4 ms·
Saturn V
by jupp0r 3y ago
Saturn V
- shiroiuma 3y agoGo read some history: that was built by various contractors, such as Rocketdyne that manufactured the engines.
- jupp0r 3y agoThe rocket was not. Of course you will have components built by industry. You can't expect government to mine the iron and mill the steel for every bolt.
- shiroiuma 3y agoThe engines were easily the most complex components of the whole system. They're not like buying some bolts.
- Retric 3y agoExcept it kind of was. Car companies don’t manufacture the most complex components in house either. Those things were custom, but NASA saved a great deal of money going with an existing supplier of giant rocket engines who had already been working in scaling up their designs.
- shiroiuma 3y agoMost car companies do indeed produce their own engines. It's why many of them are named "XYZ Motor Company". Of course, they don't produce their own microchips for all the electronic stuff in cars these days, and I suppose you could say those are more complex, but back in the 60s when the Saturn V was made, the engines were probably the most complex things in cars.
- Retric 3y agoOver half all heavy duty trucks in the 1960’s used Cummins engines. Their engines made their way into Doge RAM trucks etc. Aircraft manufacturers also tend to outsource engines as do shipyards building boats. Most major car companies did and do manufacture engines in house, but it’s common to find some outsourced engines and various joint ventures used by automotive manufacturers. Some 1960’s examples Lotus Seven S2, Marcos 1500 GT, Otosan Anadol, TVR Grantura, all used Ford engines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Kent_engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Kent_engine
- shiroiuma 3y agoWell of course a bunch of ultra-tiny car manufacturers are going to use outsourced engines. The major automakers never have, outside of a few odd projects (like the Ford Taurus SHO with the Yamaha engine) and joint ventures. Heavy-duty trucks and aircraft are very different situations.
- Retric 3y agoSure, but I think we can safely say the Saturn V was hardly a mass market product. Rockets following the aircraft approach of 3rd party engines is fairly common. Many Atlas rockets using the RD-180 engines comes to mind.
- jupp0r 3y agoChrysler has been using Cummins engines for ages. They are in the Jeep Wrangler.