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Old 8th Jan 2016, 18:08
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Peter47
 
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Sorry this post is about the Saturn V which have studied in more detail than the Space Shuttle.

According to the Apollo 11 press kit the Saturn / Apollo combination burnt 37.2% of its propellent in the first 81 seconds at which stage it has reached 13,220m & 802m/s. (Bear in mind that it started at 409 m/s owing to the earth's rotatation.)

Hr.Min.Sec..Event......................................Altitude....Velocity.... .Range...Time...Velocity....Altitude....Range...Distance......Mass
............................................................ ...............ft............ft/s............nm.........s.........m/s............m.........km..............km.............kg
.....0..00.0..First motion.......................................183....1,341...........0.0.......0.0........409.............56..........0.0...........0.1.......2,938
.....1..21.0..Maximum dynamic pressure........43,365.....2,637.........2.7......81.0........804......13,218..........5.0.........14.1.......1,856
.....2..15.0..Centre engine cutoff..................145,600.....6,505........24.9....135.0.....1,983......44,379........46.1.........64.0.......1,151
.....2..40.8..Outboard engine cutoff..............217,655.....9,031........49.6....160.8.....2,753......66,341........91.9.......113.3.......1,084
.....2..41.6..First stage separation................219,984.....9,065........50.2....161.6.....2,763......67,051........93.0.......114.6..........658
.....2..43.2..Second stage ignition................221,881.....9,059........51.3....163.2.....2,761......67,629........95.0.......116.6
.....3..11.5..Aft interstage jettison.................301,266.....9,679........87.0....191.5.....2,950......91,826......161.1.......185.5
.....3..17.2..LET jettison...............................315,001.....9,778.........94.3....197.2.....2,980.....96,012.......174.6......199.3
.....7..39.8..Centre engine cutoff..................588,152...18,762......600.0.....459.8....5,719...179,269....1,111.2....1,125.6
.....9..11.4..Outboard engine cutoff..............609,759...22,747......885.0.....551.4....6,933...185,855....1,639.0....1,649.5
.....9..12.3..Second stage separation...........609,982...22,757......888.0.....552.3....6,936...185,923....1,644.6....1,655.0..........175
.....9..15.4..Third stage ignition....................610,014...22,757......888.4.....555.4....6,936...185,932....1,645.4....1,655.8
...11..40.1..Third stage first cutoff................617,957...25,562...1,425.2.....700.1....7,791...188,353....2,639.5....2,646.2
...11..50.1..Parking orbit insertion................617,735...25,568...1,463.9.....710.1....7,793...188,286....2,711.1....2,717.7
...44..14.8..Third stage reignition.................650,558...25,554...3,481.9.........0.0....7,789...198,290.....6,448.5...6,451.5
2:50..03.1..Third stage second cutoff.......1,058,809...35,563...2,633.6.....348.3..10,840...322,725.....4,877.4...4,888.1
2:50..13.1..Translunar injection................1,103,215...35,539...2,605.0.....358.3..10,832...336,260.....4,824.5...4,836.2

https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf

Does anyone know why the first stage used kerosene rather than liquid hydrogen & oxygen in the way that shuttle does given that the latter has a higher specific impulse so less fuel would have been required? Presumably the rocket would just have been too large or were there other reasons?

Last edited by Peter47; 8th Jan 2016 at 19:06.
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