[Reading Science] "You say we went to the Moon 50 years ago, so why all the fuss?"

USA, Saturn V Technology Shelved During Apollo Project
Manual Work Contrary to Blueprints, Impossible to Reproduce
Struggled to Recreate After 50 Years, Costing $20 Billion Over 10 Years
Once Infamously Known Alongside James Webb Space Telescope as 'Two Biggest Budget Hogs'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "They say we already went to the moon over 50 years ago, so why all the fuss about the Artemis 1 launch?"

This is a question raised by some regarding the successful launch of NASA's Artemis 1 on the 16th. Given that advanced technologies such as computers, materials, semiconductors, and electronics have developed far beyond the Apollo project era of 1969-1972?the first human moon landing?some wonder what the big deal is now. There are also reactions expressing confusion over why the U.S. faced numerous difficulties and invested enormous funds (20 billion dollars) over a long period to develop the super heavy-lift rocket SLS (Space Launch System) for this Artemis 1 launch. At one point, it was even dubbed one of NASA's "two budget-eating giants" alongside the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It has even been used as a basis for conspiracy theories claiming the Apollo project was a hoax.

Change in the U.S. Space Development Paradigm

Apollo 11 engine recovered from the Atlantic Ocean in 2013. Photo by Jeff Bezos expeditions

In 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced a remarkable discovery worldwide. He had salvaged the Apollo 11 engine that had been submerged in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for over 40 years. The engine was severely corroded, and even the serial number was erased, making it difficult at first to identify whether it was indeed from Apollo 11. This symbolic scene illustrates why the U.S. struggled so much in developing the lunar exploration rocket for the Artemis 1 launch. In other words, when the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite in human history, in 1957, the U.S. launched an all-out effort in space development. During the Cold War, determined not to fall behind the Soviet Union in ideological and systemic competition, the U.S. invested enormous budgets and manpower to wage a speed race. Even the Apollo project experienced failures up to Apollo 10, and only succeeded with Apollo 11, but thanks to the "national mobilization system," it achieved success.

However, this enthusiasm for lunar exploration rapidly cooled from the early 1970s. With the Nixon administration coming into power and anti-war sentiment rising due to the Vietnam War, criticism of budget waste emerged, changing the domestic atmosphere. Lunar exploration budgets were cut, and U.S. space policy focused on the Space Shuttle, remaining in Earth's orbit. As a result, the Saturn V rockets used for lunar exploration, which required enormous budgets, were scattered to museums, and the technology was almost abandoned.

Apollo 11. Photo by NASA

Forgotten Technology

In the 2010s, the so-called New Space era began. The entry barriers for advanced technology lowered, and funding became easier. Led by SpaceX, private space development companies began developing launch vehicles, launching and operating satellites, and exploring deep space such as the moon and Mars, changing the situation. NASA also resumed return projects for lunar development, including resource development and building bases as footholds for deep space exploration such as Mars, and restarted the development of large launch vehicles for deep space exploration like the Artemis program. The problem is that the technology of the super heavy-lift rocket "Saturn V," developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun, known as the father of American rockets in the 1960s and used in the Apollo project, has been completely forgotten. The Saturn V was developed as a three-stage rocket using five F-1 engines (kerosene) with the strongest thrust ever on the first stage, and five J-2 engines (liquid hydrogen) on the second stage and one on the third stage.

However, after about 40 years, although the blueprints remained, the manufacturing know-how had disappeared. The engineers from that era had long since passed away or retired. The blueprints stored in NASA's secret warehouse did not match the actual engines of the Saturn V displayed in museums. In other words, the design drawings made during rocket production were created under severe deadline pressure and did not undergo precise computer design work as is common today. Also, all F-1 engines were handcrafted, undergoing countless trials and errors with many modifications, and the final products had many features not shown in the blueprints. Eventually, NASA engineers decided to disassemble and understand the principles, starting disassembly and simulation work in 2011, based on which they created the F-1B engine. However, this remake version was ultimately not used as the SLS plan changed several times.

Currently, the SLS uses the RS-25 engines that were used on the Space Shuttle. These are stockpiles made for the Space Shuttle, which was operated until 2009. However, NASA engineers carried out upgrades tailored for Artemis 1. This was not simple. Due to frequent plan changes, budget cuts, and the characteristics of liquid hydrogen engines causing leakage issues, it took nearly 10 years to complete. Currently, the SLS uses four upgraded RS-25 engines with improved performance on the first stage, assisted by two solid boosters on the sides.

The Korean launch vehicle Nuriho, which successfully launched last June.

Moon Yoon-wan, head of the Launch Vehicle Engine Team at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), explained, "The engine reused is over 10 years old, and liquid hydrogen has small molecular size causing leakage issues. To reach the moon, the rocket thrust duration must be long, so a massive 98-meter structure must be built and maintained, and additional propulsion must be generated to compensate for the added weight, which is not an easy task."

He continued, "From the current point in time where advanced technology has developed much further, it may seem quite puzzling that the U.S. spent so much time and money to rebuild the large lunar exploration rocket made 50 years ago," adding, "This is a problem that can occur in any country or field if the direction of technological development is removed, meaning if investment in that area is blocked."

Moon also pointed out, "Although we have succeeded with Nuri and the first lunar probe Danuri is cruising smoothly, if our momentum is lost, the same thing could happen to us. Future space development inevitably involves lunar or Mars exploration like the Artemis project, so continuous interest and promotion of large launch vehicle development for this purpose are necessary."