David Weeks' Saturn V Technical Drawings

Six years of research has finally paid off for space modelers: David Weeks has brought forth a ten sheet set of drawings detailing the exterior and interior of the most powerful operational launch vehicle ever produced.

Drawn in constant 1/48th scale and reproduced on 24 X 36 paper, these drawings provide details not available anywhere else. The example scans hardly do justice to this set.

Sheet 1: S-IC General Arrangement

Shown on this sheet:

• Internal view of the S-IC, exposing internal structure including slosh baffles, oxidizer lines, etc. Full dimensional detail is noted.
• Plan views of the F-1 engine fairings and fins with dimensions.
• Top view of the LOX tank, with locations of all exterior details given as degrees from a reference point. External cable trunks and penetrations for antennas, vents are noted.
• Top view of fuel tank showing LOX lines and fuel suction penetrations. Tank baffle arrangement also illustrated.

Sheet 2: S-IC Stage Details

Shown on this sheet:

• Top view of LOX tank looking down, illustrating slosh baffle arrangement, cruciform anti-vortex baffle and LOX suction line locations.
• View of base heatshield looking up, shows layout of engine mounts, propellant connections, heatshield panel layout, etc.
• Details of internal arrangement of the Thrust Structure are illustrated, with plan views of components.
• Helium bottles, LOX suction heads, F-1 propellant line connections, retrorockets, External system tunnels and dimensions of intertank corrugations also detailed.

Sheet 3: S-IC Exterior General Arrangement

Shown on this sheet:

• Three detail-loaded maps of the Forward Skirt, Intertank and Thrust Structure exteriors with all penetrations and details illustrated. Full dimensional detail is provided along with stringer details.
• Stringer map of the Engine fairing.
• Markings info included: American Flag, Position numbers, Fin letters, Fin letter position guide, Radial location diagram showing positions of all markings and black roll patterns plus illustration of the differences between the "USA" marking used on Michoud and Marshall produced stages.

Sheet 4: S-II Stage Internal Arrangement

Shown on this sheet:

• Plan view of the internal structures of the S-II.
• Detail of Systems Tunnel
• Top view of S-IC/S-II interstage with locations of Ullage rockets.
• Diagram of LOX tank anti-slosh baffle.
• Top view looking down of Aft skirt, detailing LH2 feedline fairing, vents and systems tunnel locations.
• Top view of Forward skirt and LH2 tank top with associated details.

Sheet 5: S-II Details

• LH2 feedline fairing details and dimensions, LH2 fill and drain fairing.
• Full details of the thrust structure, with plan views of the components.
• Internal plan view of the thrust structure showing J-2 engine No.5 attachment and feedline routing.
• Ullage rocket fairing and J-2 heatshield details.

Sheet 6: S-II Exterior General Arrangement

On this sheet:

• Exterior maps of both the outside of the S-II and the S-IC/S-II interstage, with all fairings, markings and paint scheme denoted.
• Top view diagram of the paint markings, lettering and camera targets.
• Dimensions of the Vertical Motion Targets, "UNITED STATES" script and Camera Targets.

Sheet 7: S-II, S-IVB Thrust Structure, S-IVB Aft Interstage Details

On this sheet:

• Surface stringer maps of the S-II and S-IVB thrust structures as well as a map of the Interstage. Stringers, mounting brackets and misc. equipment mounting locations are shown. S-IVB slosh baffles are illustrated along with equipment box sizes and LH2 feedline brackets.

Sheet 8: S-IVB Stage and Instrument Unit

On this sheet:

• Surface detail map of the S-IVB and Instrument Unit giving locations and dimensions of all external fairings.
• Interior plan view of the stage with details of structures and design of the stage.
• Three "top down" views of the; Instrument Unit, Forward skirt and Aft skirt giving radial locations of external details.
• Dimensions of all fairings are given separately.

Sheet 9: Diagrammatic Drawings

Shown on this sheet:

• Cut-away views of all three stages, plus overall views of the Instrument Unit, the S-II/S-IVB interstage and the J-2 and F-1 engines.
• For reference, diagrams showing the S-IVB ullage rocket attachment, S-II ullage rockets and the S-IC retrorocket details.
• Closeup views of the S-IC intertank construction and the F-I engine fairing details are also included.

Sheet 10: Markings and Vehicle Overviews

This sheet shows five complete Saturn V's: 500F, 501, 506, 511 and 513. Each is rotated 90 degrees from the previous view to show all sides. All markings and paint patterns are illustrated, showing the evolution of the Saturn V marking patterns. A complete flight roster along with references used during the production of the sheets is offered.

When I first viewed this set of plans, I was amazed at their complexity and thoroughness of David's research. Properly reduced or enlarged, these plans will allow any modeler to accurately reproduce the complexity of the Saturn V in any scale. Following the included information, you could easily zero in on a particular vehicle and it's unique details.

These, as well as the other drawing sets by David Weeks, are available through RealSpace Models.