fuel consumed vs miles travel for round trip to the moon?

Question

How much fuel was consumed for a round trip on any of the Apollo manned missions to the moon?
How many miles traveled?

Please provide references.

Answer 1

This question requires some care on the part of the asker not to misinterpret the answer. The amount of fuel consumed on all Apollo missions was roughly the same, but the total distance traveled was very different on each mission. This is the result of the nature of space travel, which does not require continuous fuel use. You fire your engines to start moving, and when you want to stop, but apart from those times you just coast.

Additionally, the vast majority of the fuel was used just getting into Earth orbit. The Saturn V launched the spacecraft into a parking orbit around Earth, where all the spacecraft systems were checked in flight, before re-igniting and sending the spacecraft to the Moon. This required almost the total propellant load of the Saturn V, which was a little over 2.7million kg in total.

The Apollo spacecraft stack had in total about 30,000kg of fuel. This was used to brake into lunar orbit, descend to the Moon, ascend again and then break out of lunar orbit. This was the case for all Apollo lunar missions, regardless of how long they were there for.

Apollo 8 was the shortest lunar mission, spending only 20 hours in lunar orbit. Very approximately, that gives a total travelled distance of just under a million km. Apollo 17 spent about six days orbiting the Moon, which gives a total journey distance of about 1.7 million km. Despite the wide difference in distance travelled, the fuel requirements were very nearly the same, and the majority of it was used in the part of the flight that was identical in all missions: the ascent to Earth orbit and the injection into a translunar trajectory.

Answer 2

The Apollo stack weighed in at a shade over 6 million pounds, and the first stage (S-1C) of the rocket generated 7.6 million pounds of thrust. It burned for 2 minutes, then was jettisoned.

The 2nd stage (S-II) was ignited, and burned for about 6 minutes, boosting the craft up to about 115 miles. It produced about 1 million pounds of thrust.

The 3rd stage (S-4B) finished orbital insertion, and also was re-started to send the Apollo craft to the moon. After Trans Lunar Injection, it also was jettisoned (I believe 2 were sent to crash into the moon, the others to continue in Solar orbits. A few years ago, Apollo 12's 3rd stage began orbiting Earth again, but I think it's slipped back into solar orbit now.) It produced about 200,000 pounds of thrust.

The Service Module had the same engine that powered the S-4B, but much less fuel. It had enough to settle them into Lunar orbit, and then to blast them home again - along with some manuevering that may be needed to get to the LM's ascent stage.

Total amount of propellant (fuel and oxidizer) in the Saturn V launch vehicle, service module, and lunar module is 5,625,000 pounds.

Generally, the craft orbited Earth once or twice prior to TLI, so that's about 50,000 miles. The trip to and from the moon was more than 239,000 miles (they didn't go in straight lines), so a round trip is about 478,000 miles. The service module orbited the moon while the LM was grounded, up to 3 days in Apollo 17's case, so that's about 7,000 miles every 60 minutes for 3 days, or about 500,000 miles.

Answer 3

£7 per hour for a 40 hour week will bring home a gross £280 a week. 66 miles a day equates to 330 miles a week. Question is how much will petrol cost to get you to work and can you afford to pay for the petrol? I have a diesel Honda Civic and do about 400 miles a week - I spend about £35 for the petrol at my local Tesco..

Answer 4

I would first find out how much fuel (and oxidiser) the Saturn V used and just take that as a rough approximation.

As for how many miles travelled, you need to get with the times and use proper measurements.

Answer 5

Actually very little fuel is used. They need to make a burn to get out of Earth Orbit. Another one or two for mid-course correction, another to get into Moon orbit and another to get out of moon orbit.

We're talking short burns.

It's about 25,000 MPH to get out of Earth Orbit and Appollo was orbiting at 23,000 so they only need to use a little more thrust to break free of gravity.

It only takes 1/6th that amount to break away from the moon.

A lot of their thrust comes from Newton's body problems in something called a slingshot effect. They use the angle of orbit and gravity of an object to embelish their speed.

As they get closer to the Earth gravity speeds them up and they need only use angle and thrust to enter an orbit.

That's why they have to wait. They need what are called "windows" to make these manuvers.

Windows are time frames of opportunity.

We don't have enough fuel capcity to just jet off to the store for a six pack yet.

You have to wait for no traffic and use momentum from rolling your car down the driveway to get part of the way to that store.

A good anaology is to think of the Appollo craft as a simple bicycle. It uses hills to build up speed going down.

What they want to do is start making lunar motor cycles for the colony.

Eventually we'll have lunar cars, and lunar trucks and one day lunar Jet Liners

They anticipated the Shuttle would do this, but in reality the shuttle is a glider with a small motor to help it out.

IT's basically a glider.

It's one of those personal auto rotor helicopters with a lawn mower engine added for extra power.

That's where our technology is.

We use a bicycle with a little battery or two stroke motor to get to the moon.

It's a rubber life raft with an outboard on back.

The Star Ship Enterprise is a Navy aircraft carrier in comparison.

We are flying the WRight Brothers biplane to the moon.

Part of the LEM (the Lunar Lander) had walls as thick as an aluminum air duct for a commerical AC.

To build a colony on the moon we have to build, basically, something more like those ships that carried the troops to Normandy. The troop carriers. A big shell of metal with a motor that holds people and cargo. It isn't very pretty and certainly is not my first choice for a New York to London boat trip!

But that's what we'll end up going to the moon in.

Now you understand the risks involved. We will be taking a ship to shore troop carrier and use it to go form NEw York to London with people and goods.

Answer 6

We never landed on the moon. Belief conspiracy. Russia never called us on it cuz they were faking space crap too.

Answer 7

i wouldnt be interested in the mileage of a space rocket...