First Stage Engines, Saturn V

Posted on Jan 2, 2012

First Stage Engines, Saturn V

The five Rocketdyne F-1 first stage engines on the Saturn V moon rocket powered the vehicle for the initial 168 seconds of flight and managed to lift it 220,000 feet during this time. To lift the enormous weight of the rocket and all its fuel, they developed a combined thrust of over 7.5 million pounds. Prints of this image are available with widths between 36″ and 60″. NB: Please click on the image above to see the full, uncropped version of the image! Available Sizes 60" x 40" $960.00 USD 48" x 32" $765.00 USD 36" x 24" $465.00...

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Second Stage Tank, Saturn V

Posted on Jan 2, 2012

Second Stage Tank, Saturn V

People often take a few minutes looking at this image before figuring out what it shows. This is the top of the fuel tank in the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The tank held liquid hydrogen at -252 Celcius (-423 Farenheit) right above the liquid oxygen tank which was 70C (125F) warmer. Apparently, the biggest engineering challenge solved to build this was to develop insulation capable of keeping the contents suitably cold while being light enough to still allow the rocket to fly! Prints of this image are available with widths between 36″...

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Saturn V Engine Fairing Abstract

Posted on Jan 2, 2012

Saturn V Engine Fairing Abstract

There can be few more impressive examples of engineering on the planet than the Saturn V moon rocket. I’ve been very much enjoying documenting the Saturn V at Johnson Space Center over the last couple of years and this is almost certainly my favorite image from that project so far. It shows a section of one of the fairings on the first stage that shields an outboard engine. Prints of this image are available with widths between 36″ and 60″. Available Sizes 60" x 40" $960.00 USD 48" x 32" $765.00 USD 36" x 24" $465.00...

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Space Shuttle Cockpit, Houston

Posted on Jan 2, 2012

Space Shuttle Cockpit, Houston

I’ve been a space exploration nut for as long as I can remember so Space Center Houston and the rocket park at the Johnson Space Center are very high on my list of locations whenever I’m in the Houston area. This image was taken very early on a Sunday morning, before the Space Center Houston building was open to the public. I was there camping overnight with my son’s Cub Scout pack and we had the run of the facility giving me an excellent opportunity to take images without the usual crush of visitors in the way. The cockpit here is actually part of a mock-up Orbiter called...

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Chevron Building, Houston

Posted on Jan 2, 2012

Chevron Building, Houston

The collection of buildings at the corner of Smith & Bell in downtown Houston, Texas has been a favourite of mine for several years. This place epitomises the large American city skyline as far as I am concerned – tall skyscrapers covered in reflective glass panels. This junction also hosts a large, circular skywalk joining all four corners and offering a great frame when shooting upwards with a very wide-angle lens. For those interested in history, although this building is currently occupied by the Chevron oil company, it was originally built as the headquarters for Enron....

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