Thursday, January 2, 2014
Friday, December 23, 2011
Watching A Moon Launch: Apollo 16
Watching A Moon Launch: Apollo 16, April 1972
In 1972, I was very fortunate to see the launch of Apollo 16, but it was a bit of a struggle to get there. I had to take off time from high school and fly to stay with my grandparents in Miami. From there my friend and I took a bus to NASA the day before the launch. It was my first time ever to reach NASA property, which was like holy ground to me. I'd been interested in space for many years already, since the age of nine.The bus went straight to the NASA Visitors Center after the long ride. We toured the buildings there and then were able to be on the last public bus tour to the pad on the evening before the launch. The bus took an extended tour through the Mercury launch sites and other sites, before heading North for the Apollo pad. I was seated on the left side of the bus as we drove North along the coast, and I was so excited as the Saturn grew larger and larger in view outside my window. The bus neared the pad, pulled to a stop and we were allowed out just east of the pad to look with binoculars and take pictures of the spectacular scene. The white rocket sat majestically on the giant Launch Pad 39A. It was a beautiful clear evening. We were allowed to mill about for 30 minutes at least. The sun was setting behind the pad as our bus pulled away northward again along the coast and around the pad. I snapped some great photos of the vehicle and then the tower as they both eclipsed the setting sun.
The bus stopped next at the VAB and we were let inside for a look. Through the north door, I could see a future Saturn rocket standing majestically in the interior. However, from the VAB looking east, the view of the searchlight-illuminated Saturn V on Pad 39A with the twilight sky and ocean beyond was tremendous. Tomorrow it would be leaving for the Moon. This was a sight to remember forever.
Then the bus took us back to the visitor center, which was now beginning to close with announcements coming over the loudspeaker to that effect. However, my friend and I were without transportation as we had expected our bus to be there. We had no choice but to begin walking down the causeway heading West towards Titusville. We expected a very long hike of about ten miles to go before we reached the gate at the other side of the Indian River. This problem soon turned into a beautiful blessing in the form of a spectacular view.
The sun had sunk ahead of us, and now the crescent earth-lit moon was also setting directly in front of us like a jewel in the constellation of Orion, low over the horizon. It was a most beautiful sunset/moon-set. To our right we could also see the searchlights from Pad 39A illuminating the entire northern sky. I felt awed to be so near the ship which tomorrow would be heading to that Moon. I could imagine those steady searchlights somehow striving to touch the Moon ahead of us and as we walked I kept looking back and forth from the Moon to the searchlights in the beautiful blue twilight. I knew it was a vista I would never forget, and I haven't. It was a unique moment in time, and I was one of only a handful of people there to see it.
Eventually security picked us up as we walked along the NASA Causeway and escorted us off the base. We were a little nervous about being picked up by security, but the officer was very nice about it. At one point he stopped the car and phoned in to report us. From there we spent the night outdoors on the grass by a gas station next to the NASA gate. We rested now and then throughout the night, but didn't sleep. We listened to occasional news on the radio and waited anxiously for day to come. At one point I took a walk so that I could see the Saturn V again, illuminated still by huge searchlights.
The next morning we walked about 9 miles north to Titusville, where we would have the closest view and a good breakfast. There I bought a few space souvenirs and Apollo 16 books and walked among the crowd. Cars were parked everywhere. Helicopters flew back and forth along the wide river. The countdown went smoothly hour-by-hour as we listened via radios and observed with our binoculars. We chose a spot right up against the shore of the Indian River, with the Saturn V east from us.
The countdown continued to go very smoothly and finally around noon we had a good liftoff. The bright orange flames of the Saturn V were beautiful. We were miles away, but suddenly it seemed to be right there in front of us! As the rocket climbed the flames grew taller and taller, blinding us. The 360-foot tall rocket was riding atop a 1000-ft flame. A radio announcer was heard during the launch calling out significant events. He got so excited, and sounded like a sportscaster rather than a calm NASA commentator. The Saturn rose majestically and left a contrail after it reached a certain height. The noise was huge and was punctuated by loud cracks from the air. After a few minutes of this, I could easily see first stage separation and followed the vehicle until it disappeared from sight. On board were John Young, Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke. As the vehicle faded into the East, I was thankful that I got to see part of the golden age of space travel.
Apollo 16 on Wikipedia
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Sky Route - Music Video
A few days ago I created my first music video to my recent track The Sky Route. It is abstract art coupled with ambient music.
Welcome To SkySights, the Fred Becker blog.
Here I'll post interesting findings from around the online world along with news and stories of my music and space activities.
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