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 #219 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Landing – Part 1
Space Rocket History #218 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Orbit
Space Rocket History #217 – Apollo 11 – Cislunar
Space Rocket History #216 – Apollo 11 – Transposition, Docking & Extraction
Space Rocket History #215 – Apollo 11 – Trans Lunar Injection
Space Rocket History #214 – Apollo 11 – The Climb to Orbit
Space Rocket History #213 – Apollo 11 – The Launch
Space Rocket History #212 – Apollo 11 – Prelaunch
Space Rocket History #211 – Apollo 11 – Mission Training – Part 3 & Contamination
Space Rocket History #210 – Apollo 11 – Mission Training – Part 2
Space Rocket History #209 – Apollo 11 – Mission Training – Part 1
Space Rocket History #208 – Apollo 11 – Commander Neil Armstrong – Part 3
Space Rocket History #207 – Apollo 11 – Commander Neil Armstrong – Part 2
Space Rocket History #206 – Apollo 11 – Commander Neil Armstrong – Part 1
Space Rocket History #205 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin – Part 2
Space Rocket History #204 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin – Part 1
Space Rocket History #203 – Apollo 11 – Command Module Pilot Michael Collins
Space Rocket History #202 – Apollo 11 – Media Coverage & Public Relations
Space Rocket History #201 – Apollo 11 – Mission Planning
Space Rocket History #200 – Luna 15
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