NERVA APOLLO PROBABLY PUT A MAN IN ORBIT AROUND MARS IN 1968

The NERVA Saturn-V could very easily put up Skylab with both the Apollo Command and Lunar Module. There were plans to for a manned mission to Mars by 1970 (Dewar, 90). We believe that the Americans either went straight go Mars in a nuclear shuttle configuration or assembled the Integrated Manned Spacecraft at a Lagrange point and then went to Mars in 1970. 

There were five S-IVB’s in space by November 1969 which could have been configured for the missions to Mars and beyond. So, the hardware was there. This all fits very well with the timeline set out by Werner Von Braun. He told Vice-President Johnson that nuclear rocket engines would be online by 1968 (Dewar, 82). Apollo 8 flew in December of 1968. By November of 1969 there were 5 S-IVB’s in orbit. When used in conjunction with an ASPEN for refueling these vehicles become reusable.

“A Saturn-V with a first generation NERVA I (1500 MW, 825 seconds) as its third stage could boost almost 500,000 pounds to LEO.” (Dewar & Bussard, 94)

Weight of Skylab

169,950 lb 

Apollo Command Module

63,500 pounds (28,800 kg)

Lunar Module 36,200 pounds

Total 269,650

There are 230,350 pounds to spare.

1 gallon of liquid H2 weighs 0.5908 lbs

So 322,490 gallons of LH2 could be carried by Apollo Third Stage.

Bibliography:

Dewar, James A. To the End of the Solar System: The Story of the Nuclear Rocket. Lexington, Ky.: U of Kentucky, 2004. Print.

Dewar, James A., and R. W. Bussard. The Nuclear Rocket: Making Our Planet Green, Peaceful and Prosperous. Burlington, Ont.: Apogee, 2009. Print.