1. How Astronauts Got Launched to the Moon Created by: Luke Sharman

2. The Rocket Height363.0 feet (110.6 m) Diameter33.0 feet (10.1 m) Mass6,200,000 pounds (2,800,000 kg)[1] Stages3 Partial failures1 (Apollo 6) First flightNovember 9, 1967 (SA-501) Last flightDecember 6, 1972 Length138.0 feet (42.1 m) Diameter33.0 feet (10.1 m) Empty mass288,000 pounds (131,000 kg) Gross mass5,000,000 pounds (2,300,000 kg) Engines5 Rocketdyne F-1 Thrust7,648,000 pounds-force (34,020,000 N) Specific impulse263 sec (2580 N-s/kg) Burn time150 seconds FuelRP-1/LOX Second Stage - S-II Length81.5 feet (24.8 m) Diameter33.0 feet (10.1 m) Empty mass80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) Gross mass1,060,000 pounds (480,000 kg) Engines5 Rocketdyne J-2 Thrust1,000,000 pounds-force (4,400,000 N) Specific impulse421 sec (4130 N-s/kg) Burn time360 seconds FuelLH2/LOX Third Stage - S-IVB Length61.6 feet (18.8 m) Diameter21.7 feet (6.6 m) Empty mass23,000 pounds (10,000 kg)[citation needed] Gross mass266,400 pounds (120,800 kg) Engines1 Rocketdyne J-2 Thrust225,000 pounds-force (1,000,000 N) Specific impulse421 sec (4130 N-s/kg) Burn time165 + 335 seconds (2 burns) FuelLH2/LOX

3. Liftoff The first stage’s is five F-1 rocket engines ignite and produce 7.5 million pounds of thrust.

4. First Stage Separation At an altitude of 42 miles the F-1 engines shut down. Explosive bolts fire, and the severed first stage falls into the Atlantic Ocean.

5. Interstage Separation The second stage’s J-2 engines ignite, and the interstage skirt drops away.

6. Escape Tower Jettison Useful only up to about 19 miles altitude, the launch escape tower is now dead weight and is discarded.

7. Second Stage Separation The third stage’s single J-2 ignites about ten seconds after the second stage is cut loose.

8. Third Stage Shutdown At engine cutoff, the Apollo spacecraft has reached a speed of 17,432 miles per hour and is in orbit around Earth at an altitude of 118.8 miles.

9. Trans-Lunar Injection The third stage’s J-2 engine is fired again to break out of Earth orbit and send the vehicle toward the moon.

10. Lunar Module Extraction Now on course for the moon, Apollo separates, turns 180 degrees and pulls the lunar module from atop the third stage. Its job finished, the Saturn stage coasts away into space.