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The Saturn V is a monument to one of mankind's greatest achievements: the human Moon landings. However, online claims about this vehicle's impressive acoustics by well-meaning individuals are often based on misunderstood or incorrect data. This article, intended for both educators and enthusiasts, discusses topics related to rocket acoustics and documents what is known about the Saturn V's levels: overall power, maximum overall sound pressure, and peak pressure. The overall power level was approximately 204 dB re 1 pW, whereas its lesser sound pressure levels were impacted by source size, directivity, and propagation effects. As this article is part of a special issue on Education in Acoustics in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, supplementary Saturn V-related homework problems are included.

This study investigates source-related noise characteristics of the Falcon 9, a modern launch vehicle with a high operational tempo. Empirical prediction of the noise characteristics of launched rockets has long been a topic of study; however, there are relatively few comparisons with high-fidelity, far-field data, and historical inconsistencies persist. Various quantities are considered: overall directivity, overall sound power, maximum overall sound pressure level (OASPL), and peak frequency. The noise directivity of the Falcon 9 vehicle is shown to be between two disparate ranges given in the historical literature, but the observed peak directivity angle is well represented using convective Mach number concepts. A comparison between mechanical and acoustic power yields a radiation efficiency is consistent with the literature. Two independent methods of predicting maximum OASPL produce results accurate within 2 dB, even at distances of several kilometers. Various scaling parameters are calculated for observed spectral peak frequency and connect these measurements with prior observations. Finally, the impact of terrain shielding on levels and spectra is assessed. These determined source characteristics of the Falcon 9 vehicle provide a connection to prior launch vehicle acoustics studies, which helps identify useful models and methods for understanding rocket noise.