Saturn systems holddown acoustic efficiency and normalized acoustic power spectrum.

Saturn systems field acoustic data are used to derive mid- and far-field prediction parameters for rocket engine noise. The data were obtained during Saturn vehicle launches at the Kennedy Space Center. The data base is a sorted set of acoustic data measured during the period 1961 through 1971 for Saturn system launches SA-1 through AS-509. The model assumes hemispherical radiation from a simple source located at the intersection of the longitudinal axis of each booster and the engine exit plane. The model parameters are evaluated only during vehicle holddown. The acoustic normalized power spectrum and efficiency for each system are isolated as a composite from the data using linear numerical methods. The specific definitions of each allows separation. The resulting power spectra are nondimensionalized as a function of rocket engine parameters. The nondimensional Saturn system acoustic spectrum and efficiencies are compared as a function of Strouhal number with power spectra from other systems.