I was just wondering…… With all the conspiracy stuff that surrounds the moon landings.
One could say that now that the Chinese and Russians have stated they will be going to the moon, the US is in a hurry to get there first to plant the evidence that will confirm their claims of the 69 moon landing.
Anyhow, I am not moon buff so I may be wrong but here is what I am wondering.
Dry weight of the space shuttle
250,000 pound = 113,398 kilogram
Lift capacity of space shuttle
69,000 pound = 31,297 kilogram
Combined weight of shuttle and payload
318,997 pound = 144.695 kilogram
Lift capacity of Saturn 5
223,989pound = 101,600 kilogram
Dry weight of Luna orbiter command module… (Apollo program)
7,500 pound = 3,401 kilogram
Total weight of orbiter with fuel
114,794 pound = 52,070 kilogram
So the shuttle has a lift capacity of 144 tones, the Saturn 5 has a lift capacity of 101 tones.
The shuttle caries itself into orbit, 113 tones, and it carries its payload of 31 tones.
There is the 144 tones lift capacity accounted for.
The Saturn caries the orbiter and command module into orbit, 52 tones.
There are 49 tones unaccounted for.
The command module used 25 tones of its own fuel to get to the moon….
It used 5.4 tones of fuel to put itself into moon orbit. (slow down)
It took 785kg to launch from the moon
It took 1.9 tones of fuel to get back to Earth
It took 4 tones of fuel to put itself in Earth orbit (slow down)
So if the command module and orbiter used its own fuel to get there and back, how do you account for the other 49 tones of Saturn lift capacity?
Now I believe there was 7 official moon missions, one would have to ask why you would waste your time going there 7 times ?
Some people have speculated that there were some 20 missions to the moon and that a moon base was built there……
Anyhow, if my math is right, how do you account for the other 49 tones of Saturn 5 lift capacity ?
