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Author
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Topic: Saturn IB rocket fin replacements
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LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-22-2024 01:51 PM
  
All the Saturn IB fin assemblies on the SA-208 (Skylab 4) launch vehicle were replaced because stress corrosion cracks were found after the countdown demonstration test (CDDT). Fins were also replaced on the SA-210 (ASTP) launch vehicle. What about SA-209, the Skylab Rescue vehicle?This photo of SA-209 shows that some of the numbered fins (I-IIII) are not in their normal locations.  There are eight fin locations on the Saturn IB launch vehicle. This is where the numbered fins seen in the photo seem to be located: SA-209 Skylab Rescue - I
- I (from a different photo)
- - (from a different photo)
- I
- -
- -
- IIII
- IIII
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LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-22-2024 06:49 PM
The SA-206 (Skylab 2) and SA-207 (Skylab 3) launch vehicles probably had their Saturn IB numbered fins in the normal locations, like this: - I
- -
- II
- -
- III
- -
- IIII
- -
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LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-23-2024 06:49 AM
The SA-208 (Skylab 4) and SA-210 (ASTP) launch vehicles apparently were similar, based on the locations of numbered fins seen in various photos:SA-208 Skylab 4 - I
- II
- III
- III
- -
- IIII
SA-210 ASTP - I
- IIII
- II
- III
- III
- -
- IIII
- -
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LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-23-2024 08:29 AM
Seven of the eight ASTP fins can be seen in these two photos (the fin marked "I" is seen in both photos): 
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LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-24-2024 10:30 AM
Photo S73-37287 is a great shot of the Skylab 4 launch that shows several of the numbered fins. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-24-2024 02:41 PM
Are there any photos with a Skylab 4 launch view from the opposite side? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-28-2024 02:19 PM
The SA-205 (Apollo 7) launch vehicle had the numbered fins in the normal locations. This photo shows a few: |
LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-30-2024 09:27 AM
In the normal locations, Fin 2 is all-black and Fin 8 is all-white. All the other fins are different patterns of black-and-white. |
Matthew Ota
New Member Posts: 6
From: Phoenix, AZ USA
Registered: Dec 2015
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posted 03-17-2025 11:35 AM
In 1973, I wrote a letter to the NASA Kennedy Space Center PAO asking why the fins were attached without regard to numbering or paint pattern. The replay I got was that at this time in the Saturn 1B flight program it was not necessary to have the fins placed in order. Since they were all mechanically the same it did not matter in which position they were placed. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 4079
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-17-2025 02:16 PM
On the SA-210 stage, it looks like the fins seen in photo 75-H-42 (below) were in the normal positions before they were replaced. After, some fins were not. |
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