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Frame from Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch Camera E-8 Plays via YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed

Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch Camera E-8

Mark Gray
Demos
YouTube
2 HN users recommended this demo2 months2016–2024 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

HN commenters recommend it for its slow-motion view of the first seconds of liftoff and cite it when comparing launch pads and engine behavior.

Raw 500 fps footage from Camera E-8 on the launch tower for the Apollo 11 Saturn V liftoff, transferred in HD from the 16mm original. More than eight minutes of film covers about 30 seconds of real time.

“It explains the sequence of events over the course of 8+ minutes (30 seconds real time).” (HN, 2019)

2 recommendations · 3 citations · Demos

5 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@iClaudiusX Apr 2019 Recommends
on HN thread F-1 Thrust Chamber
Here is 500 fps film of the Saturn V launch for Apollo 11, narrated by Mark Gray. It explains the sequence of events over the course of 8+ minutes (30 seconds real time). [this video]
500 fps Saturn V launch footage narrated through the full sequence of events.

Citations, criticism and jokes

@msl May 2017 Cites it
on HN thread New Zealand space launch is first from a private site
The F1 engine [1] (Saturn V, first stage) used another interesting way to improve efficiency with a gas generator cycle: using the turbopump exhaust gas as a cooling film in the engine nozzle. The fuel-rich exhaust was relatively cool compared to the flame generated by the rocket engine itself, and thus protected the nozzle from the most intense heat. This is why, close up, the flame looks almost black close to the nozzle [2]. [1] [link] [2] [link] Edit: Hopefully clarified a little, and changed the link in [2] (from [this video] ).

Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.

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