posted 03-09-2015 09:58 AM               

The era of the Apollo/Saturn missions was perhaps the most exciting period in American space exploration history. Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center were buzzing with activity. Thousands of workers came to town to build the facilities and launch the missions needed to put an American on the Moon before the end of the decade.

Work at KSC involved much more than just launching rockets. It was a place like none other on Earth. Technicians performed intricate operations, and hazards abounded everywhere, including lightning, fire, highly-toxic fuels, snakes, heat, explosives, LOX spills, and even plutonium. The reward for months of 7-day workweeks under intense pressure was witnessing a Saturn V at liftoff.

Rocket Ranch takes the reader deep into the facilities at KSC. Descriptions of early operations include a harrowing account of the heroic efforts of pad workers during the Apollo 1 fire. A companion to the author's book "Countdown to a Moon Launch: Preparing Apollo for Its Historic Journey," this describes NASA's first computer systems used for spacecraft and rocket checkout and explains how tests and launches proceeded. Hundreds of illustrations complement the firsthand accounts of more than 70 Apollo program managers and engineers.

For anyone who ever wished they had worked at Kennedy Space Center during the Apollo era, this book is the next best thing. The only thing missing is the smell of rocket fuel in the morning.

• Softcover: 350 pages
  
• Publisher: Springer (July 14, 2015)
  
• ISBN-10: 3319177885
  
• ISBN-13: 978-3319177885

posted 07-05-2015 02:10 PM               

I obtained a few Apollo-era control panels in 2009. I posted some info about them on cS and began corresponding with a number of other collectors. That led me to put up a website about my research, which was noticed by a few Apollo-era workers.

As I communicated with these fellows, I realized that no one had really told the story of what went on behind the scenes at KSC to prepare an Apollo mission. I proposed to Springer Books that I write an account of the processing flow. That led to interviews with over 70 workers from all aspects of work at KSC and examination of over 1,200 source documents.

The result became two books. "Rocket Ranch" is the 'what, where, and who' of KSC facilities and equipment, including details about how the ground computer systems interfaced the firing room with the launch pad and vehicle. "Countdown to a Moon Launch" tells the 'how and why' of the six-month processing flow, using Apollo 11 as an example. Both books are heavily illustrated and contain first-hand accounts of how the work was actually accomplished.

I'm deeply grateful to Robert Pearlman and the wonderful collectSPACE community for your support and friendship over the years! There's nothing else on the internet like this group of folks.

posted 07-29-2015 09:59 PM               

"Countdown to a Moon Launch" is the "how and why" those facilities and equipment were used to process an Apollo mission. It follows the work flow of Apollo 11 from the time the modules and stages arrived at KSC in January 1969, through assembly and testing, stacking, testing at the pad, launch countdown, and post-launch safing. It also covers some 'near misses' in other missions. You'll also hear about some incidents that never made the news during the Apollo years - suspected sabotage on Apollo 11, an in-depth look at the Apollo 13 tests that later caused the oxygen tank explosion, a cold-solder joint that nearly grounded Apollo 11, even last-minute changes to Apollo 11's LM while at the launch pad.

posted 11-04-2015 12:59 PM               

Jonathan Ward interviewed more than 75 space workers and astronauts for his unique perspective that marries a systems view of the topic, fascination with the technology, passion for space exploration, and deep respect for the people who make it all happen. Inside stories from those where were on the inside.