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Author
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Topic: Fate of the Apollo Mobile Service Structure
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Rohan
Member Posts: 17
From: Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 08-19-2015 06:48 PM
   
The fate of the Apollo era launch umbilical towers (LUTs) and mobile launch platforms (MLPs) is well known. However, I am unable to find any information on what happened to the MSS, or Mobile Service Structure. Was wondering if anybody knows anything about what happened to it once the Apollo program was over. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 08-20-2015 10:44 AM
The MSS cannot be seen at its parking spot in this 1978 photo. So I guess it was dismantled at some point between 1975 (the ASTP flight) and 1978.Also, ML-1 was the only Apollo-era Mobile Launcher still standing in 1978. It was dismantled in 1983. ML-1 cannot be seen in the photo, so I suppose it was inside the VAB when the photo was taken. |
Rohan
Member Posts: 17
From: Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 08-20-2015 05:05 PM
Interesting, thanks! Yes, they were my thoughts too, that it was dismantled some time after ASTP. On the subject of ML-1, I wonder why they decided to keep that one until 1983? From the looks of it most of the Apollo hardware down at the Cape was either changed or dismantled for the shuttle, but ML-1 was kept. Interesting. |
p51
Member Posts: 1658
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 08-20-2015 06:54 PM
A pal of mine swore he saw the remains of it south of the pad 39 area in the 80s. God alone knows if that's accurate but this guy generally knew what he was looking at in most other cases (and yes, he was specific that he wasn't talking about the other structures, especially since he had photos of those dismantled on KSC property before they were scrapped). |
Rohan
Member Posts: 17
From: Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 08-20-2015 07:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by p51:
A pal of mine swore he saw the remains of it south of the pad 39 area in the 80s.
Does he have any pictures of it? |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 986
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-20-2015 07:04 PM
Am guessing that the old mobile launcher platform one was not particularly "kept"; but was simply the last of the three to be transformed for the shuttle. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 08-20-2015 08:33 PM
Here's an account from my book "Rocket Ranch": The Apollo MSS was scrapped. Dave Mohr, hired by Rockwell just after ASTP, recalled being on the roof of the VAB when salvage operations began on the MSS: "I could see off in the distance that there was somebody hanging in a strap off the MSS. I asked my friend, 'What's he doing up there?' He said, 'I hate to tell you this, but they're starting to cut it down.' I watched the guy cut the first member off with a torch, and it fell 400 ft to the ground and went 'WHOMP!' It was really sad. I didn't want them to change anything." |
Rohan
Member Posts: 17
From: Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 08-20-2015 11:48 PM
Awesome, thanks for that. A sad time as another piece of hardware that helped America reach the moon bit the dust. I doubt there would be any pictures around, but if there are any I'd love to see them. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-18-2018 12:53 PM
Here is a January 1976 photo that shows the MSS is not at the parked location.The photo is post-Apollo and pre-Shuttle. Notice that none of the Mobile Launchers can be seen. All three were still around at that point. I guess they were all inside the VAB. The two crawlers are parked outside the VAB. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 10-10-2019 09:52 PM
The MSS is seen parked in this October 1977 photo. I had thought that the MSS was dismantled earlier. So the MSS was on Pad 39B in the 1976 photo? The 1976 photo is in the HAER FL-8-11-F document:
Photo B-5. Aerial view of LC39A, January 1976. Source: John F. Kennedy Space Center Archives, G-0117
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