The Saturn V launch vehicle was guided by navigation, guidance, and control

equipment located in the IU. A space stabilized platform (the ST-124-M3 inertial
platform at location 21) measured acceleration and attitude. A launch vehicle digital
computer (LVDC at location 19) solved guidance equations, and an analog flight control
computer (location 16) issued commands to steer the vehicle.
The attitude of the vehicle was defined in terms of three axes:

• The roll axis (X) runs from tail to nose and was vertical at time of launch.
• The pitch axis (Y) is at right angles to the roll axis, and is marked on the exterior of the IU by +Y
above the viewport, outside location 21.
• The yaw axis (Z) is at right angles to both the pitch and roll axis, and is marked by +Z outside
location 3.[12]

The ST-124-M3 inertial platform contains three gimbals: the outer gimbal (which can
rotate 360° about the roll or X axis of the vehicle), the middle gimbal (which can rotate
±45° about the yaw or Z axis of the vehicle), and the inner or inertial gimbal (which can
rotate 360° about the pitch or Y axis of the vehicle). The inner gimbal is a platform to
which are fixed several components:
• Two vertical alignment pendulums sent signals before launch to ground support equipment, which
generated signals to the platform gyro torque generators to level the inner gimbal. The vertical
alignment system levelled the platform to an accuracy of ±2.5 arc seconds.
• Two prisms, one fixed and one servo-driven, were used with an external theodolite which sighted
through the viewport outside location 21 to set the azimuth of the inner gimbal before launch. The
azimuth could be set to an accuracy of ±5 arc seconds.
• Three single-degree-of-freedom gyroscopes have their input axes aligned along
an orthogonal inertial coordinate system. Three signal generators, fixed to the output axis of each
gyro, generated electrical signals proportional to the torque disturbances. The signals were
transmitted through the servo electronics which terminated in the gimbal pivot servotorque
motors. The servoloops maintained the inner gimbal rotationally fixed in inertial space. That is,
while the vehicle rolled, pitched, and yawed, the inner gimbal remained in the same attitude to
which it was set just before launch. Though it was being translated during the launch and orbit
process, it was rotationally fixed.
• Three integrating accelerometers measured the three components of velocity resulting from vehicle
propulsion. The accelerometer measurements were sent through the launch vehicle data adapter
(LDVA at location 19) to the LVDC. In the LVDC the accelerometer measurements were combined
with the computed gravitational acceleration to obtain velocity and position of the vehicle.

The angular positions of gimbals on their axes were measured by resolvers, which sent
their signals to the LVDA. The LVDA was the input/output device for the LVDC. It
performed the necessary processing of signals to make these signals acceptable to the
LVDC.

The instantaneous attitude of the vehicle was compared with the desired vehicle attitude
in the LVDC. Attitude correction signals from the LVDC were converted into control
commands by the flight control computer. The required thrust direction was obtained by
gimbaling the engines in the propelling stage to change the thrust direction of the
vehicle. Gimbaling of these engines was accomplished through hydraulic actuators. In
 the first and second stages (S-IC and S-II), the four outboard engines were gimbaled to
control roll, pitch, and yaw. Since the third (S-IVB) stage has only one engine, an
auxiliary propulsion system was used for roll control during powered flight. The auxiliary
propulsion system provides complete attitude control during coast flight of the S-IVB/IU
stage.
Environmental controlEdit
The environmental control system (ECS) maintains an acceptable operating
environment for the IU equipment during preflight and flight operations. The ECS is
composed of the following:

• The thermal conditioning system (TCS), which maintains a circulating coolant temperature to the
electronic equipment of 59° ± 1 °F (15 ± 5/9 °C).
• Preflight purging system, which maintains a supply of temperature- and pressure-regulated
mixture of air and gaseous nitrogen (air/GN2) in the IU/S-IVB equipment area.
• Gas bearing supply system, which furnishes GN2 to the ST-124-M3 inertial platform gas bearings.
• Hazardous gas detection sampling equipment which monitors the IU/S-IVB forward interstage area
for the presence of hazardous vapors

Thermal conditioningEdit
Thermal conditioning panels, also called cold plates, were located in both the IU and S-
IVB stage (up to sixteen in each stage). Each cold plate contains tapped bolt holes in a
grid pattern which provides flexibility of component mounting.

The cooling fluid circulated through the TCS was a mixture of 60 percent methanol and
40 percent demineralized water by weight. Each cold plate was capable of dissipating at
least 420 watts.
During flight, heat generated by equipment mounted on the cold plates was dissipated
to space by a sublimation heat exchanger. Water from a reservoir (water accumulator)
was exposed to the low temperature and pressure environment of space, where it first
freezes and then sublimates, taking heat from the heat exchanger and transferring it to
the water molecules which escape to space in gaseous state. Water/methanol was
cooled by circulation through the heat exchanger.
Preflight air/GN2 purge systemEdit
Before flight, ground support equipment (GSE) supplies cooled, filtered ventilating air to
the IU, entering via the large duct in the middle of the umbilical panel (location 7), and
branching into two ducts at the top that are carried around the IU in the cable rack.
Downward pointing vents from these ducts release ventilating air to the interior of the
IU. During fueling, gaseous nitrogen was supplied instead of air, to purge any propellant
gases that might otherwise accumulate in the IU.

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