T O P I C R E V I E W |
heng44 | Saturn V AS-504 carrying Apollo 9 is rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, only one short week after the splashdown of Apollo 8. |
Tom | Great photo, Ed... one I've never seen!! |
Philip | Like that tour bus on the left! |
randy | I wish I could've been on that tour bus! |
Jonnyed | The angle of this shot is probably a sunrise vice a sunset — correct? How long did it take to do a rollout? I presume you start at sunrise to give yourself time to finish it in one day? Or did it take a couple of days? |
jasonelam | The average time to transport the Saturn V from the VAB to the launch pad is about 5 hours. |
mach3valkyrie | Nice shot. January 3, 1969.
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ColinBurgess | Man oh man - those were the days! (sigh) |
oly | quote: Originally posted by Jonnyed: The angle of this shot is probably a sunrise vice a sunset — correct?
I believe Apollo 9 launched from Pad A and the crawler moved with the launch tower on the eastern face as it moved from the VAB. The crawler is shown in this photo on another section of the crawlerway than the section directly in front of the camera.Looking at a map of LC-39A I believe that the photo was taken early morning with the photographer standing to the north of the VAB in the area that the crawlers were parked when not in use. This only works on the assumption that the negative has not been reversed. I think in this case it has not based on the USA text painted in the Saturn and the lack of a door on the coach. That is my best guess. It is also a cool photo. This Apollo 11 rollout photo gives an idea of the angles. |
heng44 | I concur with what oly said. |
Ronpur | quote: Originally posted by Philip: Like that tour bus on the left!
You know, I think that tour bus may be empty. I wonder if it was when this photo was taken? |
sev8n | quote: Originally posted by oly: This only works on the assumption that the negative has not been reversed.
The orientation of the roll pattern on the S-IC engine fairings indicates it is not reversed. |
Philip | Indeed I had noticed the bus is empty, looks just a shell with sunlight going through... great photo! |
Joel Katzowitz | It's difficult to tell from either photo but the crawlerway top surface appears to be dirt or sand as opposed to river rock. Was it ever used without without river rock? |
Cozmosis22 | Beautiful sunrise photo! They seemed to prefer early mornings for the half mile-per-hour rollouts as the winds were usually calm at that time of day there on the Space Coast. Believe that the crawler pathway to the pads at Complex 39 was about 7 feet thick of compacted gravel surfaced with asphalt. That was then covered with a layer of the Alabama river rock. Fresh rocks were shipped in and spread across the surface periodically. |
spaceheaded | Yes, the tour bus is empty. All of its occupants are on the mobile launcher, running up and down the stairs for a close look. And of course I am dreaming. |
MCroft04 | By the way, for those alliterative fans; that is round river rock! |
Jonnyed | Love the NASA Tour Bus poster — it's back in the day when even the bus drivers wore coat and tie! Sorry for my unfamiliarity of the Cape layout but what is the purpose of the tower that's to the right of the crawler/Saturn in the tour bus poster? Is that the actual launch pad complex itself? |
Ronpur | That would be the Mobile Service Structure. It will be picked up by the crawler after it drops off the rocket. Then it takes it to the pad as well. |