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Author
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Topic: Photo of the week 528 (December 6, 2014)
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heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 12-06-2014 02:13 AM
   
 After yesterday's successful Orion flight I thought an Apollo 4 picture would be appropriate for today. December 5, 2014 was a great day for the US space program! I haven't felt this excited in years. |
East-Frisian
Member Posts: 586
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 12-06-2014 03:01 AM
Yes, Ed, that was a good thought. |
butch wilks
Member Posts: 333
From: Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 12-06-2014 03:32 AM
As you're looking at this picture all you can thank of is "power raw power" that was the Saturn V!!!Not the old big Titans, the shuttle, Ares I-X, yesterday's Delta 4 Heavy or to come the Falcon 9 Heavy, but maybe with the SLS will you have that look of all out power that the Saturn V has at launch with the five F-1 engines belching fire. You just think of one word "POWER". Yes, yesterday was a good day. |
Kite
Member Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 12-06-2014 05:11 AM
Great choice Ed. I wonder what the locals must have felt as that monster launched for the first time. |
randy
Member Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-06-2014 10:38 AM
It brings to mind a phrase from Tim Taylor in "Tool Time": MORE POWER! |
dabolton
Member Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 12-06-2014 02:18 PM
I would guess that no one (besides a few engineers) really knew how incredibly loud and impressive a full-up Saturn V would be before that day. I missed that era but I plan on attending the either the first Falcon Heavy and/or first block 2 SLS launch. |
Michael Davis
Member Posts: 528
From: Houston, Texas
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 12-06-2014 02:40 PM
There was just something very special about the Saturn V. It looked like it was clawing to move out even when it was simply sitting on the pad. I have not seen that repeated by any other rocket. |
APG85
Member Posts: 306
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 12-06-2014 04:39 PM
I saw Apollo 9 on the pad when I was a little kid. Back then the bus took you pretty close and we were lucky because the service gantry was rolled back. It was an amazing sight and it still sticks in my memory... |
Skythings
Member Posts: 243
From:
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 12-06-2014 06:07 PM
Question for those who have witnessed both a Saturn V and Shuttle launch in person. Can you compare for me the Saturn V launch experience to a Shuttle launch? I have been fortunate to attend two Shuttle launches in my lifetime. The Shuttle sound rumbled through the ground and then the sound intensity hit me like a blast wave and you felt this low rumble crackling sound similar to very close continuous thunder until the Shuttle was a considerable distance down range. The visual was impressive, but for me it was the most powerful sound I have ever heard. You felt it in the core of your body. All your internal organs vibrated. Everyone claims the Saturn V was better so I am curious if you rated a Shuttle launch a 5, what would the Saturn V be? |
tlifan2
Member Posts: 38
From: Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Registered: Feb 2014
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posted 12-06-2014 09:43 PM
I would rate a shuttle launch at 4 on a 1 to 5 scale (Saturns being a 5). I saw 4 Saturn V launches, the closest being on the road just to the left of the VAB, and they were all impressive. I've seen three shuttle launches, all from the causeway near the cape, including a night launch. The Saturn's typically were slower, 9 seconds to clear the tower vs. 6 seconds for the shuttle. The fact that the Saturns were so much larger than the shuttle also adds to the higher ranking. I should note that during the night shuttle launch, I took a moment to look back at the people watching the launch. The light from the shuttle exhaust was sufficient to read a newspaper.My first launch experience was Apollo 8. We arrived the evening before, parked outside the main gate to the causeway to KSC (well over ten miles away), and slept in the car. Surreal is the only way to describe what I saw that night. The brilliant white Saturn and the bright red launch tower illuminated by the huge crossing floodlights. At launch I can still remember watching the Saturn rising and hearing nothing for so long until finally a warm breeze and the rumbling/popping sound reached us (this was in December). For a thirteen year old, it made a life-long impression. |
OWL
Member Posts: 175
From: United Kingdom
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 12-07-2014 02:39 AM
Ken Mattingly at his recent visit to Space Lectures spoke about the comparison of riding the Saturn V and the Shuttle.I spent a lot of personal time with Ken over his four day visit and he told me there was a huge difference from the perspective of the astronaut. The shaking, vibration and movement sensation of the Saturn V is so much more intense. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 12-07-2014 01:06 PM
First, let me say I agree 100% with Ed that December 5, 2014 was a great day for the US Space Program. Time to get back on track.While we're doing comparisons, from PAO Jack Riley during the launch of Apollo 15 "...each of the five S-1C engines gulping three tons of fuel per second..." and at 2:43 on the Orion launch the PAO states "...burning propellants at a rate of 4744 pounds per second..." (the entire stage) Still extremely cool, but just not the same scale. Go Orion, Go USA! |
spaceheaded
Member Posts: 147
From: MD
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 12-12-2014 03:12 PM
Time for my periodic "Thank You" to Ed for posting these wonderful pictures, and for the thought put into each posting. Thank you, Ed! — Bill |
heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 12-13-2014 01:10 AM
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Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 12-13-2014 01:18 PM
I was lucky enough to have seen a Saturn V, a Saturn IB and the shuttle launching. The shuttle I've seen from the press site and from Titusville, while the Saturn V was from SR-401 in Port Canaveral.What I remember about the Apollo 15 (Saturn V) launch was how long it took to clear the launch tower as well as it's own initial plume of smoke. From my vantage point, due south of LC-39A, the vehicles exhaust was diverted north and south of the pad. It must have taken about 10 to 15 seconds to clear the smoke and become visible. The "orangy-gold" color of the engines firing at ignition is still etched in my mind. And while we were approximately 10 miles away, the rumbling and popping noise created by the 5 main engines was amazing. I wish every space enthusiast had the opportunity to witness a Saturn V launch. Hopefully they'll get to see SLS in the near future. |
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