Skip to main content

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides

Jan 11, 2008 8:47 AM

Video Uncovered: How Tennis Shoes and Tug-o-War Shook the Mighty Saturn V

According to a recent article on CollectSpace.com, Apollo engineers used some pretty unorthodox testing methods (read: a bunch of engineers lying on their backs pushing on the bottom of the Saturn V with their feet while another group lassos the top of the rocket and starts a tug-o-war). They were trying to "test" how the […]

According to a recent article on CollectSpace.com, Apollo engineers used some pretty unorthodox testing methods (read: a bunch of engineers lying on their backs pushing on the bottom of the Saturn V with their feet while another group lassos the top of the rocket and starts a tug-o-war).

They were trying to "test" how the Saturn V responded mechanically to vibrations caused by outside forces such as high winds etc. The caption should read, "Do not try this at home."

A video of the test, posted anonymously to NASAspaceflight.com, sent CollectSpace to Apollo veterans Ray Byrd and James Moos to find out more. Byrd explains that the full size Saturn V SA-500F vehicle was never intended to fly, but was to be used to test out Saturn V facilities.

The test ends suddenly when the top of the Saturn V (the Launch Escape System) breaks off and slides down onto the side of the capsule (not visible in the video).

The test, which was a bit outside of normal procedure, was not documented as far as CollectSpace authors could find, but three different reports from 1966 describing the disassembly of
SA-500F do not cover the removal of the Launch Escape System.

According to the article:

Byrd affirmed that even though the test had the approval to proceed, that it was done without the usual planning, review or formal scheduling as is often associated with work on such projects.
As such, "the LES facsimile failure and destruction was hushed up and never widely reported. Fortunately, no one was injured ... or worse," he concluded.

Modern day NASA Constellation manager Jeff Hanley said that the more his team can learn from Apollo the less they will have to make the same mistakes on their own. When asked if he thought they might do some "tennis shoe" testing he said,

We have a lot of capability today that the Apollo generation didn't have to model things...There's still the possibility of being surprised but we can do a lot of testing in the computer today that we couldn't do back then.

Untold Apollo: How Tennis Shoes and Tug-o-War Toppled the Mighty Saturn V [CollectSPACE]

Image: NASASpaceflight.com

Topicsspace

Read More

The First Radio Signal From Comet 3I/Atlas Ends the Debate About Its Nature

An observatory detected the first radio signal from the interstellar object 3I/Atlas. Here’s what it means.

How to Follow the Trajectory of Comet 3I/Atlas

The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas reached its closest point to the sun. Here's how to follow the rest of its journey away from our solar system.

A Collision With Space Debris Leaves 3 Chinese Astronauts Stranded in Orbit

The only craft docked at Tiangong space station has been damaged and “does not meet the release conditions for a safe manned return.”

In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up

Driving a spacecraft around a planet isn’t anything like driving on a planet. A physicist explains orbital navigation.

Physicists Create a Thermometer for Measuring ‘Quantumness’

“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.

The ‘10 Martini’ Proof Connects Quantum Mechanics With Infinitely Intricate Mathematical Structures

The proof, known to be so hard that a mathematician once offered 10 martinis to whoever could figure it out, uses number theory to explain quantum fractals.

Valar Atomics Says It’s the First Nuclear Startup to Achieve Criticality

A Trump administration pilot program aims for three nuclear startups to reach a key milestone by July 4, 2026. Valar Atomics says it’s the first to do so—but it had some help.

Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots

Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.

Climate Change Made Hurricane Melissa 4 Times More Likely, Study Suggests

Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.

The Hidden Math of Ocean Waves

The math behind even the simplest ocean waves is notoriously uncooperative. A team of Italian mathematicians has made major advances toward understanding it.

How Do Metal Detectors Work?

What sneaky invisible forces enable these instruments to locate buried treasure?

How Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Grow Living Things

The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.