Rocket Stages

[SOPS]

To those that know a lot more than me,

I have managed to get my son intersted in the Appolo program ( I am a complete nut about it). He has asked me why the Saturn V was staged.and not just one "big bang"..or words to that effect.

I sort of know..but I cant really expalin it....can my friends on pprune please help me to explain why there are staged rockets.

Thanks in advance

SOPS

[18-Wheeler]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staged_Rocket

That should answer it for you.

[cwatters]

I wish a TV channel would run a real time repeat of footage from one of the moon shots. I don't mean a documentary I mean show all the news footage and special programs in real time over the days a trip took. Part of what made it exciting was rushing home from school to find out what had or hadn't happened that day, plotting progress day by day on a figure 8 chart etc.

[barit1]

I recall during Apollo 13, one ABC (US) reporter referred to a segment of the lunar insertion rocket as "cyndrilical in shape".

Other reporters couldn't grasp the distinction between "Max Q" and "Max G".

But we've learned to love 'em.

[Tinstaafl]

'One big bang' as you put it means the whole carcass has to be dragged into space. Every single pound of it. That requires **HUGE** amounts thrust, endurance & extra fuel to drag now superfluous mass (and the extra fuel) against gravity.

Using stages lets you dump useless weight as you go, allowing allowing either less fuel or more payload.