Happy New year to everyone - whoot :-) . This video was a suggestion from Didu Tasev, a member of our facebook group who wanted to know more about the launchpads themselves. I thought that this was a good idea but limited to the most famous Launch Complex 39 at Cape Canaveral to give an overview of how it came into being and why it is, as it is. There are a lot of things in this that could be a subject in their own right, so maybe I'll expand on them at some point.
Don't forget the lightning caused by the static built up by the exhaust. There was a system for it on the shuttle launch system if I recall correctly. I worked for Rockwell primary contractor for the shuttles.
Wasnt the exhaust simply the source of ions and if Shuttle launched into certain types of clouds the ground and cloud charge would attempt to equalize via the rocket exhaust? Apollo 12 got nailed twice, once at MET-36.5 seonds and 52 seconds.
Understood, thank you. Working on such a project must have been hugely satisfying. In speaking with engineers that dealt with the Solid Rocket Motors/Solid Rocket Boosters, those guys felt more at ease after the stack cleared the pad, this is because it was always felt that if there was to be a Loss of Crew/Vehicle (LOCV) event involving the SRM's that they would explode on the pad moments after ignition. The teams working with the External Tanks breathed easier about 8-1/2 minutes into flight as that's when the mains shut down and the ET was jettisoned. 1)As a biological engineer at Rockwell, when exactly did your team begin to feel more at ease during a mission?(I'm willing to bet that it's a lot later in the mission than at just MECO(Min Engine Cut Off- lol) 2) I realize that you were professionally focused on life support systems, but did you ever come across any health/safety material in relation to the acoustical environment during launch and its effects on the "biological entities" aboard shuttle? 3) Was there any requirements from a life support/biological point of view that would affect Shuttle' maximum G load of 3 g's during ascent? Thanks In Advance!
It helps a lot to have a remarkable voice (1-in-10-million). Paul is a member of a very exclusive club: the Narrator Olymp ❤️ David Attenborough, Carl Sagan, Christopher Lee, Patrick Stewart, William Shattner and many more.
I worked at NASA/KSC in 2002 and going out to the pad areas was always a treat. Fun fact, between missions, if you're out on the pads there's no easy way to grab a cold drink or anything from the SSPF, VAB etc. (they're 20 minute drives away!) so underneath the pad there's power hookups for various "canteen" facilities: think about that the next time you watch a launch: someone was grabbing a cold drink right next to where that huge plume of flame and smoke is billowing out! :) I mostly worked in the ONC and SSPF areas, though. I think you should do a video on the milk stools remaining in place out there, too, from previous launches. Many of the "abandoned" areas of NASA are like Mayan or Aztec ruins now, overgrown "stone" structures in the mangroves...
I worked at NASA/KSC in 2002 and going out to the pad areas was always a treat. Fun fact, between missions, if you're out on the pads there's no easy way to grab a cold drink or anything from the SSPF, VAB etc. (they're 20 minute drives away!) so underneath the pad there's power hookups for various "canteen" facilities: think about that the next time you watch a launch: someone was grabbing a cold drink right next to where that huge plume of flame and smoke is billowing out! :) I mostly worked in the ONC and SSPF areas, though. I think you should do a video on the milk stools remaining in place out there, too, from previous launches. Many of the "abandoned" areas of NASA are like Mayan or Aztec ruins now, overgrown "stone" structures in the mangroves...
Yes, there is a shot of the MSS next to the milk stool in the video and makes you realise just how big the 1st stage of the Saturn was when you see the Saturn IB in place of the Saturn V. It would interesting to see some of the hidden and forgotten places at the cape, have to see what we can find :-)
@@CuriousDroid I have a few photos, I would be proud to share them with you if I can find the CD they're burned to. I'll get you shots that don't have my ugly mug in them :)
That's fascinating what an interesting life you have lead. Can you tell us, how did you get your job there? What does somebody like me (21 year old graduate) have to do to work for NASA?
I'm American and I would think I'd feel the same way. I also feel like the launch facilities at the baikonur cosmodrome In Kazakhstan are the same way... hallowed ground brother!
Definitely hallowed ground to me as well. I'm very glad those pads are continuing to see use. After watching Atlantis Go up for STS-135 I was floored to see cutting torches in use on the shuttle infrastructure of 39A two days after lunch.
I don't work there, but I do live on Florida's Space Coast. Launches are almost routine, and the only thing as spectacular as the Space Shuttle was is the Falcon Heavy (which SpaceX has only launched once, and holy hell, it was incredibly to watch from the beach). If any of you guys come to see a launch, wait for another Falcon Heavy launch, or come see a night launch. You really get to appreciate the scale of any of the rockets after dark.
Kingtad1136 To see a big launch is on my wish list! I got to see the Orion Capsule in the Lockheed Martin plant in Colorado. I really want to see it fly!
I work at NASA and I'm still learning about LC39. Didn't know about the MSS for Saturn V, and also didn't know about LC-39C. Thanks for the informative video. Cheers.
Watching the launch and the roar of the mighty Saturn V still gives me goosebumps. They say the only thing more powerful (and more noisy) is a nuclear explosion. To me, it sounds like music. What a fantastic era that was - the vision, the courage, the technology, the science and the progress. Absolutely wonderful. Happy new year to all!
Oh hell yeah, the sound from all 5 of those F1 engines in the 1st stage was at 160 decibels which would rupture your ear drums at a surprising distance from the launch pad .
Dr. Martin Uman was involved in the original design of the lightning protection system. He was one of my professors at the Univ. of Fla. For many years I saw him mentioned on various documentaries as probably the most knowledgeable lightning expert in the world. The last time I remember seeing him on TV, they were shooting small rockets up into thunderstorms to attract lightning to the ground :-) The life of an EE graduate student..... I Visited the Cape a couple of years ago with a tour that took us inside the VAB and up close to the 39 launch complexes. There was one shuttle inside as they were being prepared for transport for their final display destinations. In Green Cove Springs, there is a Shuttle center fuel tank that was taken by barge up the St. Johns river where it was to be moved to a museum for display. The tank was a spare that sits at a marina, it was used for fit up testing at the Cape. It is near where I stored my sailboat. It's hard to imagine how big these things are until you get up next to them! On the Cape tour is a Sat V on it's side, another must see. Out by the beach was a bunker covered in sandbags. It turns out there was no electricity out there so they ran a gas generator to power the cameras for Apollo launches. It turns out the first launch(s) was not filmed because the generator shut down, causse unknown. It turns out the sound was so intense that the sound waves boiled the fuel out of the carburetor hence the generator was placed in the bunker, problem solved.
When I was a kid, my Dad took me down to Florida to see the Apollo 11 and 13 launches. We say 11 from Cocoa Beach and we were able to get right on the grounds for 13. Pretty impressive seeing the Apollo rocket on the launch pad. I'll never forget the sound and sight of Apollo 13. Amazing stuff.
Al Dinelt even though I’ve seen many launches before and afterwards I can’t get Columbia lift off of my mind. It was a nite launch, I guess no one knew at the time we were seeing it for the last time. I didn’t not c Challenger but for me the deaths of Columbia is personal it won’t leave me ever
I wish there was a ‘love’ or ‘awesome’ button as well as a ‘like’ button. A ‘like’ just doesn’t seem sufficient for your videos. One of the best so far! Keep up the excellent work in 2019. ❤️
Hi Scott, you brought back many memories to me having worked at launch pad 39B for 10 years as mechanical tech in Lox facility and another 10 years as Shuttle Data Center analyst and test conductor in the LCC. I retired in 2010 and so thank you so much for your informative updates and history. Makes me smile once again. Miss my work there.
River rock makes sense. That way there are no uneven points in the roadway - It all flattens out under you. I ordinarily hate the stuff (I'm a landscaper), but this is one application for which I can't think of anything better to use.
This was incredibly interesting, people tend to talk about the rockets more than about the launchpads, but they are quite important and interesting as well!
@Curious Droid Would be cool if you could take a look at the rocket engine test stands at Stennis Space Center. There are 4 main stands (A1, A2, B1 & B2) The two Bs are built together and supported the entire Saturn V main stage for cluster firing of all 5 F1s during Apollo. This stand has just been refitted to do similar testing for the entire SLS Core Stage and its 4 RS25s. Testing of the Core Stage should begin some time in 2019.
The testing of the F-1 engines is very interesting when they were trying to find out why the early ones were blowing up on the stand and the clock to the launches was ticking down.
@@whyamibeingpesteredtogetahandl The explosions were due to combustion instability in the combustion chamber (a video on how they solved it /would be/ neat to see). The clock ticking down is a reference to the deadline to have a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's set by President Kennedy.
Love the new intro, you guys are really getting serious about delivering interesting, engaging content. I would love to work with a group like you guys some day.
This was the most informative of all the UA-cams I've seen on the U.S. space program. Excellent job, Curious Droid. I thought I knew it all from devotedly following space missions while I was growing up, but this taught me a whole I hadn't known! Thank you!
Great presentation! You managed to cover many aspects of the KSC that were a mystery to many of us, and not covered anywhere else. You filled in many "blanks" in my knowledge of the space program, for sure! Keep up the good work, you have many loyal followers! I can't believe the 21 "dislikes"....jeeez. What the hell is wrong with people?
I still remember when my dad took us on the tour of the Cape back in 1971 and Apollo 15 was on the pad.I was 7 years old,and thought that was the coolest thing ever.Thanks for the memories Paul! Thanks for posting,and Happy New Year from Detroit!
I knew a former Boeing engineer who worked on the Apollo LUT (launch umbilical tower) in the 60s. He said it took 3 engineers, a rep from Boeing, NASA and the construction contractor, each of whom had a key, to open the drawers that held the blueprints. That way no one made a change without all of the key principals being present to approve them.
Exceptionally high quality content as always. I'm really glad I found this channel last year and I hope you'll keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany.
I recommend Gunter Wendt's memoir, "The Unbroken Chain". He tells of a zipline escape system with an ordinary trampoline at the end for a safety stop, that got popular as a "ride" until NASA quashed it. He also tells the story of a NASA janitor who approached him and asked if he could bring his kids to look at the command module. He arranged for the janitor and the kids to come after hours one day, and they had the thrill of a lifetime.
Let me guess -- that janitor was Pete Conrad and his kids were named Alan and Richard. And they accidently were launched to the... naw, that's too Disney!
I visited Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center in 2013 with my friends while we were their for a TSA (Technology Student Association) Conference - It was one of the best experience destinations that i have been to so far. The entire facility was so much more massive and complex than any video can do it justice, the history and engineering that you are surrounded by is breathtaking. The sight of walking into the Saturn V center is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The feeling of seeing this massive accomplishment of human ingenuity just hanging above your head in its massive and overwhelming glory made my eyes light up like a 5 year old. The engineers and scientists that could make such a massive enterprise possible are just unbelievable in their ingenuity and even now nearly 50 years after we touched down on the moon, people like myself can look at these symbols of the past that guide new explorers into the future and hope that one day we might live in a society where that one small step truly was just the start of many giant leaps for all mankind.
The HD footage of the Space Shuttle main engines firing up through to lift-off is so amazing, excuse the pun, but blows me away every time I watch it. I think it is so fascinating what goes on behind the scenes to make any launch possible
I've seen, as close as I could get, every Pad 39 Gantry's from the Skylab program up to the current incarnation now and it amazes me how they have been able to rework them over a relatively short time considering what they do. Story of Mr Wendt. I met him once at one of the Astronaut Hall of Fame inductions. I told him how, as a Kid, I'd always admired him since he was the last man on Earth to see and talk to the Astronauts before they were closed up and how he had to make sure so many things went and were right before it all happened. His frank response has stuck with me to this day: "I was just one of many people who had a job to do. My job was no more important than the Janitor, because, if he didn't do his job, I'd be up to my neck in Shit. My job was not more important." He told me this, after discovering I'd been sitting next to him the whole time during the Meet the Astronaut Luncheon that had John Young and Dick Crippen telling us about their journey to the Shuttle system. I off offhandedly mentioned to the "old man" sitting next to me how I thought the guy who locked them in and did all the checks in the White Room was probably the most important person in the program. I was telling the very man I admired, how much I admired him, and didn't even really know I was sitting right next to him having Lunch.
@@kevinb3812 Yes, my only regret was that I never had a chance to ask John Young the question I've had since I was in 6th grade and stood outside my classroom and watched the Shuttle go up. I've always wondered what his comparisons were between launching in a Saturn 5 and Launching in an STS. I've searched for a few years, online, and never seen any discussion on that.
This is one of your best shirt ever - Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon & Perry Rhodan would be jealous! Thank you for this - again - excellent video! Have a blessed and happy new year!
Workers walking next to the transport vehicle had to wear protective helmets to prevent any injury in case the Saturn V would have fallen on their head
Great video, thanks. One of the most impressive complexes ever built. I am glad you documented this important part of space history. However, two things. While you are correct that five launch pads at Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) were to be built, with three first followed by the other two. As well you are correct that only two of these first three were built, but, they were to be numbered north to south as LC-39A, LC-39B and LC-39C. However, it was the southern-most two that were built necessitating LC-39C being renumbered as LC-39A. Also, while the VAB is now called the Vehicle Assembly Building, when originally built - due to its function and configuration - it was known as the Vertical Assembly Building. It was renamed as the Vehicle Assembly Building in 1974 as its function would be changing.
I visited Kennedy Space Center a week and a half ago we got real close to pads 39 A and B I asked a question of how much concrete each one was and the tour guide was very informative and did mention the rooms underneath. Your video was right on point with all the information good job!
Man, this was an astonishing video. I was sitting on my chair with my jaw open the whole time at just how huge, complicated, smart, cool the entire thing and its individual parts are. Definitely one of the coolest videos to end year 2018 with, thank you CD!
Not until we have a reason to build one on a lighter planet where our current materials are up to the task. (Edit) Here on Earth, I think something like an orbital ring makes more sense due to its much higher capacity.
I would think it becomes less and less likely every year as the number of satellites and bits of orbital debris increases. How can you have a fixed structure with that much stuff up there whizzing around?
@@DJ-bh1ju I think if we put in the investment of building a structure that large, we'd be fine with the relatively small extra cost of installing a few high powered auto-targeting lasers or something.
Maybe never. There are not only easier solutions, but also better ones. The biggest proposed structure, which will enable enormous throughput, is the orbital ring. For the near future, a smaller and actually doable version of the space elevator is the skyhook, a large tether in space than can "pull" stuff from suborbital flight into orbit
One of the most amazing stats to emerge from the Apollo program is this - the crawler moved with such precision that the tip end of the rocket - the very nib of the escape tower rocket - did not move out of vertical more than the width of a basketball. The platform was self-leveling as it moved along - each of the four trucks was continually adjusted to keep the rocket absolutely vertical to the ground.
Thank you SO MUCH for the hard work you put into making these videos. Consistently grabs and holds my attention. Hard to find on youtube nowadays, so again thank you.
i am just getting started....i've been trying to create "song format" sequencer jams.... i came to the synth dark side from the guitar world...... this is my first fully synth/sequencer jam: ua-cam.com/video/78WFxc6CduE/v-deo.html and if i havent told you, YOUR channel is one of my Faves !!!! i Love the depth and detail that you bring to each topic !!!! Best of Fortune on ALL Your endeavors !!!!!!!
Dear Paul! Happy New Year to you and your dearest ones! Thank you for bringing such a level of quality in video production to yt! God bless you! P.s. if it is about time already would you care to build up a small vid about thyself? Do you happen to have narrator/media experience? What do you like aside from shirts? Thanks for foing it C-style metric system! Happy new year!
50 to over a hundred I'm sure. Slave assembly line production facilities churned out faulty but many models before the us and then the so iet armies showed up to scrounge for tech.
I got to go on a tour around the KSC this summer and saw LC-39A and LC-39B as well as the VAB and other NASA buildings as well as SpaceX's hangar and blue origin's factory. It was amazing to see these things!
@@linecraftman3907 It actually exploded like small nuclear bomb. Long ago was video of that explosion with people running and burning, but I cannot find it on youtube. Several engineers from company (control systems, known as p/o-67 these days or "Khartron" now) where my mother worked was there and died.
Had no idea of the complexity of the supporting infrastructure of all these launching platforms. Brilliant research and reporting as always. Thank you.. .
Thank you - that was absolutely fascinating!! I was fortunate enough to visit the KSC way back in 1979 and have never forgotten the tour we did of those very launch facilities - it was magical for a 13yr old and just as magical to revisit them in your video!!
If we didn't waste so much money on the military, we'd have enough to horse around in space. We might even have enough left over to help some of the people in this country that have fallen on hard times, like veterans that are homeless and live on the street. No. That's silly. This is America, where your free to make your own choices on how you want to starve with no help from the gov't. Bully.
Funny you treat the constitution sacred when it was made by guys who won a tax revolt, who then made an amendment to build an army to suppress the next tax revolt.
@@Idahoser11 From what I can gather for your disjointed response, you believe that gov't is in the business of defending. All well and good. But why is our USA gov't all over the map fighting with everyone? Seems like a business to me. Like they need a reason to exist. Who's threatening the US? Like nobody?
This is why I love The Curious Droid. For example, the detail about the crawler way, ‘Alabama River gravel’, is a detail I wouldn’t have even thought to think of.
Best UA-cam video ever!! I have been waiting for a launch complex documentary for years!! I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and I always had an interest in space travel and to me, one of the most fascinating aspects will always be the launch; all that heat and power...I never tire of watching clips, especially the Apollo Saturns. However, the whole launch complex with the flame trenches and rubber room is so interesting, so THANK YOU Paul for this gem of a piece! Top notch!!! Out of interest...did anyone ever use the rubber room or sit in there during a launch? 🌟
Hi Paul, I really enjoy your videos and I just can't get enough of your in-depth presentations detailing everything awesome that has ever been undertaken by mankind. In this video you asked if anyone has firsthand experience to comment, so I will :). I have been fortunate to have been working at Kennedy Space Center as an engineer since 2000. I've worked the duration of the Space Shuttle Program since STS-99 and I have seen the bulk of the Space Station modules lifted to LEO to and assembled to build the ISS. I’ve worked on the Space Shuttle Orbiters (mostly Discovery), the Constellation Program (ARES 1X) and now the Space Launch System Program (as well as a handful of various other things). I’ve been fortunate to have been part of a great team (or more like family) who has worked through the highs of every Shuttle launch and the lows of the Columbia tragedy and having experienced it firsthand. The reason I wanted to leave comment on this video is because for the past 8 years I have been working on the design of the Mobile Launcher for SLS. Specifically, the design of the Tail Service Mast Umbilicals which are mounted to the ML deck and attach to the aft of the core stage. As with the theme of this video this is the new ML and it will become the latest gateway to space for NASA. The launch pad architecture of LC-39B is now what is called a ‘clean pad’ and the idea with this is becomes a more flexible design. In contrast the SSP pads which were dedicated only to the Space Shuttles because of the FSS (or Fixed Service Structure and the RSS mentioned in this video). This idea was chosen during the Constellation program because that program was going to use multiple launch vehicles (ARES I & ARES V) and a clean pad accommodates both. In theory, the SLS ML can be reconfigured by rearranging the ML tower (or even making it taller if needed) for various block version designs of SLS which may have interfaces that may differ in elevation from one version to another. It could be thought of as a more modular design for the launch pad/ML. To take this to an extreme any ML-like structure that interfaces with the LC-39B pad can be used so this can further increase the flexibility of use.
Thanks again for all the great videos and sharing with us!
Fascinating stuff and you cleared up one little mystery for me, the purpose of those towers and cables around the launch pads. Happy New Year to you. Woot!
This Video is perfect timing as ive just recently built a model of the Saturn V from kit. I have decided that I would like to make a model of the LUT from scratch. Your video provides good information which I will use for my model. Thank you Curious Droid.
Some 50+ years ago during my model rocket days, I built a plywood box to carry my launch platform, battery power, cables, solid rocket engines, nichrome igniters, accessories, etc. The box was painted red with 'LC 39A' stenciled in block letters in yellow on two sides. Cheers, Mark
Great video, I did some work on the VAB and had chance to tour it from top to bottom. It's hard to describe being at the very top and looking down. There was part of a shuttle in one bay and you could really get a sense of how much bigger the Saturn 5 was.
As always a fine docu. I'm not an American, but the cape holds a special place in my heart. I have had the luck to have seen two space shuttle launches at this launch complex. The last one that I saw live was the 100th shuttle launch.
Happy New year to everyone - whoot :-) . This video was a suggestion from Didu Tasev, a member of our facebook group who wanted to know more about the launchpads themselves. I thought that this was a good idea but limited to the most famous Launch Complex 39 at Cape Canaveral to give an overview of how it came into being and why it is, as it is. There are a lot of things in this that could be a subject in their own right, so maybe I'll expand on them at some point.
Thank you for a long video
Happy new year and greetings from germany
Happy New Year Paul. Keep up the amazing and informative, valuable content. It improves all our lives even if its entertainment.
Ever in Frankfur Beers on me.. Prost!!!
I was just at KSC last week and those pads are huge.
Knowledge is Power !!!
#Glooking
Don't forget the lightning caused by the static built up by the exhaust. There was a system for it on the shuttle launch system if I recall correctly. I worked for Rockwell primary contractor for the shuttles.
tell us omething
Wasnt the exhaust simply the source of ions and if Shuttle launched into certain types of clouds the ground and cloud charge would attempt to equalize via the rocket exhaust? Apollo 12 got nailed twice, once at MET-36.5 seonds and 52 seconds.
@Miles Coverdale Love your monniker; at the launch site the clouds formed formed a static charge creating a huge lightning bolt.
@@hoghogwild I was a biological engineer on the life support systems side. The launch physics wasn't in my purview.
Understood, thank you. Working on such a project must have been hugely satisfying. In speaking with engineers that dealt with the Solid Rocket Motors/Solid Rocket Boosters, those guys felt more at ease after the stack cleared the pad, this is because it was always felt that if there was to be a Loss of Crew/Vehicle (LOCV) event involving the SRM's that they would explode on the pad moments after ignition. The teams working with the External Tanks breathed easier about 8-1/2 minutes into flight as that's when the mains shut down and the ET was jettisoned.
1)As a biological engineer at Rockwell, when exactly did your team begin to feel more at ease during a mission?(I'm willing to bet that it's a lot later in the mission than at just MECO(Min Engine Cut Off- lol)
2) I realize that you were professionally focused on life support systems, but did you ever come across any health/safety material in relation to the acoustical environment during launch and its effects on the "biological entities" aboard shuttle?
3) Was there any requirements from a life support/biological point of view that would affect Shuttle' maximum G load of 3 g's during ascent?
Thanks In Advance!
I just visited both pads this last September. It was a GLORIOUS experience.
smh yea completely ignore the starving kids in africa
I thought you could be all places at once cause of Santa's travel magic?
Maybe ask your dad to get NASA a little more funding and the military can perhaps get a little less.
Jesus Christ watches Curious Droid?? That's great. Love you both.
Thanks Jesus, just thanks.
Happy belated birthday btw
To other UA-cam creators ,this is how you make videos. Always enjoyable and informative. Cheers.
yes .. it is also its sad many people still push the flatturdia theory
I agree its a great.
It helps a lot to have a remarkable voice (1-in-10-million). Paul is a member of a very exclusive club:
the Narrator Olymp ❤️
David Attenborough, Carl Sagan, Christopher Lee, Patrick Stewart, William Shattner and many more.
Chris P. Bacon Sr.
I worked at NASA/KSC in 2002 and going out to the pad areas was always a treat. Fun fact, between missions, if you're out on the pads there's no easy way to grab a cold drink or anything from the SSPF, VAB etc. (they're 20 minute drives away!) so underneath the pad there's power hookups for various "canteen" facilities: think about that the next time you watch a launch: someone was grabbing a cold drink right next to where that huge plume of flame and smoke is billowing out! :)
I mostly worked in the ONC and SSPF areas, though.
I think you should do a video on the milk stools remaining in place out there, too, from previous launches. Many of the "abandoned" areas of NASA are like Mayan or Aztec ruins now, overgrown "stone" structures in the mangroves...
The Crawler was built by Marion Power Shovel, in Marion Ohio (1 hour north of Columbus). My grandfather helped build it :-D
Thank you for that bit of Info! I had no idea, but it makes perfect sense once you look at it.
My father at one time worked for Marion Power Shovel.
Aren't there two crawlers?
Ian Tester
Yes.
Marion Shovels (and others) were used in Fulton County (IL) coal strip mines until late 1970s.
I worked at NASA/KSC in 2002 and going out to the pad areas was always a treat. Fun fact, between missions, if you're out on the pads there's no easy way to grab a cold drink or anything from the SSPF, VAB etc. (they're 20 minute drives away!) so underneath the pad there's power hookups for various "canteen" facilities: think about that the next time you watch a launch: someone was grabbing a cold drink right next to where that huge plume of flame and smoke is billowing out! :)
I mostly worked in the ONC and SSPF areas, though.
I think you should do a video on the milk stools remaining in place out there, too, from previous launches. Many of the "abandoned" areas of NASA are like Mayan or Aztec ruins now, overgrown "stone" structures in the mangroves...
Yes, there is a shot of the MSS next to the milk stool in the video and makes you realise just how big the 1st stage of the Saturn was when you see the Saturn IB in place of the Saturn V. It would interesting to see some of the hidden and forgotten places at the cape, have to see what we can find :-)
@@CuriousDroid I have a few photos, I would be proud to share them with you if I can find the CD they're burned to. I'll get you shots that don't have my ugly mug in them :)
That would be fascinating, I love learning about forgotten or abandoned infrastructure.
20 minutes? How far are they, and/or how low is the speed limit?
That's fascinating what an interesting life you have lead.
Can you tell us, how did you get your job there? What does somebody like me (21 year old graduate) have to do to work for NASA?
To me, the cape is sacred ground. And i'm not even American.
I'm American and I would think I'd feel the same way. I also feel like the launch facilities at the baikonur cosmodrome In Kazakhstan are the same way... hallowed ground brother!
You can add me to that. Absolutely - sacred ground indeed.
Yep it sure is for anyone that has an interest in space, certainly me.
Definitely hallowed ground to me as well. I'm very glad those pads are continuing to see use. After watching Atlantis Go up for STS-135 I was floored to see cutting torches in use on the shuttle infrastructure of 39A two days after lunch.
I am Brazilian and I was crying like a baby when I visited the Apollo exhibition,specially when I laid my eyes on the holy relic,the Saturn V
I don't work there, but I do live on Florida's Space Coast. Launches are almost routine, and the only thing as spectacular as the Space Shuttle was is the Falcon Heavy (which SpaceX has only launched once, and holy hell, it was incredibly to watch from the beach). If any of you guys come to see a launch, wait for another Falcon Heavy launch, or come see a night launch. You really get to appreciate the scale of any of the rockets after dark.
I was thrilled to get to watch the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133, from a parking lot in Titusville. What an amazing sight!
Kingtad1136 To see a big launch is on my wish list! I got to see the Orion Capsule in the Lockheed Martin plant in Colorado. I really want to see it fly!
The next Falcon heavy should be launched in March. Wish I could be there, maybe some other time.
Its on my "bucket list" - hope to do it within the next decade. By that time it should be more common.
Ahh the space coastline where Shuttle launches are as routine as catching a bus or going to the local supermarket.
I work at NASA and I'm still learning about LC39. Didn't know about the MSS for Saturn V, and also didn't know about LC-39C. Thanks for the informative video. Cheers.
Watching the launch and the roar of the mighty Saturn V still gives me goosebumps. They say the only thing more powerful (and more noisy) is a nuclear explosion. To me, it sounds like music. What a fantastic era that was - the vision, the courage, the technology, the science and the progress. Absolutely wonderful.
Happy new year to all!
Oh hell yeah, the sound from all 5 of those F1 engines in the 1st stage was at 160 decibels which would rupture your ear drums at a surprising distance from the launch pad .
Dr. Martin Uman was involved in the original design of the lightning protection system. He was one of my professors at the Univ. of Fla. For many years I saw him mentioned on various documentaries as probably the most knowledgeable lightning expert in the world. The last time I remember seeing him on TV, they were shooting small rockets up into thunderstorms to attract lightning to the ground :-) The life of an EE graduate student.....
I Visited the Cape a couple of years ago with a tour that took us inside the VAB and up close to the 39 launch complexes. There was one shuttle inside as they were being prepared for transport for their final display destinations. In Green Cove Springs, there is a Shuttle center fuel tank that was taken by barge up the St. Johns river where it was to be moved to a museum for display. The tank was a spare that sits at a marina, it was used for fit up testing at the Cape. It is near where I stored my sailboat. It's hard to imagine how big these things are until you get up next to them! On the Cape tour is a Sat V on it's side, another must see.
Out by the beach was a bunker covered in sandbags. It turns out there was no electricity out there so they ran a gas generator to power the cameras for Apollo launches. It turns out the first launch(s) was not filmed because the generator shut down, causse unknown. It turns out the sound was so intense that the sound waves boiled the fuel out of the carburetor hence the generator was placed in the bunker, problem solved.
Scrolling through the internet bored out of my mind and BOOM! Curious Droid upload. It just got interesting.
Yes I enjoy his very informative, factual and interesting uploads too. 👍😊
I thought “how interesting can a launch pad be?” Very, it turns out. Thanks again for a brilliant video!
Nothing like watching another video of curious Droid along with a cup of tea.
Cup of TEA? Oh brother.
Yes. Tea. I agree.
As usual interesting and superbly written, informative, and explained.
Stephen.
When I was a kid, my Dad took me down to Florida to see the Apollo 11 and 13 launches. We say 11 from Cocoa Beach and we were able to get right on the grounds for 13. Pretty impressive seeing the Apollo rocket on the launch pad. I'll never forget the sound and sight of Apollo 13. Amazing stuff.
Al Dinelt even though I’ve seen many launches before and afterwards I can’t get Columbia lift off of my mind. It was a nite launch, I guess no one knew at the time we were seeing it for the last time. I didn’t not c Challenger but for me the deaths of Columbia is personal it won’t leave me ever
@@borisbuliak3626 RIP
I wish there was a ‘love’ or ‘awesome’ button as well as a ‘like’ button. A ‘like’ just doesn’t seem sufficient for your videos. One of the best so far! Keep up the excellent work in 2019. ❤️
Hi Scott, you brought back many memories to me having worked at launch pad 39B for 10 years as mechanical tech in Lox facility and another 10 years as Shuttle Data Center analyst and test conductor in the LCC. I retired in 2010 and so thank you so much for your informative updates and history. Makes me smile once again. Miss my work there.
Do one about the Guiana Space Centre, please. It's very exciting how that is being upgraded constantly because of new types of rockets.
Im close enough to where I can see rocket launch from LC-39A
Totally hate you sir...
I can see any launch from there, and I have been in the VAB
Me too🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm jealous!
Next launch i will record and upload it to my youtube channel so you guys can see it
Paul is the best presenter on UA-cam. Thank you sir.
I love the detail regarding the gravel for the crawler
River rock makes sense. That way there are no uneven points in the roadway - It all flattens out under you. I ordinarily hate the stuff (I'm a landscaper), but this is one application for which I can't think of anything better to use.
However, a minor point perhaps, but the rocks came from Tennessee, not Alabama.
This was incredibly interesting, people tend to talk about the rockets more than about the launchpads, but they are quite important and interesting as well!
I have never clicked a video so fast!! Absolutely my favorite UA-cam channel!! :D
Nathan Prescott - Totally agree. Paul’s content is fascinating and his production values are as good as anything on tv.
You need to get out more and get a life
@@j_f_kyoushallnotbeforgotte2191 Says the person with apparently nothing better to do than be rude to people via YT comments? Hyppocrite, much.
@@Bandit1379. quiet utube gal
Happy new year Paul Chillito . Best wishes :)
always a pleasure to see your new videos!
ikr he's the only youtuber that has good content
@Curious Droid Would be cool if you could take a look at the rocket engine test stands at Stennis Space Center. There are 4 main stands (A1, A2, B1 & B2) The two Bs are built together and supported the entire Saturn V main stage for cluster firing of all 5 F1s during Apollo. This stand has just been refitted to do similar testing for the entire SLS Core Stage and its 4 RS25s. Testing of the Core Stage should begin some time in 2019.
The testing of the F-1 engines is very interesting when they were trying to find out why the early ones were blowing up on the stand and the clock to the launches was ticking down.
@@whyamibeingpesteredtogetahandl The explosions were due to combustion instability in the combustion chamber (a video on how they solved it /would be/ neat to see). The clock ticking down is a reference to the deadline to have a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's set by President Kennedy.
3:34 When a 1960's NASA rig has cooler RGB lighting than your gaming PC in 2019...
that tells you there is a GOD
Love the new intro, you guys are really getting serious about delivering interesting, engaging content. I would love to work with a group like you guys some day.
An instant classic, possibly one of the best videos ever made by Curious Droid! Thank you!
Yes! A new video! Time to get some popcorn...
frangible nuts
This was the most informative of all the UA-cams I've seen on the U.S. space program. Excellent job, Curious Droid. I thought I knew it all from devotedly following space missions while I was growing up, but this taught me a whole I hadn't known! Thank you!
Beautiful video.
This ground has been hallowed by humanity's finest moments.
Great presentation! You managed to cover many aspects of the KSC that were a mystery to many of us, and not covered anywhere else. You filled in many "blanks" in my knowledge of the space program, for sure! Keep up the good work, you have many loyal followers! I can't believe the 21 "dislikes"....jeeez. What the hell is wrong with people?
Who the hell gives a 17 minute long video a "thumbs down" six minutes after it was published? I thought channels like this one were idiot-proof.
a flat-earther the moment he heard the word orbit
Ahh, those flat Eather's, they have believers all around the globe :-)
@@CuriousDroid hyper-lol
@@CuriousDroid Ignore the 10 ignorants who did not like it. I liked it~!!!!
And so say us all!
Good channel. Good stuff. Good narration!
That would be the idiots (I know; I'm giving them too much credit) who think the Apollo program was a hoax.
I still remember when my dad took us on the tour of the Cape back in 1971 and Apollo 15 was on the pad.I was 7 years old,and thought that was the coolest thing ever.Thanks for the memories Paul! Thanks for posting,and Happy New Year from Detroit!
1958-GREAT YEAR!! NASA was formed, and I was born. GREAT VIDEO PAUL!!!
Paul, this is a fascinating video. Easily your best production yet. Well done, man.
Wonderful stuff.
Thanks Simon, happy new year :-)
I knew a former Boeing engineer who worked on the Apollo LUT (launch umbilical tower) in the 60s. He said it took 3 engineers, a rep from Boeing, NASA and the construction contractor, each of whom had a key, to open the drawers that held the blueprints. That way no one made a change without all of the key principals being present to approve them.
I see Curious droid notification, I click, simple.
of all the videos i searched about launch pads this is the best, the most informative and more interesting. Thanks for the good work.
LOVE watching Saturn V launches... those were the days.....it really was a brave new world
Exceptionally high quality content as always. I'm really glad I found this channel last year and I hope you'll keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany.
I recommend Gunter Wendt's memoir, "The Unbroken Chain". He tells of a zipline escape system with an ordinary trampoline at the end for a safety stop, that got popular as a "ride" until NASA quashed it. He also tells the story of a NASA janitor who approached him and asked if he could bring his kids to look at the command module. He arranged for the janitor and the kids to come after hours one day, and they had the thrill of a lifetime.
Some dad was a hero for life.
Let me guess -- that janitor was Pete Conrad and his kids were named Alan and Richard. And they accidently were launched to the... naw, that's too Disney!
@@brianarbenz7206 Then they all got colds in space and took Actifed.
Nice video. Nice to see that the Apollo pads are continuing to be used and not wasting away.
The fact we can build all this in 4 years is crazy.
I visited Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center in 2013 with my friends while we were their for a TSA (Technology Student Association) Conference - It was one of the best experience destinations that i have been to so far.
The entire facility was so much more massive and complex than any video can do it justice, the history and engineering that you are surrounded by is breathtaking. The sight of walking into the Saturn V center is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The feeling of seeing this massive accomplishment of human ingenuity just hanging above your head in its massive and overwhelming glory made my eyes light up like a 5 year old. The engineers and scientists that could make such a massive enterprise possible are just unbelievable in their ingenuity and even now nearly 50 years after we touched down on the moon, people like myself can look at these symbols of the past that guide new explorers into the future and hope that one day we might live in a society where that one small step truly was just the start of many giant leaps for all mankind.
Great video and it’s very interesting 🚀 happy new year🎆🥳👽
That was crazy interesting! Thanks curious Droid! My favorite video from you so far!
Best shirt ever!
Yes please wear a max sexist one next time!
And no links for shopping :-(
I want that shirt! Great video as always. Thanks and Happy New Year! :)
The HD footage of the Space Shuttle main engines firing up through to lift-off is so amazing, excuse the pun, but blows me away every time I watch it. I think it is so fascinating what goes on behind the scenes to make any launch possible
I've seen, as close as I could get, every Pad 39 Gantry's from the Skylab program up to the current incarnation now and it amazes me how they have been able to rework them over a relatively short time considering what they do. Story of Mr Wendt. I met him once at one of the Astronaut Hall of Fame inductions. I told him how, as a Kid, I'd always admired him since he was the last man on Earth to see and talk to the Astronauts before they were closed up and how he had to make sure so many things went and were right before it all happened. His frank response has stuck with me to this day: "I was just one of many people who had a job to do. My job was no more important than the Janitor, because, if he didn't do his job, I'd be up to my neck in Shit. My job was not more important." He told me this, after discovering I'd been sitting next to him the whole time during the Meet the Astronaut Luncheon that had John Young and Dick Crippen telling us about their journey to the Shuttle system. I off offhandedly mentioned to the "old man" sitting next to me how I thought the guy who locked them in and did all the checks in the White Room was probably the most important person in the program. I was telling the very man I admired, how much I admired him, and didn't even really know I was sitting right next to him having Lunch.
John Mcdougald Serendipity my friend!
@@kevinb3812 Yes, my only regret was that I never had a chance to ask John Young the question I've had since I was in 6th grade and stood outside my classroom and watched the Shuttle go up. I've always wondered what his comparisons were between launching in a Saturn 5 and Launching in an STS. I've searched for a few years, online, and never seen any discussion on that.
This is one of your best shirt ever - Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon & Perry Rhodan would be jealous! Thank you for this - again - excellent video! Have a blessed and happy new year!
Workers walking next to the transport vehicle had to wear protective helmets to prevent any injury in case the Saturn V would have fallen on their head
Didn't they make them wear 2 helmets..?
jonny j Yeah, helmets are in case gravel or dirt falls from the tower floors. That'll hit plenty hard from that height.
bobl78 I doubt any of them would of survived if a Saturn V rocket landed on them :)
Lol protective helmets made of of fricken vibramium
Great video, thanks. One of the most impressive complexes ever built. I am glad you documented this important part of space history. However, two things.
While you are correct that five launch pads at Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) were to be built, with three first followed by the other two. As well you are correct that only two of these first three were built, but, they were to be numbered north to south as LC-39A, LC-39B and LC-39C. However, it was the southern-most two that were built necessitating LC-39C being renumbered as LC-39A.
Also, while the VAB is now called the Vehicle Assembly Building, when originally built - due to its function and configuration - it was known as the Vertical Assembly Building. It was renamed as the Vehicle Assembly Building in 1974 as its function would be changing.
Great videos
I visited Kennedy Space Center a week and a half ago we got real close to pads 39 A and B I asked a question of how much concrete each one was and the tour guide was very informative and did mention the rooms underneath. Your video was right on point with all the information good job!
Where's your JOIN button?
Man, this was an astonishing video. I was sitting on my chair with my jaw open the whole time at just how huge, complicated, smart, cool the entire thing and its individual parts are.
Definitely one of the coolest videos to end year 2018 with, thank you CD!
When are we gonna build a space elevator?
@@user-ef5pk8ck5v I like to believe that we just don't have the advanced scifi tech to do it, yet.
Not until we have a reason to build one on a lighter planet where our current materials are up to the task.
(Edit) Here on Earth, I think something like an orbital ring makes more sense due to its much higher capacity.
I would think it becomes less and less likely every year as the number of satellites and bits of orbital debris increases. How can you have a fixed structure with that much stuff up there whizzing around?
@@DJ-bh1ju I think if we put in the investment of building a structure that large, we'd be fine with the relatively small extra cost of installing a few high powered auto-targeting lasers or something.
Maybe never.
There are not only easier solutions, but also better ones.
The biggest proposed structure, which will enable enormous throughput, is the orbital ring.
For the near future, a smaller and actually doable version of the space elevator is the skyhook, a large tether in space than can "pull" stuff from suborbital flight into orbit
One of the most amazing stats to emerge from the Apollo program is this - the crawler moved with such precision that the tip end of the rocket - the very nib of the escape tower rocket - did not move out of vertical more than the width of a basketball. The platform was self-leveling as it moved along - each of the four trucks was continually adjusted to keep the rocket absolutely vertical to the ground.
*sees notification*
*Taps eagerly*
Love these chewable bits of obscure space history! Stuff you don’t normally see on mainstream documentaries. Perfect research as usual! Happy NY!
Fun fact: I was born the exact day of the challenger explosion
Joe Milillo young one. That was also the same year of the Chernobyl disaster. Just thought I let you know, it was a pretty dark year
Thank you SO MUCH for the hard work you put into making these videos. Consistently grabs and holds my attention. Hard to find on youtube nowadays, so again thank you.
What is the main eurorack sequencer you use?
Oberkorn, Intellijel Metropolis, Polyend Seq, plus a few other modules that do similar sequencing duties
@@CuriousDroid hot damn! As much as I love space videos, I think there is at least a video or two introducing those ! :-O
i am so poor, but my Beatstep Pro and Keystep are fun lil sequencers..... where can i hear your music ????
I got those too, eurocrack keeps me poor but hopefully, i can start to get some music out soon
i am just getting started....i've been trying to create "song format" sequencer jams....
i came to the synth dark side from the guitar world......
this is my first fully synth/sequencer jam:
ua-cam.com/video/78WFxc6CduE/v-deo.html
and if i havent told you, YOUR channel is one of my Faves !!!! i Love the depth and detail that you bring to each topic !!!! Best of Fortune on ALL Your endeavors !!!!!!!
Dear Paul! Happy New Year to you and your dearest ones! Thank you for bringing such a level of quality in video production to yt! God bless you! P.s. if it is about time already would you care to build up a small vid about thyself? Do you happen to have narrator/media experience? What do you like aside from shirts? Thanks for foing it C-style metric system! Happy new year!
How many V2 rockets did the west and USSR get off the Germans post war.? Great Video...
50 to over a hundred I'm sure. Slave assembly line production facilities churned out faulty but many models before the us and then the so iet armies showed up to scrounge for tech.
@@dragonsword7370 Cheers.. Always stagers me the capacity of the German war machine even at dying end of the war... Have a great 2019 ! Slainte!!!!
Yet another fantastically researched and produced episode from the droid. Well done to you all. I’m learning all the time.
Plot Twist: It's the entrance to area 51
You beginning to like space?
UA-cam employees on shifts running this "Justin Y" thing to encourage engagement by users.
It's the entrance to Uranus.
Awesome times at launch pad 39a. Glad I got to relive this through your video. Happy New Year everyone.
Happy New Year thomasfholland !
"What happened?" lol The truth is, obama is what happened. Remember? He said we didnt need NASA.
James Ryan Obama sucked ass!!!
Most all Democrat politicians are for spending $$$$ on b.s. but against spending it on something we actually benefit more than it costs
I got to go on a tour around the KSC this summer and saw LC-39A and LC-39B as well as the VAB and other NASA buildings as well as SpaceX's hangar and blue origin's factory. It was amazing to see these things!
NASA: builds sophisticated escape system for engineers in case of emergency
the USSR: xaxaxa too bad tovarish))))))
N1 explosion be like ))))))) Oops woman tovarich we kill your hoosband
@@linecraftman3907 It actually exploded like small nuclear bomb. Long ago was video of that explosion with people running and burning, but I cannot find it on youtube. Several engineers from company (control systems, known as p/o-67 these days or "Khartron" now) where my mother worked was there and died.
Of course tovarisch the engineers were more expensive for NASA than dead cheap astronauts.
@@olexp9017 it wasn't manned.
I mean during the three catastrophic failure it suffered.
Great to get some background info. I was lucky to be there to follow the last night launch of space shuttle - awesome
NASA 2006: No Billy Bob you can't launch your own rocket you built.
NASA 2019: Launch pad for rent, inquire within.
Had no idea of the complexity of the supporting infrastructure of all these launching platforms. Brilliant research and reporting as always. Thank you.. .
*_Elon Musk has left the chat_*
@@cosmicwakes6443 That's a Boring comment.
@@cosmicwakes6443 you are plainly just a twat
@@cosmicwakes6443 Care to explain why you think he is a liar and criminal?
@@cosmicwakes6443 And your irrefutable sources for this information are????
@@cosmicwakes6443 Then all the people in the US that have some power are criminals.
Thank you - that was absolutely fascinating!! I was fortunate enough to visit the KSC way back in 1979 and have never forgotten the tour we did of those very launch facilities - it was magical for a 13yr old and just as magical to revisit them in your video!!
If we didn't waste so much money on the military, we'd have enough to horse around in space. We might even have enough left over to help some of the people in this country that have fallen on hard times, like veterans that are homeless and live on the street.
No. That's silly. This is America, where your free to make your own choices on how you want to starve with no help from the gov't. Bully.
@@Idahoser11 you obvs don't know your constitution has been usurped, chum...p. jus sayin. IMHO.
Funny you treat the constitution sacred when it was made by guys who won a tax revolt, who then made an amendment to build an army to suppress the next tax revolt.
@@Idahoser11 From what I can gather for your disjointed response, you believe that gov't is in the business of defending. All well and good. But why is our USA gov't all over the map fighting with everyone? Seems like a business to me. Like they need a reason to exist. Who's threatening the US? Like nobody?
lda... what? are you high?
@@celluskh6009 Ummm, what?
I have to say the way you explain things in detail is so good iv literally binged watched all your videos
Very nice video, and your tone of voice is perfect for these, you never get tired of your voice (maybe cause the low pitch? idk). Thumbs up!
This is why I love The Curious Droid. For example, the detail about the crawler way, ‘Alabama River gravel’, is a detail I wouldn’t have even thought to think of.
Finally a new video from Curious Droid! Keep up the amazing work.
Best UA-cam video ever!! I have been waiting for a launch complex documentary for years!! I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and I always had an interest in space travel and to me, one of the most fascinating aspects will always be the launch; all that heat and power...I never tire of watching clips, especially the Apollo Saturns. However, the whole launch complex with the flame trenches and rubber room is so interesting, so THANK YOU Paul for this gem of a piece! Top notch!!!
Out of interest...did anyone ever use the rubber room or sit in there during a launch? 🌟
Hi Paul, I really enjoy your videos and I just can't get enough of your in-depth presentations detailing everything awesome that has ever been undertaken by mankind. In this video you asked if anyone has firsthand experience to comment, so I will :). I have been fortunate to have been working at Kennedy Space Center as an engineer since 2000. I've worked the duration of the Space Shuttle Program since STS-99 and I have seen the bulk of the Space Station modules lifted to LEO to and assembled to build the ISS. I’ve worked on the Space Shuttle Orbiters (mostly Discovery), the Constellation Program (ARES 1X) and now the Space Launch System Program (as well as a handful of various other things). I’ve been fortunate to have been part of a great team (or more like family) who has worked through the highs of every Shuttle launch and the lows of the Columbia tragedy and having experienced it firsthand.
The reason I wanted to leave comment on this video is because for the past 8 years I have been working on the design of the Mobile Launcher for SLS. Specifically, the design of the Tail Service Mast Umbilicals which are mounted to the ML deck and attach to the aft of the core stage. As with the theme of this video this is the new ML and it will become the latest gateway to space for NASA.
The launch pad architecture of LC-39B is now what is called a ‘clean pad’ and the idea with this is becomes a more flexible design. In contrast the SSP pads which were dedicated only to the Space Shuttles because of the FSS (or Fixed Service Structure and the RSS mentioned in this video). This idea was chosen during the Constellation program because that program was going to use multiple launch vehicles (ARES I & ARES V) and a clean pad accommodates both. In theory, the SLS ML can be reconfigured by rearranging the ML tower (or even making it taller if needed) for various block version designs of SLS which may have interfaces that may differ in elevation from one version to another. It could be thought of as a more modular design for the launch pad/ML. To take this to an extreme any ML-like structure that interfaces with the LC-39B pad can be used so this can further increase the flexibility of use.
Thanks again for all the great videos and sharing with us!
It's refreshing to see so much love for a great channel and no trolls.
Fascinating stuff and you cleared up one little mystery for me, the purpose of those towers and cables around the launch pads. Happy New Year to you. Woot!
This Video is perfect timing as ive just recently built a model of the Saturn V from kit.
I have decided that I would like to make a model of the LUT from scratch. Your video provides good information which I will use for my model.
Thank you Curious Droid.
Some 50+ years ago during my model rocket days, I built a plywood box to carry my launch platform, battery power, cables, solid rocket engines, nichrome igniters, accessories, etc. The box was painted red with 'LC 39A' stenciled in block letters in yellow on two sides. Cheers, Mark
Great video, I did some work on the VAB and had chance to tour it from top to bottom. It's hard to describe being at the very top and looking down. There was part of a shuttle in one bay and you could really get a sense of how much bigger the Saturn 5 was.
Very well presented. I'm old enough I've watched all the Apollo launches on TV live. :-) Cheers and happy new year.
Love your videos (and shirts). The composition of the shot at 9:49 is fantastic! Thank you for all the work you put into these! :)
Thanks for the terrific historical and technical explanation of LC 39.
As always a fine docu. I'm not an American, but the cape holds a special place in my heart. I have had the luck to have seen two space shuttle launches at this launch complex. The last one that I saw live was the 100th shuttle launch.
My father was a guidance control engineer for NASA 1965-70. We lived in Cocoa Beach a watched many launches. It was a dream time in my childhood.
Outstanding video Curious Droid. Many questions answered especially in the last two minutes.
Informative and easy watching.
Love the shirts too.
Keep up the excellent service.
A terrific video!! Living through that time was exciting. Thanks for helping to keep it alive.