Atlas-Centaur 5

[WallE]

I've heard references to a paper titled "Investigation of the Atlas Centaur vehicle explosion, by S.S. Perlman." The failure was reportedly studied quite extensively because of its tangential relevance to the Saturn program, since the possibility existed of a Saturn pad fallback involving the same propellant combination but on a much bigger scale.

[Blackstar]

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3703/1

If the Saturn V went boom: The effects of a Saturn V launch pad explosion
by Dwayne A. Day
Monday, April 29, 2019

Note: This is the first in a series of articles about the Apollo program leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.

Early in the evening on October 28, 2014, an Antares rocket lifted off its launch pad on Virginia’s Wallops Island and, only 15 seconds into flight, it started to fall back, then blew up, raining fiery hell on the launch pad below. This spectacular explosion was a reminder that when rocket launches go bad, they can go very, very bad. That was something that was on the minds of those running the Apollo program who had watched dozens of missiles blow up in the 1950s and early 1960s.

The Saturn V was the largest rocket ever built by the United States. A true monster of a launch vehicle, it generated over 33 million newtons of thrust at liftoff and carried 2.5 million kilograms of fuel and oxidizer. If the Saturn V exploded, it could do so with the force of a small atomic bomb, the equivalent of half a kiloton, or about 1/26th the size of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Naturally, this was a significant concern for Apollo program officials.

[StraumliBlight]

I've heard references to a paper titled "Investigation of the Atlas Centaur vehicle explosion, by S.S. Perlman." The failure was reportedly studied quite extensively because of its tangential relevance to the Saturn program, since the possibility existed of a Saturn pad fallback involving the same propellant combination but on a much bigger scale.

Stuart S. Perlman's document is referenced here, under "John F. Kennedy Space Center Safety Division".

NTRS: Postflight Evaluation of Atlas-Centaur AC-5 (Launched 2 March 1965)