This 1/50 scale astronaut can be used to compare the 1/50 scale rockets to the height of a person.
Mercury-Redstone was used to launch America’s first two astronauts on sub-orbital flights in 1961. They were approximately 83 feet tall.
The Saturn IB lofted three-astronaut Apollo spacecraft on orbital missions from 1968 – 1975. These included Apollo 7, three Skylab space station crews, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that docked with a Soviet Soyuz. They were approximately 230 feet tall.
For decades the Saturn V was the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown. It launched all of the Apollo spacecraft that went to the moon as well as launching the Skylab space station. This 1/50 scale drawing depicts the lunar configuration, which was about 363 feet tall.
1/50 Scale Rocket Drawings
These images of rockets at 1/50 scale can help students visualize the size of rockets when compared with a 1/50 scale astronaut. They range in size from almost 2 feet tall to nearly 8 feet! In the picture to the left, the speck above the Space Shuttle on the planetarium console is a 1/50 scale astronaut.
There are different ways to use these large rocket drawings.
I mounted them on a stiff backing, but that is time consuming. To avoid that, a friend of mine used them in the planetarium where she worked by simply unrolling them in front of the students. She felt it was an effective way to store and handle them, and as simple as possible.
Because the rocket images are big, they can also be used as part of wall or classroom exhibits. (You could of course put each image file in Photoshop or similar and shrink each one to half size to make 1/100 scale rockets rather than 1/50 scale rockets. These would be smaller and easier to manage, but I suspect they would not be as effective with the students.)
Click on these buttons to access free, downloadable files of 1/50 scale launchers for the U.S. piloted space programs. "Handouts" takes you to a pair of handouts of those rockets at 1/500 scale, printable on letter-sized paper. "Making the 1/50 scale rockets" gives hints and advice on how to make the full-sized drawings.
Atlas-Mercury launched John Glenn and 4 other astronauts on the USA’s first orbital flights from 1962 – 1963. They were approximately 94 feet tall.
Gemini-Titan launched 10 two-astronaut Gemini flights from 1965 to 1966. They were approximately 109 feet tall.
Space Shuttles placed over 100 winged orbiters into orbit from 1981 –2011. They were used to construct the International Space Station as well as for independent flights. Shuttles could carry crews of up to 8 astronauts. The Shuttles Challenger and Columbia were lost, killing their crews.
Falcon 9-Dragon Crew, developed by SpaceX, carries crews to and from the space station as well as flying some independent flights. The configuration is 215 feet tall.
Atlas-Starliner, developed by the United Launch Alliance and Boeing, also carries crews to and from the space station. The configuration is 172 feet tall.
New Glenn, named after American astronaut John Glenn and developed by Blue Origin, will be used to launch the Blue Moon lunar landing vehicle being developed by Blue Origin and others. The configuration is 320 feet tall.
SLS, NASA's Space Launch System derived from the Space Shuttle, will send the Orion spacecraft to the moon and be used to loft heavy unpiloted spacecraft to the planets. The original SLS/Orion configuration is 322 feet tall, smaller but more powerful than the Saturn V.
The Exploration Upper Stage will be used on advanced, future SLS boosters for lofting heavier Orion missions and lunar base modules to the moon. It will replace the current SLS upper stage.
The SpaceX Super Heavy-Starship is by far the biggest, most powerful rocket ever flown, standing 397 feet tall. The upper stage called Starship will be the SpaceX lunar lander and may someday be used to take people and equipment to Mars.
In case making big rocket drawings is not what you need, these handouts show the rockets and an astronaut at 1/500 scale. Fitting on letter-sized paper, they can be used as handouts for the students. Print either one or both.
Here are some hints for preparing these large drawings.