Saturn-V sound levels: A letter to the Redditor

Kent L. Gee, Logan T. Mathews, Mark C. Anderson, Grant W. Hart
2022 Journal of the Acoustical Society of America  
The Saturn V is a monument to one of mankind's greatest achievements: the human Moon landings. However, online claims about this vehicle's impressive acoustics by well-meaning individuals are often based on misunderstood or incorrect data. This article, intended for both educators and enthusiasts, discusses topics related to rocket acoustics and documents what is known about the Saturn V's levels: overall power, maximum overall sound pressure, and peak pressure. The overall power level was
more » ... ximately 204 dB re 1 pW, whereas its lesser sound pressure levels were impacted by source size, directivity, and propagation effects. As this article is part of a special issue on Education in Acoustics in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, supplementary Saturn V-related homework problems are included. 1
doi:10.1121/10.0013216 pmid:36050168 fatcat:k5kkbrarobh3rjhmcfdtecc764