If you are a fan of all things NASA, this video is absolutely fascinating. It is 30 seconds of real time from the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch, but it has been extended to over 8 minutes because it was shot at 500 frames per second. And it has a erudite narration that explains what is going on:

[This video lets you see the same launch from many different angles.]

According to the narrator:

This is the launch of Apollo 11, July 16, 1969. It is camera E-8, which shows the base of the Saturn V vehicle, done on 16mm film at 500 frames per second. Now this particular camera was started at five seconds prior to liftoff. Now at this speed what you are going to see in this full 8 minutes and 30 second is about 30 seconds worth of actual time. Here, ignition sequence start has already started, and the kerosene and liquid oxtgen is already mixing. The F-1 engines were started by burting a hypergolic cartridge which spun up the turbines to start driving the propellants into the engines.

To learn more about the F-1 engines, the hypegolic cartridges and these turbines used to pump the fuel, see:
- F-1 (rocket engine)
- The Saturn V F-1 Engine: Powering Apollo Into History

The statistics on the F-1 engine are just staggering:

A gas-generator was used to drive a turbine which in turn drove separate fuel and oxygen pumps, each feeding the thrust chamber assembly. The turbine was driven at 5,500 RPM by the gas generator, producing 55,000 brake horsepower (41 MW). The fuel pump produced 15,471 gallons (58,564 litres) of RP-1 per minute while the oxidizer pump delivered 24,811 gal (93,920 l) of liquid oxygen per minute.

A tour around an F-1 engine:

The video spends a lot of time talking about the Hold-Down Arms and Tail Service Masts. You can learn more about them (and see how big they are in reality) here:
- Hold-Down Arms and Tail Service Masts
- Saturn V Stuff

See also: How the Apollo Spacecraft Worked

[In case something happens to it, here is another version of the first video: Apollo 11 launch revisited]

[[[Jump to previous BFTP - Our Friend the Atom]]]