posted 08-06-2015 12:29 PM               

The video made note of the simulator being shipped from York, Pennsylvania and showed it on what appeared to be a custom many-wheeled flat bed semi trailer. Another view in the same video showed the simulator sitting in the Saturn V rocket stack.

The simulator looked like a barbell with two weights and a long rod. One "weight" sat on top of the S-1C first stage, and the other supported the S-IVB second stage. The appearance was quite shocking.

I have found a reference confirming delivery in a note dated July 6, 1965:

1. S-II Simulator - The S-ll simulator, which is thirty-three (33) feet in diameter and eighty-one (81) feet long. arrived at MTF on Monday, June 28.

posted 08-06-2015 01:35 PM               

In Way Station to Space: A History of the John C. Stennis Space Center is the following:

The arrival of the first "space hardware" on 28 June 1965 was another stimulus for the workers rallying toward the first test. The hardware was built by NAA at the NASA Seal Beach, California, plant; it came in the form of a curious-looking, huge steel spool called the S-II simulator, or "fit-up fixture."

The simulator had the same dimensions, weight, and attachment fittings as a "real" S-II rocket stage. For use to check out the test stand operational capability, it would also be used for a dress rehearsal by the workers to prepare for the Saturn rocket test-stage arrival...

posted 08-07-2015 06:34 AM            

S-II-simulator/spacer

Summary

Second stage simulator used at MTF for facility verification. Later used as a spacer in the build up of the first two Saturn V launch vehicles at KSC, due to late arrival of the flight second stages.

Stage manufacture

The Fit-up Fixture, known also as the S-II stage simulator and later the S-II spacer, and designated H7-17, was built by NAA at Seal Beach. It was representative of S-II interfaces. Its original purpose was to train technicians in the transport and handling of the S-II stage and to serve as a facility checkout item for S-II static test positions and other facilities. It was later used as a spacer in the build up of the first Saturn V-Apollo vehicle following the late delivery of the S-II-1 stage.

Its first planned use was to checkout the A-2 test stand at MTF. On 13 March 1964 fabrication of the spacer was completed at the Tulsa plant of NAA. On 11 May 1965 the stage was loaded aboard the AKD Point Barrow at Seal Beach, which departed on 13 June 1965. Also on board the ship was the S-IVB-F, third stage facilities checkout vehicle. The ship, making its first journey carrying space-related hardware, passed through the Panama Canal and arrived at MAF on 26 June 1965. The S-II simulator was transferred to a barge, the Pearl River, for the short trip to MTF. The Pearl River departed Michoud at 0610 CDT on 28 June, arriving at MTF at 1245 CDT on the same day. The simulator was taken by barge to the Booster Storage Building, where it was stored, awaiting the readiness of the A-2 test stand. On 29 August the simulator was lifted from a barge directly into the A-2 test stand to check for clearances and alignment.

Stage testing

Additional installation and removal tests during September trained operating crews and revealed some facility inadequacies that would require correction before installation of the S-II-T stage into the stand. Its mission at MTF completed, the simulator returned to Seal Beach, firstly traveling by barge from MTF to MAF in October 1965, and then traveling aboard the AKD Point Barrow from MAF, arriving at Seal Beach on 2 November 1965. It was returned to NAA for storage. On 4 April 1966 it was again shipped to MAF, aboard the AKD Point Barrow, together with the High Force thrust complex.

On 13 August 1966 MSFC shipped the stage simulator (spacer) from MAF to KSC on board the AKD Point Barrow for temporary use in the first Saturn V vehicle, AS-501. It arrived at KSC on 16 August 1966. The spacer was unloaded and placed in the VAB high-bay transfer aisle the next day. Modifications were performed on the fixture to provide additional strength and attachments that would be necessary for stacking and supporting the required load. Spacer modifications, including installation of electrical cables were completed on 24 August. The Spacer was erected on the S-IC/S-II adapter and placed in the S-II Checkout Cell.

On 31 October 1966 the spacer was erected atop the S-IC-1 stage in the VAB at KSC. Erection of the S-IVB-501 atop the spacer took place on 1 November 1966.

The spacer was de-stacked from the AS-501 vehicle on 15 February 1967 and shipped to MTF for use in the checkout of the A-1 test stand.

Following these tests the spacer was again returned to KSC, arriving on 10 March 1967. It was to be used as a spacer in the stacking of the second Saturn V vehicle, AS-502, pending the arrival of the S-II-2 stage.

Buildup of the AS-502 vehicle on LUT number 2 took place during March with the S-II spacer stacked on the S-IC-2 stage on 22 March 1967. On 28 March the S-IVB-502 stage was erected on top of the S-II spacer.

Following testing, the vehicle was de-stacked during June, and the S-II spacer removed on 29 June 1967. Sometime during the next three years the spacer was returned to Seal Beach.

During March 1970 the S-II stage storage transporter was tested with the S-II spacer.

posted 08-07-2015 10:14 AM               

Speaking of which, I still don't know what if any connection there is with York, Pennsylvania, but it may have something to do with the trailer used for transporting it. At least that's what I recall from the quarterly video status report.

posted 08-12-2015 05:46 PM               

The S-II second stage had become the pacing item in the program. Development problems had already delayed its delivery at KSC from July to October 1966. On 13 August the S-II reached the Mississippi Test Facility, only to be held up again when technicians found cracks. The discovery delayed the acceptance firings and forced Phillips to reschedule the arrival of the S-II stage at KSC for mid-November. That month the Apollo Program Office issued a revised schedule calling for delivery of the S-II stage at KSC on 9 January, with launch three months later. Meantime, checkout of the 501 vehicle proceeded without S-II. In its place the launch team employed a spacer, referred to as the "spool" because of its shape - a cylinder that flared out at both ends. With the spacer the launch team could stack the stages and begin checkout in the assembly building. The spool also gave KSC the opportunity to test handling equipment for the second stage.

The S-IC first stage arrived at KSC on 13 March 1967, and erection of the booster on mobile launcher 2 came four days later. Since the delivery of the S-II stage was another two months off, the Boeing crew substituted the S-II spacer again. The S-IVB stage and the instrument unit followed on the same day.

...The S-II stage arrived on 24 May.

Also, a bit of information is available in 17th Semiannual Report to Congress: January 1 - June 30, 1967:

Because of the unavailability of the S-II-1 second stage, an S-II spacer was employed to allow complete stacking of the launch vehicle. The CSM 017 was erected on the launch vehicle on January 11, 1967. Partial launch schedule integrated testing with the S-II spacer was completed early in February. The S-II-1 stage arrived at KSC on January 24. After completion of low bay activity in mid-February, the S-II spacer was replaced by the S-11-1 late in February.

posted 08-13-2015 03:28 PM               

In the report #16 for Sep-Nov 1966, the simulator is seen stacked on top of the S-1C first stage during the first couple of minutes in the video.

posted 08-13-2015 07:50 PM               

Here's an excerpt:

Dave Moja said that the spacer served its intended purpose and allowed testing on the rest of the Saturn V to move forward: "We ran a bunch of electrical tests just running straight-through wiring through the S-II spool, since a lot of the wiring from the S-IC had to go through the other stages. It worked; it gave us a first idea of how we could test things."

Fred Cordia said that although the spacer allowed launch vehicle testing to proceed, it was a source of embarrassment to Rockwell: "It looked like a spool like you'd wind thread on. It had a center spine and had two ends to it, and that was it. We did the best we could, but we couldn't hide the fact that our part of the vehicle wasn't ready. So we brought in the S-II spool, and they stacked it. They STACKED it! It got to be kind of embarrassing. We always had our jokes with the other contractors. Whoever was in the doghouse that week would get ragged on by the others. So we heard a lot of sarcastic, 'My God, Rockwell, that's a beautiful looking vehicle you've got!'"

John Plowden, who was working for Boeing-TIE at the time, said that the spacer was an example of the creativity that kept the program moving forward and enabled the United States to get to the Moon: "There was so much activity going on, from the time we had that problem on 502 [Apollo 6], to take the stage back to Mississippi, and then the mods that were done to the J-2 and the stage, and then put that spool piece in and do the processing, and then take the spool piece out and put the stage back in. It was just phenomenal. What went on at KSC, all this activity at Mississippi Test and Marshall,and then the contractors...it was just fascinating to me that not only did we pull that off, but just managing the people part of the day-to-day activity was, to me, the greatest accomplishment of all."

The situation on Apollo 6 was slightly different than on Apollo 4. With this vehicle, problems were discovered on the S-II stage after it was stacked. These required de-stacking the stage to make repairs. The spacer was used again while the S-II was being repaired.

posted 08-14-2015 01:04 PM               

Certainly amazing how nothing stopped the program from rolling on. Second stage not ready? No problem, we'll rig up a stand-in. Second stage needs to get shipped out for repairs. We'll just unstack and use the spacer until it comes back and we can stack it again then.

posted 08-15-2021 11:47 PM            

I gather the Stage Simulator just happened to be getting rolled around on a trailer outside the VAB when the film's second unit was wandering around KSC looking for shots. (Saturn V 500F also gets a brief but nice cameo in the opening credits.) Here's the opening credits scenes...