The key to high-energy stages was to use liquid hydrogen as the fuel. Liquid hydrogen fuel appealed to rocket designers because of its high specific impulse, which is a basic measure of rocket performance. Specific Impulse is the impulse delivered per unit of propellant consumed. You might think of it as the efficiency of the rocket. Compared to an RP-1 (kerosene) fueled engine of similar size, liquid hydrogen fuel could increase the specific impulse or efficiency of an engine by 40 percent. The combination of hydrogen and oxygen for propellants made the moon shot feasible.
Space Rocket History #257 – Apollo 12 – Return, Re-entry and Splashdown
Space Rocket History #256 – Apollo 12 – Leaving the Moon
Space Rocket History #255 – Apollo 12 – Lunar Liftoff
Space Rocket History #254 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 5 – Blocky Crater & Closeout
Space Rocket History #253 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 4 – Surveyor Crater & Surveyor 3
Space Rocket History #252 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 3 – Rock ‘n’ Roll at Halo Crater
Space Rocket History #251 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 2 – Bench and Sharp Craters
Space Rocket History #250 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 1 – Head Crater – Tang Ceremony
Space Rocket History #249 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 3
Space Rocket History #248 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 2 – ALSEP
Space Rocket History #247 – Apollo 12 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 1
Space Rocket History #246 – Apollo 12 – Pin Point Landing Part 2 – Right Down the Middle of the Road
Space Rocket History #245 – Apollo 12 – Pin Point Landing Part 1 – Right Down the Middle of the Road
Space Rocket History #244 – Apollo 12 – Lunar Orbit
Space Rocket History #243 – Apollo 12 – TLI and the Coast
Space Rocket History #242 – Apollo 12 – The Launch Part 2
Space Rocket History #241 – Apollo 12 – The Launch Part 1
Space Rocket History #240 – Apollo 12 – Saturn V Instrument Unit
Space Rocket History #239 – Apollo 12 – Commander Charles Conrad – Part 2
Space Rocket History #238 – Apollo 12 – Commander Charles Conrad – Part 1
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