This presentation is a review of the electrical and electronics systems of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Since airborne and ground electronics cannot be separated as a system, this presentation will touch upon both the airborne and ground checkout equipment. Certain airborne electronic items are singled out in order to elaborate upon the application of computers for checkout and launch. This review covered in a broad sense such airborne electronics as the control computer, the measuring telemetry and RF systems, the switch selector, the digital command receiver and the remote automatic calibration system. The ground support equipment electronics covered include such equipment as the data link, computer system and display systems. The importance of software in the Saturn V program is stressed by the application of a standard program language through the use of acceptance test or launch language (ATOLL).
The actuation system for the Saturn V S-IC stage is described and compared to the Saturn I system. The use of mechanical feedback actuators that result in a significant increase in system reliability and the damping of load resonance is discussed. The unprecedented component sizes and system requirements are cited.
