From the outset of space flight, engineers dreamed of reusing rocket boosters. This 1964 study, written by W. E. Ruhland and R. H. Lipp of the Chrysler Corporation’s Space Division, lists some possible methods to make that happen. Chrysler was the prime contractor for the S-IB first stage.
As a reminder, the S-IB first stage was for the smaller Saturn variant, and was the rocket that launched Apollo 7, Apollo Soyuz Test Project and as crew transportation during the Skylab program. Its booster had eight engines powered by RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen. It used the Saturn S-IV as its second stage, and an Apollo CSM if it were being used on a crewed mission.
The entire study is below.
19640601 Recoverable S-IB Study (JPEG)
A downloadable PDF version below, scroll down.
19640601 Recoverable S-IB Study (PDF)
If you prefer, here is a PDF of all pages:
Photo: NASA