JIM: That was a big change for us here in Huntsville. 366 00:22:15,601 --> 00:22:17,536 DON BINNS: I thought, wow, this is gonna be a lot of work, 367 00:22:17,570 --> 00:22:21,140 because that means that we’re gonna have to retest the stage, 368 00:22:21,173 --> 00:22:24,710 we’re gonna have to re-certify it, make it man-rated. 369 00:22:24,743 --> 00:22:26,044 It was a big step forward. 370 00:22:26,078 --> 00:22:27,980 Big step forward. 371 00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:30,215 NARRATOR: The clock is ticking, and the engineers 372 00:22:30,249 --> 00:22:32,084 are about to face disaster. 373 00:22:32,117 --> 00:22:37,122 [Explosion] 374 00:22:37,156 --> 00:22:39,558 Because the Saturn V is so large, 375 00:22:39,592 --> 00:22:43,262 Wernher Von Braun and his team of rocket engineers design it 376 00:22:43,295 --> 00:22:46,799 to be made of three individual rockets, or stages, 377 00:22:46,832 --> 00:22:50,369 stacked on top of each other. 378 00:22:50,402 --> 00:22:53,872 This method of rocket building allows each stage to be built 379 00:22:53,906 --> 00:22:58,944 by a different aerospace company. 380 00:22:58,978 --> 00:23:01,347 But developing space technology means 381 00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:08,053 entering uncharted territory -- and that can be risky. 382 00:23:08,087 --> 00:23:12,191 On January 20th, 1967, the Douglas Aircraft Company 383 00:23:12,224 --> 00:23:15,928 is testing a third stage prior to delivery to Cape Kennedy 384 00:23:15,961 --> 00:23:17,863 in Florida. 385 00:23:17,897 --> 00:23:20,967 Don Brincka is the man in charge. 386 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:22,435 DON BRINCKA: It was the third vehicle that was 387 00:23:22,468 --> 00:23:30,142 coming through our facility for a static firing. 388 00:23:30,175 --> 00:23:32,277 And that’s when we’d load it with propellants 389 00:23:32,311 --> 00:23:35,915 and we go through our normal countdown. 390 00:23:35,948 --> 00:23:37,616 We were just getting ready, 391 00:23:37,650 --> 00:23:42,288 a few minutes from actually firing the stage. 392 00:23:42,321 --> 00:23:47,893 [Explosion] 393 00:23:47,927 --> 00:23:51,364 NARRATOR: Not only does the team lose an entire third stage, 394 00:23:51,397 --> 00:23:56,936 but also the test stand suffers major damage. 395 00:23:56,969 --> 00:24:01,407 January 27th, 1967... 396 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,810 While engineers investigate the failure of Stage Three, 397 00:24:04,843 --> 00:24:07,946 preparations are made for Apollo 1 -- 398 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:10,983 slated to be the first manned Apollo mission, 399 00:24:11,016 --> 00:24:13,151 and the first in American history to carry 400 00:24:13,185 --> 00:24:17,156 three astronauts into space. 401 00:24:17,189 --> 00:24:21,026 Today they’re performing a routine countdown test. 402 00:24:21,060 --> 00:24:22,628 ED: We’ve got three guys in a spacecraft, 403 00:24:22,661 --> 00:24:24,630 pressurized, suited up. 404 00:24:24,663 --> 00:24:27,466 NARRATOR: Across the country in California, Don Brincka 405 00:24:27,499 --> 00:24:30,369 is investigating his Stage Three failure. 406 00:24:30,402 --> 00:24:31,937 He calls Cape Kennedy. 407 00:24:31,971 --> 00:24:33,105 DON BRINCKA: I was on the phone. 408 00:24:33,138 --> 00:24:35,173 We were talking about some of the things 409 00:24:35,207 --> 00:24:38,243 that we were looking and when he said, 410 00:24:38,277 --> 00:24:39,912 "Whoops, wait a minute, we got a problem. 411 00:24:39,945 --> 00:24:42,114 Something’s going on here on the capsule. 412 00:24:42,147 --> 00:24:44,916 I can’t talk to you anymore." And then blank the phones went. 413 00:24:44,950 --> 00:24:50,422 ♪ ♪ 414 00:24:50,456 --> 00:24:53,025 NARRATOR: Unbeknownst to Don, during the call 415 00:24:53,058 --> 00:24:56,528 a fire breaks out in the Command Module. 416 00:24:56,562 --> 00:25:03,369 Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Rodger Chaffee are killed. 417 00:25:03,402 --> 00:25:06,505 NASA concludes that the likely cause of the fire 418 00:25:06,538 --> 00:25:10,675 is faulty wiring, which created a spark. 419 00:25:10,709 --> 00:25:12,945 In the pressurized, oxygen-rich atmosphere 420 00:25:12,978 --> 00:25:17,082 of the Command Module, that spark became a raging fire 421 00:25:17,116 --> 00:25:20,886 in a matter of minutes. 422 00:25:20,919 --> 00:25:24,055 For all involved with Apollo, it’s a brutal reminder 423 00:25:24,089 --> 00:25:29,761 the smallest mistake can have devastating consequences. 424 00:25:29,795 --> 00:25:32,965 ED: I think the Apollo 1 fire was a shock 425 00:25:32,998 --> 00:25:35,100 to the guys that were close to the program. 426 00:25:35,134 --> 00:25:38,571 Again, they were so confident 427 00:25:38,604 --> 00:25:43,075 that these things were gonna fly successfully. 428 00:25:43,108 --> 00:25:45,277 NARRATOR: The Apollo schedule slips again 429 00:25:45,310 --> 00:25:49,581 as NASA redoubles its efforts to improve safety. 430 00:25:49,615 --> 00:25:51,584 But for the engineers at Douglas, 431 00:25:51,617 --> 00:25:53,919 it’s valuable time to understand 432 00:25:53,952 --> 00:25:58,857 what caused the catastrophic failure of their third stage. 433 00:25:58,891 --> 00:26:03,996 Like Apollo 1, the culprit is tiny -- a weak solder weld 434 00:26:04,029 --> 00:26:07,666 on a helium tank. 435 00:26:07,699 --> 00:26:10,268 ♪ ♪ 436 00:26:10,302 --> 00:26:14,573 January 1967. 437 00:26:14,606 --> 00:26:17,275 The three stages of the first Saturn V 438 00:26:17,309 --> 00:26:20,279 are finally ready for assembly. 439 00:26:20,312 --> 00:26:23,482 They arrive at Cape Kennedy. 440 00:26:23,515 --> 00:26:26,818 The challenge now is stacking them together. 441 00:26:26,852 --> 00:26:30,022 ♪ ♪ 442 00:26:30,055 --> 00:26:38,363 This is NASA’s giant vehicle assembly building. 443 00:26:38,397 --> 00:26:41,934 LEE: It’s something like about 525 feet tall. 444 00:26:41,967 --> 00:26:44,803 On occasion it had its own weather, 445 00:26:44,837 --> 00:26:47,673 and there were times, and I saw it myself, 446 00:26:47,706 --> 00:26:52,444 where there were clouds up there. 447 00:26:52,478 --> 00:26:55,948 All the stages came in through this south entrance. 448 00:26:55,981 --> 00:27:01,653 Part of the structure are the huge overhead cranes. 449 00:27:01,687 --> 00:27:05,291 They would handle several hundred tons 450 00:27:05,324 --> 00:27:08,127 with such intricacy. 451 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:11,664 If you were lowering one of them and you touched an egg 452 00:27:11,697 --> 00:27:15,334 laying on the floor it would sense that resistance 453 00:27:15,367 --> 00:27:19,404 before breaking the egg and stop. 454 00:27:19,438 --> 00:27:21,607 NARRATOR: The first Saturn V is assembled 455 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,276 with breathtaking precision -- but it’s still 456 00:27:24,309 --> 00:27:29,047 a three-and-a-half-mile drive to the launch site. 457 00:27:29,081 --> 00:27:33,118 LEE: So, you open those big doors, those 450-foot doors 458 00:27:33,152 --> 00:27:35,221 and roll that thing out! 459 00:27:35,254 --> 00:27:40,392 And now that’s where you really drew a crowd. 460 00:27:40,425 --> 00:27:42,193 NARRATOR: This is the crawler -- 461 00:27:42,227 --> 00:27:46,231 the largest-moving land vehicle ever built. 462 00:27:46,265 --> 00:27:49,535 It needs a team of 30 engineers and technicians 463 00:27:49,568 --> 00:27:53,806 to drive the 6.2-million-pound rocket and its launch tower 464 00:27:53,839 --> 00:27:57,076 on a road trip that lasts up to 12 hours 465 00:27:57,109 --> 00:28:02,047 to the furthest launch pad. 466 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,283 ♪ ♪ 467 00:28:05,317 --> 00:28:06,785 MISSION CONTROL: Houston. Flight now confirmed 468 00:28:06,818 --> 00:28:08,386 that they are a go for the flight, 469 00:28:08,420 --> 00:28:11,123 as are all other aspects of the mission. 470 00:28:11,156 --> 00:28:14,926 NARRATOR: November 9th, 1967 -- Apollo 4 is poised 471 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:19,832 for the first unmanned launch of the Saturn V rocket. 472 00:28:19,865 --> 00:28:22,134 Engineers have spent millions of man hours 473 00:28:22,167 --> 00:28:25,003 trying to meet Kennedy’s deadline. 474 00:28:25,037 --> 00:28:28,908 MISSION CONTROL: ...15... ignition sequence starts. 475 00:28:28,941 --> 00:28:39,185 5, 4, we have ignition. We have lift off. We have lift off. 476 00:28:39,218 --> 00:28:41,520 [Engines roaring] 477 00:28:41,553 --> 00:28:46,792 ♪ ♪ 478 00:28:46,825 --> 00:28:49,828 ED: I think people were shocked with this, 479 00:28:49,861 --> 00:28:54,532 with the power and the size of the Saturn V. 480 00:28:54,566 --> 00:28:58,703 ♪ ♪ 481 00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:01,373 JIM: When you watch a Saturn V launch 482 00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:05,744 and realize that you’ve invested a part of your life, 483 00:29:05,777 --> 00:29:09,514 when you realize that it’s really gonna work, 484 00:29:09,548 --> 00:29:14,653 the gratification level is just outstanding. 485 00:29:14,686 --> 00:29:18,190 ♪ ♪ 486 00:29:18,223 --> 00:29:20,192 NARRATOR: After just two and a half minutes, 487 00:29:20,225 --> 00:29:23,428 the first stage separates perfectly. 488 00:29:23,462 --> 00:29:27,633 The second stage takes over. 489 00:29:27,666 --> 00:29:29,735 DON BINNS: It’s amazing how long you can hold your breath. 490 00:29:29,768 --> 00:29:32,771 We had ignition on the second stage, and ignition was good, 491 00:29:32,804 --> 00:29:43,281 and all our flight parameters were essentially perfect. 492 00:29:43,315 --> 00:29:46,952 After that, you know, I was able to breathe again. 493 00:29:46,985 --> 00:29:50,388 NARRATOR: The spacecraft sends a constant stream of telemetry 494 00:29:50,422 --> 00:29:52,758 from thousands of individual readings 495 00:29:52,791 --> 00:29:55,560 to the flight directors and engineers. 496 00:29:55,594 --> 00:30:01,400 So far it’s working exactly as planned. 497 00:30:01,433 --> 00:30:03,936 Stage Three ignites for the first time, 498 00:30:03,969 --> 00:30:05,671 and then for the second time. 499 00:30:05,704 --> 00:30:12,878 ♪ ♪ 500 00:30:12,911 --> 00:30:15,747 The mission is a complete success. 501 00:30:15,781 --> 00:30:19,251 The next Saturn V to be launched is Apollo 6, 502 00:30:19,284 --> 00:30:23,121 and, after that, a manned Apollo 8. 503 00:30:23,155 --> 00:30:27,159 After today’s launch, what could possibly go wrong? 504 00:30:34,366 --> 00:30:36,568 MISSION CONTROL: This is Launch Control. T minus 60 seconds and counting. 505 00:30:36,601 --> 00:30:38,403 First stage now pressurizing. 506 00:30:38,437 --> 00:30:41,140 We’re coming up on the power transfer in a matter of seconds. 507 00:30:41,173 --> 00:30:43,976 Status report still indicates all is well. 508 00:30:44,009 --> 00:30:47,746 NARRATOR: Five months after the triumphant launch of Apollo 4, 509 00:30:47,779 --> 00:30:50,482 NASA prepares to bring President Kennedy’s goal 510 00:30:50,515 --> 00:30:53,585 one step closer, with a second unmanned launch 511 00:30:53,618 --> 00:30:56,788 of the Saturn V -- Apollo 6. 512 00:30:56,822 --> 00:30:59,224 MISSION CONTROL: We have ignition sequence start. 513 00:30:59,257 --> 00:31:08,099 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 -- we have commit, we have lift off. 514 00:31:08,133 --> 00:31:13,572 NARRATOR: From the ground, it looks like a perfect launch. 515 00:31:13,605 --> 00:31:16,074 MISSION CONTROL: We have cleared the tower, we have... 516 00:31:16,108 --> 00:31:19,144 NARRATOR: But the engineers know something is very wrong. 517 00:31:19,177 --> 00:31:22,747 MISSION CONTROL: [unintelligible]. 518 00:31:22,781 --> 00:31:25,450 NARRATOR: Telemetry shows that the rocket is vibrating 519 00:31:25,484 --> 00:31:28,587 in a violent up and down motion. 520 00:31:28,620 --> 00:31:34,493 It’s known as the pogo problem. 521 00:31:34,526 --> 00:31:35,894 MYRON: I was told we had pogo. 522 00:31:35,927 --> 00:31:41,399 Pogo is this is a vertical oscillation, like a pogo stick. 523 00:31:41,433 --> 00:31:43,902 NARRATOR: Senior Project Engineer George Phelps 524 00:31:43,935 --> 00:31:46,604 has seen the pogo phenomenon before. 525 00:31:46,638 --> 00:31:49,107 GEORGE: The pogo problem was very serious. 526 00:31:49,141 --> 00:31:51,276 The crew module, which was unmanned, 527 00:31:51,309 --> 00:31:55,847 experienced somewhere between 8 and 10 G’s of force, 528 00:31:55,881 --> 00:32:03,756 which, had there been crew aboard, could have killed them. 529 00:32:03,789 --> 00:32:07,860 NARRATOR: Next, Stage Two. Five minutes into its burn, 530 00:32:07,893 --> 00:32:11,263 there’s more bad news. 531 00:32:11,296 --> 00:32:14,666 Engine number two begins to sputter and lose thrust. 532 00:32:14,699 --> 00:32:19,003 Then, it shuts down all together. 533 00:32:19,037 --> 00:32:23,808 Moments later engine number three also shuts down. 534 00:32:23,842 --> 00:32:28,013 MISSION CONTROL: We’ve lost Engine 2 and Engine 3. 535 00:32:28,046 --> 00:32:31,016 NARRATOR: The engineers can only watch in horror. 536 00:32:31,049 --> 00:32:34,853 MALE: We’ve lost the engines? MALE: That’s affirmative. 537 00:32:34,886 --> 00:32:37,188 MALE: Roger. We think we have two engines out. 538 00:32:37,222 --> 00:32:38,056 Don’t get nervous. 539 00:32:38,089 --> 00:32:39,290 MALE: Roger that. 540 00:32:39,324 --> 00:32:44,129 GEORGE: This stage is designed for one engine out, 541 00:32:44,162 --> 00:32:45,897 and there were two engines out... 542 00:32:45,931 --> 00:32:49,134 NARRATOR: The onboard computer tries to save the rocket. 543 00:32:49,167 --> 00:32:53,972 GEORGE: The computer said, "Hey, you guys are in trouble," 544 00:32:54,005 --> 00:33:01,045 and it started to lift the vehicle back onto a vertical -- 545 00:33:01,079 --> 00:33:04,950 more or less vertical trajectory in order to get 546 00:33:04,983 --> 00:33:10,856 this third stage and the crew module into orbit. 547 00:33:10,889 --> 00:33:12,991 MALE: IGM seems to be bringing it in, flight. 548 00:33:13,024 --> 00:33:13,825 MALE: Roger. 549 00:33:13,859 --> 00:33:16,328 MALE: I say it’s look and go flight. 550 00:33:16,361 --> 00:33:19,264 NARRATOR: The team prepares to fire the third stage engine 551 00:33:19,297 --> 00:33:22,133 for the second time to send the Command Module 552 00:33:22,167 --> 00:33:26,705 on its designated trajectory. 553 00:33:26,738 --> 00:33:29,107 But it doesn’t light. 554 00:33:29,140 --> 00:33:32,477 All three stages of the rocket have had critical problems 555 00:33:32,511 --> 00:33:37,983 that must be solved before it can fly again. 556 00:33:38,016 --> 00:33:40,585 The pogo problem with the first stage occurs 557 00:33:40,619 --> 00:33:44,556 when vibrations in the engine’s thrust and combustion chambers 558 00:33:44,589 --> 00:33:48,860 match the natural vibration of the rocket in flight. 559 00:33:48,894 --> 00:33:51,730 They amplify each other, and generate vibrations 560 00:33:51,763 --> 00:33:54,666 up and down the length of the rocket. 561 00:33:54,699 --> 00:33:58,203 Fortunately, the engineers discover a solution. 562 00:33:58,236 --> 00:34:01,706 GEORGE: We put dampeners, a dampener, 563 00:34:01,740 --> 00:34:06,912 to absorb these vibrations, to make them safe. 564 00:34:06,945 --> 00:34:08,480 It doesn’t get rid of them necessarily -- 565 00:34:08,513 --> 00:34:14,052 but it minimizes them. It’s like a shock absorber in your car. 566 00:34:14,085 --> 00:34:16,955 NARRATOR: But what went wrong with the second and third stages 567 00:34:16,988 --> 00:34:19,824 is a mystery. 568 00:34:19,858 --> 00:34:22,928 Telemetry reveals a sudden drop in fuel pressure 569 00:34:22,961 --> 00:34:25,997 on both engines. 570 00:34:26,031 --> 00:34:30,302 It’s a telltale sign of a fuel leak. 571 00:34:30,335 --> 00:34:31,703 And it’s traced to the failure 572 00:34:31,736 --> 00:34:35,373 of the engines’ fuel igniter lines. 573 00:34:35,407 --> 00:34:39,144 But how could the engineers have missed this? 574 00:34:39,177 --> 00:34:43,615 ANDREW: What they had missed with those J-2 engines 575 00:34:43,648 --> 00:34:47,152 was that they were always being tested at sea level, 576 00:34:47,185 --> 00:34:51,489 where the moisture in the air would form a coating of ice 577 00:34:51,523 --> 00:34:53,558 around the propellant lines, 578 00:34:53,592 --> 00:34:56,662 and that actually ended up giving them extra resilience, 579 00:34:56,695 --> 00:35:01,166 extra strength against those powerful vibration forces. 580 00:35:01,199 --> 00:35:03,835 Once you got up above most of the atmosphere, 581 00:35:03,868 --> 00:35:07,071 there was no moisture, there was no ice, 582 00:35:07,105 --> 00:35:09,774 and it shook the heck out of those fuel lines 583 00:35:09,808 --> 00:35:12,878 and caused the problems. 584 00:35:12,911 --> 00:35:16,214 NARRATOR: If the Stage Two and Three J-2 engines failed 585 00:35:16,247 --> 00:35:18,116 because of a weak pipe, 586 00:35:18,149 --> 00:35:21,586 why was the number three Stage Two engine shut down? 587 00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:25,057 GEORGE: As engineers, we pulled out all the block diagrams 588 00:35:25,090 --> 00:35:27,659 and the schematics and all that stuff, 589 00:35:27,692 --> 00:35:30,895 and a guy, he says, "You know what happened, 590 00:35:30,929 --> 00:35:34,332 I think those wires were crossed." 591 00:35:34,366 --> 00:35:37,236 NARRATOR: It’s the simplest of mistakes. 592 00:35:37,268 --> 00:35:41,706 The wiring for engine two and engine three has been crossed -- 593 00:35:41,740 --> 00:35:44,276 meaning the onboard computer sent a signal 594 00:35:44,309 --> 00:35:48,079 to shut down a perfectly healthy engine. 595 00:35:48,113 --> 00:35:51,249 Von Braun and his team have solved all the problems 596 00:35:51,282 --> 00:35:54,685 discovered by Apollo 6. 597 00:35:54,719 --> 00:36:01,159 October 11, 1968 -- NASA successfully launches Apollo 7. 598 00:36:01,192 --> 00:36:03,327 The first manned Apollo mission uses 599 00:36:03,361 --> 00:36:06,264 the smaller Saturn IB rocket, 600 00:36:06,297 --> 00:36:10,468 placing its three astronauts in Earth orbit for 11 days. 601 00:36:10,502 --> 00:36:14,072 But Von Braun and his team are ready to go much further... 602 00:36:14,105 --> 00:36:17,775 ANDREW: They understood their system. 603 00:36:17,809 --> 00:36:21,713 That’s what allowed them to have the confidence to say, 604 00:36:21,746 --> 00:36:24,749 we’re gonna fly people on the third Saturn V, 605 00:36:24,783 --> 00:36:27,219 and once you put people on it it doesn’t matter 606 00:36:27,252 --> 00:36:30,489 whether you’re gonna go to Earth orbit or go to the moon -- 607 00:36:30,522 --> 00:36:33,725 so let’s go ahead and do it. 608 00:36:33,758 --> 00:36:36,995 NARRATOR: December 21st, 1968. 609 00:36:37,028 --> 00:36:40,798 Astronauts Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell 610 00:36:40,832 --> 00:36:44,069 are about to put their lives in the hands of the engineers 611 00:36:44,102 --> 00:36:47,472 who’ve built the Saturn V -- as they set out to become 612 00:36:47,505 --> 00:36:56,581 the first humans to fly around the moon. 613 00:36:56,614 --> 00:36:58,683 MISSION CONTROL: Mark T minus three minutes and 30 seconds 614 00:36:58,717 --> 00:36:59,985 and counting. 615 00:37:00,018 --> 00:37:01,887 We’ve completed our communications checks 616 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:04,322 with the Apollo astronauts in the cabin 617 00:37:04,355 --> 00:37:07,692 and communications are go. 618 00:37:07,726 --> 00:37:10,195 NARRATOR: With the lessons learned from Apollo 6 619 00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:13,631 and the successful first orbital flight of Apollo 7, 620 00:37:13,665 --> 00:37:20,405 NASA is ready to reach for the moon. 621 00:37:20,438 --> 00:37:25,576 Engineers can only sit and wait as the 3-man crew of Apollo 8 622 00:37:25,610 --> 00:37:27,779 prepares to make history. 623 00:37:27,812 --> 00:37:30,982 MISSION CONTROL: 35 seconds and counting... 624 00:37:31,015 --> 00:37:32,450 ED: You know this was the first time that 625 00:37:32,484 --> 00:37:35,487 we had huge turnout of the press. 626 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:40,325 It was huge because, number one, the first time we had a crew 627 00:37:40,358 --> 00:37:42,927 on the Saturn V ever. 628 00:37:42,961 --> 00:37:46,064 Secondly, we weren’t going just to Earth orbit, 629 00:37:46,097 --> 00:37:50,635 we were going to the moon and back, 240,000 miles away. 630 00:37:50,668 --> 00:37:56,974 MALE: 12, 11, 10, 9 -- we have ignition sequence start. 631 00:37:57,008 --> 00:38:03,414 The engines are on -- 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. 632 00:38:03,448 --> 00:38:07,352 We have commenced, we have, we have lift off... 633 00:38:07,385 --> 00:38:19,430 [Engines roaring] 634 00:38:19,464 --> 00:38:22,767 We have left the tower. 635 00:38:22,801 --> 00:38:24,603 MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 8, you’re looking good. 636 00:38:24,636 --> 00:38:26,204 ASTRONAUT: Roger. 637 00:38:26,237 --> 00:38:28,806 NARRATOR: As Apollo 8 thunders from the pad, 638 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,042 its crew are the first to experience 639 00:38:31,075 --> 00:38:35,780 the awesome accelerating force of the mighty F-1 engines. 640 00:38:35,814 --> 00:38:36,915 MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 8, Houston. 641 00:38:36,948 --> 00:38:38,850 You are a go for staging, over 642 00:38:38,883 --> 00:38:43,054 ASTRONAUT: Roger. 643 00:38:43,087 --> 00:38:46,591 NARRATOR: This time both stages work perfectly. 644 00:38:46,624 --> 00:38:49,327 ASTRONAUT: Houston, it’s Apollo 8. 645 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,395 MISSION CONTROL: Yeah, we hear you loud and clear, Apollo 8. 646 00:38:51,429 --> 00:38:53,564 ASTRONAUT: Okay. Well, the first stage was very smooth, 647 00:38:53,598 --> 00:38:55,166 and this one is smoother. 648 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:58,170 MISSION CONTROL: Understand -- smooth and smoother, looks good here. 649 00:38:58,203 --> 00:39:03,008 ED: Hearing the crew talk while on that rocket 650 00:39:03,041 --> 00:39:06,578 was a really moving experience. 651 00:39:06,611 --> 00:39:07,912 We had to keep telling ourselves 652 00:39:07,946 --> 00:39:09,881 these guys are going to the moon. 653 00:39:09,914 --> 00:39:12,016 This rocket’s taking these guys to the moon, 654 00:39:12,050 --> 00:39:13,952 and this had never happened before. 655 00:39:13,985 --> 00:39:17,422 NARRATOR: All five J-2 engines fire flawlessly, 656 00:39:17,455 --> 00:39:22,327 accelerating the astronauts to four miles a second. 657 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:23,328 MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 8, Houston. 658 00:39:23,361 --> 00:39:25,897 Your trajectory and guidance are go, over. 659 00:39:25,930 --> 00:39:27,365 ASTRONAUT: Thank you, Michael. 660 00:39:27,398 --> 00:39:29,200 MISSION CONTROL: Yeah, you’re looking real good, Frank. 661 00:39:29,234 --> 00:39:30,435 ASTRONAUT: Very good. 662 00:39:30,468 --> 00:39:35,373 ED: We’d begin to hear things like second stage shut down. 663 00:39:35,406 --> 00:39:38,910 Okay, so you know second stage is shut down. 664 00:39:38,943 --> 00:39:42,146 And then they announce separation third stage. 665 00:39:42,180 --> 00:39:47,285 ♪ ♪ 666 00:39:47,318 --> 00:39:51,088 GEORGE: It actually is another one of those, "Phew," 667 00:39:51,122 --> 00:39:55,059 a sigh of relief. 668 00:39:55,093 --> 00:40:00,732 ASTRONAUT: [unintelligible] the ignition. Guidance, initiate. 669 00:40:00,765 --> 00:40:02,834 NARRATOR: After less than two Earth orbits, 670 00:40:02,867 --> 00:40:05,536 the engineers take another deep breath. 671 00:40:05,570 --> 00:40:09,040 It’s time for the three men to be fired to the moon. 672 00:40:09,073 --> 00:40:14,178 The critical maneuver, called trans-lunar injection -- or TLI. 673 00:40:14,212 --> 00:40:18,717 GEORGE: We’re sort of uptight because you have to 674 00:40:18,750 --> 00:40:23,154 accelerate the vehicle to 24,000 miles an hour 675 00:40:23,187 --> 00:40:27,792 to escape the gravitational forces of the Earth. 676 00:40:27,825 --> 00:40:29,660 NARRATOR: If the burn is a success, 677 00:40:29,694 --> 00:40:32,263 the path of humanity will change forever 678 00:40:32,297 --> 00:40:35,167 as the crew of Apollo 8 become the first people 679 00:40:35,199 --> 00:40:39,136 to leave Earth’s orbit. 680 00:40:39,170 --> 00:40:41,906 MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 8, Houston. 681 00:40:41,940 --> 00:40:43,175 ASTRONAUT: Go ahead, Houston. 682 00:40:43,207 --> 00:40:46,744 MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 8, you are a go for TLI, over. 683 00:40:46,778 --> 00:40:49,714 ASTRONAUT: Roger, we understand. We are a go for TLI. 684 00:40:49,747 --> 00:40:55,152 NARRATOR: The whole program now rests on this single engine burn. 685 00:40:55,186 --> 00:40:56,254 ASTRONAUT: Ignition. 686 00:40:56,287 --> 00:40:57,655 MISSION CONTROL: Roger ignition. 687 00:40:57,689 --> 00:41:06,631 ♪ ♪ 688 00:41:06,664 --> 00:41:07,732 Apollo 8, Houston. 689 00:41:07,765 --> 00:41:10,101 You’re looking good here right down the center line. 690 00:41:10,134 --> 00:41:11,902 ASTRONAUT: Roger, Apollo 8. 691 00:41:11,936 --> 00:41:16,240 ♪ ♪ 692 00:41:16,274 --> 00:41:18,243 Okay, we got [unintelligible], right on the money. 693 00:41:18,276 --> 00:41:21,846 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, understand [unintelligible]. 694 00:41:21,879 --> 00:41:24,348 DON BRINCKA: That was a very profound moment, 695 00:41:24,382 --> 00:41:27,752 because it was a major step in what we hoped 696 00:41:27,785 --> 00:41:30,955 was going to be space exploration. 697 00:41:30,989 --> 00:41:34,092 NARRATOR: As Apollo 8 and its crew head for the moon, 698 00:41:34,125 --> 00:41:36,661 the engineers on Earth who dedicated their lives 699 00:41:36,694 --> 00:41:44,035 to building the Saturn V reflect on an historic achievement. 700 00:41:44,068 --> 00:41:47,572 DON BINNS: I had given birth to that baby. 701 00:41:47,605 --> 00:41:50,908 I remember looking out at the pad, and it was gone, 702 00:41:50,942 --> 00:41:54,813 and I thought, God, the love of my life has gone away from me. 703 00:41:54,846 --> 00:41:57,048 And she’ll never come back. 704 00:41:57,081 --> 00:41:59,417 NARRATOR: The success of Apollo 8 paves the way 705 00:41:59,450 --> 00:42:05,623 for the first lunar landing, Apollo 11, in July, 1969. 706 00:42:05,656 --> 00:42:10,561 The Saturn V engineers had beaten Kennedy’s deadline. 707 00:42:10,595 --> 00:42:14,365 But the Saturn V’s work isn’t over. 708 00:42:14,399 --> 00:42:17,369 It successfully launches seven more missions -- 709 00:42:17,402 --> 00:42:18,870 six to the moon -- 710 00:42:18,903 --> 00:42:26,310 as well as America’s first space station, Skylab, in 1973. 711 00:42:26,344 --> 00:42:28,446 Today the Saturn V rockets, 712 00:42:28,479 --> 00:42:33,050 restored by the Smithsonian Institution, draw large crowds. 713 00:42:33,084 --> 00:42:35,320 But preserving their engineering legacy 714 00:42:35,353 --> 00:42:37,956 has another important mission -- 715 00:42:37,989 --> 00:42:42,227 to inspire a new generation of rocket engineers. 716 00:42:42,260 --> 00:42:46,831 PRESIDENT OBAMA: Pushing out into the solar system -- 717 00:42:46,864 --> 00:42:50,368 not just to visit, but to stay. 718 00:42:50,401 --> 00:42:52,103 Last month we launched a new spacecraft 719 00:42:52,136 --> 00:42:54,038 as part of a re-energized space program 720 00:42:54,072 --> 00:42:58,910 that will send American astronauts to Mars. 721 00:42:58,943 --> 00:43:01,045 NARRATOR: To achieve these bold ambitions 722 00:43:01,079 --> 00:43:05,216 requires the development of an extraordinary new rocket. 723 00:43:05,249 --> 00:43:09,086 Called the Space Launch System, or SLS for short, 724 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:14,859 it will be even more powerful than the mighty Saturn V. 725 00:43:14,892 --> 00:43:19,196 R.H. Coates is one of the engineers working on its design. 726 00:43:19,230 --> 00:43:21,099 R.H.: The Space Launch System owes a great deal 727 00:43:21,132 --> 00:43:23,868 to the legacy of the Saturn V. 728 00:43:23,901 --> 00:43:27,138 One of the key enablers for the Saturn V was to utilize 729 00:43:27,171 --> 00:43:29,907 lightweight liquid hydrogen propellent. 730 00:43:29,941 --> 00:43:32,977 That legacy, that learning to design 731 00:43:33,010 --> 00:43:35,179 those high- performance upper-stage engines 732 00:43:35,213 --> 00:43:37,949 also went into the Space Launch System. 733 00:43:37,982 --> 00:43:39,884 We are definitely standing on the shoulders of giants 734 00:43:39,917 --> 00:43:43,888 by what we learn from Saturn Apollo. 735 00:43:43,921 --> 00:43:46,791 NARRATOR: Only a few of the original engineers are left 736 00:43:46,824 --> 00:43:49,927 to appreciate the impact of their achievements, 737 00:43:49,961 --> 00:43:53,031 as mankind continues its quest to break free 738 00:43:53,064 --> 00:43:58,403 from the confines of our planet -- and head out to the stars.