MovieChat Forums > Moon Machines (2008) Discussion > Supposed error in episode Saturn V

Supposed error in episode Saturn V


In the episode, part 5, they speak of Apollo 8 as being the 'first time human lives were at stake', in the testing of Apollo. Which would seem a 'grave' error, in that 3 lives were ALREADY lost in the Apollo 1 fire(Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger Chaffee) and the successful, but forgotten Apollo 7 orbital test was manned (Eisele, Schirra and Cunningham) as well.

But both of those flights were using the Saturn 1B booster. This episode was about the Saturn V booster, which actually was a totally different design and team. So in the focus of the episode, they were right and DO say it was the first time the Saturn _V_ testing was exposing human life to danger.

I do traveling classes with kids on hands on science. Things like dinosaurs and particularly on the Apollo Space program, so I notice oddities like this. ;-)

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But both used the same SV-B stage. The Saturn 5 as its third stage and the S 1B as its second stage.

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They are referring to the Saturn V rocket. Apollo 8 was the first time astronauts had been launched on it. It was the third launch of the Saturn V, and the second one had significant problems.

-drl

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