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Cape Canaveral - Kennedy Space Center
1969 and 1971
Below are some pictures I took at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.
The Space Center pictures were taken in the summer of 1969. The Saturn V launch pictures
were taken in 1971. These pictures were digitized from 35 mm slides with my
digital camera.
Saturn V on the Launch Pad
The pictures above show the Saturn V rocket on its launch pad. You can see the
red launch tower and the silver service tower that is moved away for launch.
The launch tower remained in place during launch.
Crawler Transporter
The picture above shows the Saturn V on its launch pad in the background and the crawler-transporter
in the left foreground. The rocket and its launch platform including the red launch tower was transported
from the Vehicle Assembly Building on top of this large machine. I remember being told
that the crawler transporter moved at about 1/2 miles per hour and took several hours to
make the trip. It also had automatic levelers to ensure the tall rocket did not
tip over too much. Notice the vintage cars on the right.
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
The picture above shows the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where the Saturn V
rocket was assembled on the transportable launch pad. At the time, this building
was the largest building by volume in the world. I was told that if it was not
air conditioned, it would "rain" inside the building. This building is used today
to assemble the space shuttle.
Saturn V Launch
Below are pictures I made of a Saturn V launch in August 1971. These pictures
were made across the Indian River from the space center.
The picture above shows daybreak over the cape as seen from my vantage point across
the Indian River. The bright light in the center is the launch pad illuminated with
high intensity spotlights. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) can be seen on the right.
The image above was taken at the time of launch.
The image above is another view after liftoff.
Sounds of Apollo 11 Moon Landing
July 1969
During the 8-day mission of Apollo 11, which was the first US space mission
to the moon in July 1969, I recorded the audio of the major events from
litoff to splashdown live from television. I have over 3 hours of audio recorded from this mission
with Walter Cronkite's and Wally Schirra's comments. Three of the most memorable events can be heard below.
Apollo 11 Liftoff
Hear the voices of Jack King, the NASA narrator, Walter Cronkite, and Wally Schirra
and the roar of the Apollo 11 Saturn V liftoff by clicking on "Liftoff" below.
This is an mp3 file and is about 2 Mbytes.
Liftoff
Apollo 11 Landing on the Moon
When Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I recorded the audio from television as it happened.
You can hear the words spoken by the lunar module crew right after it landed by clicking on
"Landing (Abbreviated)" below. This is a short .wav file.
Landing (Abbreviated)
If you want to hear about 1 minute of the descent to the moon and hear Walter Cronkite's and Wally Schira's reaction, click on "Landing" below. This is an mp3 file and is about 1.15 Mbytes
Landing
First Footstep on the Moon
I also recorded the audio from television as Neil Armstrong placed his foot on the moon's surface. You can hear his famous words by clicking on "First Footsteps (Abbreviated)" below.
First Footsteps (Abbreviated)
If you want to hear Neil Armstrong's description of the moon surface before he steps foot on the moon, click on "First Footsteps" below. This is an mp3 file and is about 900 kbytes.
First Footsteps.
You can see images of an Apollo mission I made from television by clicking
Here