Just how loud was the Saturn V? - by AndyTomaswick
Internet legend says that the Saturn V was so loud its acoustic energy would liquify concrete and set nearby fields on fire. But those phenomena, if they did happen at all, are much more likely to be caused by the extraordinarily hot plume of fire coming out the back of the rocket engines than by anything acoustic.
Smarter Every Day video about the sounds of a Falcon Heavy launch. It’s best to watch with headphones.But the thought of acoustic waves causing such devastation shows how little is understood about them. So a team of scientists decided to write a paper debunking these claims and estimating just how loud the Saturn V was as part of a special educational edition of theA team from Bringham Young University used some models of the physics of the Saturn V to try to estimate how loud it would be.
The Space Launch System, when it launches, will be the first rocket more powerful than the Saturn V. Technology has improved immensely in the last 60 years, so there is no guarantee that the SLS will be in the same acoustic range as the Saturn V. Starship, which is said to be even more powerful, would offer another chance to test your acoustical modeling skills, or just experience a deep guttural vibration if you’re able to witness it.
Both launches are undoubtedly targets for an array of acoustic collection technology this time around. But even with all the data in the world, it will likely be impossible to stop the internet from coming up with tall tales regarding the power of this new class of massive rockets. While the stories that come from it might be amusing, please be sure not to believe everything you read on the internet.