[ Beneath the Waves ]

Drive 2010 - Day 11

article by Ben Lincoln

 

Kennedy Space Center is a significant contrast to Space Center Houston (see Drive 2010 - Days 4 and 5), and after realizing how much more there was to see here, I was glad I'd left myself a day-and-a-half to take it all in.

Tourist Photos: Kennedy Space Center (Outside)
[ Rocket garden ]
Rocket garden
[ Mercury Redstone rocket ]
Mercury Redstone rocket
[ Atlas-Agena rocket ]
Atlas-Agena rocket
[ Rocket parts ]
Rocket parts
[ Rocket parts ]
Rocket parts
[ Saturn IB ]
Saturn IB
[ Full-scale Space Shuttle mockup ]
Full-scale Space Shuttle mockup
[ Full-scale Space Shuttle mockup ]
Full-scale Space Shuttle mockup
   

The rockets standing upright in the "rocket garden" photo are, from left to right, a Juno I, a Thor Delta, an Atlas-Agena, and a Juno II. Lying down in the background is a Saturn IB.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Kennedy Space Center (Inside)
[ Neil Armstrong's(?) Apollo spacesuit ]
Neil Armstrong's(?) Apollo spacesuit
[ Explorer 1: an elegant rocket for a more civilized age ]
Explorer 1: an elegant rocket for a more civilized age
[ Gemini capsule interior ]
Gemini capsule interior
[ Gemini capsule ]
Gemini capsule
[ Mercury spacesuit ]
Mercury spacesuit
[ Mercury spacesuit ]
Mercury spacesuit
[ Mercury Suit - 03 ]
Mercury Suit - 03
[ Space Shuttle payload bay mockup ]
Space Shuttle payload bay mockup
[ Space Shuttle payload bay mockup ]
Space Shuttle payload bay mockup
[ Space Shuttle payload bay mockup ]
Space Shuttle payload bay mockup
[ Gemini spacesuit ]
Gemini spacesuit
       

The second Gemini photo is blurry due to low light, but I couldn't resist including it to show off the interesting design of the foam(?) section in the middle.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 

During my visit, there were two special[1] tours being offered: "Cape Canaveral: Then & Now", and "Discover KSC: Today & Tomorrow". It's only possible to sign up for one tour per day, so I chose the former because I wanted to be sure to be able to go on that one in case I didn't have time for a second the next day.

The "Then & Now" tour is intended for people with a love of the history of US spaceflight. It is very interesting, but a lot of it is about visiting the places that historical events happened, as opposed to seeing artifacts from those events. Being located on the ocean means that metal corrodes extremely quickly at Cape Canaveral, and so equipment and buildings are generally pulled down or sent elsewhere if they're not being actively used. So while the tour takes visitors to many places where launch pads used to be, there is often very little there anymore.

Two of the major exceptions are the Air Force museum located in the middle of the tour, and Launch Complex 34.

The Air Force museum deserves its own, dedicated tour. There is just not enough time to see everything it has to offer, and because it's on the military section of the grounds, the only way for visitors to get there is on the tour bus. The museum itself is part of the Launch Complex 26 blockhouse, but there is a second half of the tour in the LC-5/LC-6 blockhouse.

Tourist Photos: Cape Canaveral Tour 01
[ Cape Canaveral Lighthouse ]
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
[ Mercury Redstone rocket ]
Mercury Redstone rocket
[ Mercury monument at Launch Complex 14 ]
Mercury monument at Launch Complex 14
[ Mercury monument plaque equation ]
Mercury monument plaque equation
[ Space Shuttle launch pad ]
Space Shuttle launch pad

According to the tour guide, the Mercury insignia is flared at the bottom to hint at the shape of an Iron Cross, as a tribute to the German scientsts who contributed to the programme.

I didn't get a photo of the entire plaque at its base, but it includes a great quote in Latin: "Si monumentum requiris circumspice" - "if you seek a monument, look around you."

If I understand the equation on the plaque [VC = RO  g / (RO + h)  ] correctly, it is the formula to calculate orbital velocity [VC], which is equal to the radius of the Earth [RO] multiplied by the square root of (the force of gravity [g] divided by (the radius of the Earth [RO] plus the altitude of the orbit [h])).

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Cape Canaveral Tour 02 - USAF Museum
[ Missile guidance computer ]
Missile guidance computer
[ Inertial measurement unit ]
Inertial measurement unit
[ Reaction control system thruster assembly? ]
Reaction control system thruster assembly?
[ Flight Termination Unit ]
Flight Termination Unit
[ Dyna-Soar spaceplane and Manned Orbiting Laboratory ]
Dyna-Soar spaceplane and Manned Orbiting Laboratory
[ Gemini B capsule ]
Gemini B capsule
[ Discoverer/CORONA - the first reconnaissance satellite programme ]
Discoverer/CORONA - the first reconnaissance satellite programme
[ MIDAS early missile warning system sensor mockup ]
MIDAS early missile warning system sensor mockup
[ Vela nuclear surveillance satellite model ]
Vela nuclear surveillance satellite model
[ Vela and Defense Communications Satellite Program models ]
Vela and Defense Communications Satellite Program models
[ Defense Communications Satellite Program models ]
Defense Communications Satellite Program models
[ Titan III transtage model with DCSP payload ]
Titan III transtage model with DCSP payload
[ Historical Burroughs rackmount computer gear ]
Historical Burroughs rackmount computer gear
[ Operator's console - looks like 1950s-era? ]
Operator's console - looks like 1950s-era?
[ Slightly more advanced(?) rackmount gear, this time in a 19
Slightly more advanced(?) rackmount gear, this time in a 19" cabinet.
[ Some sort of monitoring/data-recording gear ]
Some sort of monitoring/data-recording gear
[ Honeywell Visicorder oscillograph ]
Honeywell Visicorder oscillograph
[ Firing console ]
Firing console
[ Assorted flight systems modules ]
Assorted flight systems modules
[ I'm not actually sure what this is, but it looks complicated ]
I'm not actually sure what this is, but it looks complicated
[ Some sort of guidance-control system? ]
Some sort of guidance-control system?
[ Another view of the mysterious assembly ]
Another view of the mysterious assembly
[ I believe this is either a flight-recorder or a guidance system ]
I believe this is either a flight-recorder or a guidance system
[ More rackmount gear ]
More rackmount gear
[ One more rack shot ]
One more rack shot
[ Delta IV first stage, launch gantry (far background), Pershing II missile, GPS ground station, and Corporal(?) missile ]
Delta IV first stage, launch gantry (far background), Pershing II missile, GPS ground station, and Corporal(?) missile
[ Bomarc supersonic surface-to-air missile ]
Bomarc supersonic surface-to-air missile
[ Bomarc supersonic surface-to-air missile ]
Bomarc supersonic surface-to-air missile
[ AGM-28 Hound Dog missile ]
AGM-28 Hound Dog missile
[ Rocket nozzles ]
Rocket nozzles

This museum is only accessible to the public as part of a guided tour, so if you go, be quick with your camera because time is extremely limited.

The Flight Termination Unit is the station the Range Safety Officer uses in the event that a vehicle must be destroyed mid-flight - a grim task if it is a manned craft.

Dyna-Soar was a USAF hypersonic spaceplane programme in the late-1950s/early-1960s which was unfortunately cancelled before it flew. We could have had spaceplanes almost twenty years before the Space Shuttle!

The Manned Orbiting Laboratory was another militarized-spacecraft project which fell under the budget axe - it would have been an observation platform for the Air Force, with the crew returning to Earth via a Gemini capsule attached to one end of the tubular station. The MOL was phased out in favour of unmanned surveillance satellites.

I believe the MIDAS sensor is a true thermal imager, from the early 1960s!.

The Vela (Spanish, "watchman") satellites were another example of technology far beyond what was typical of that era, featuring X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron detectors. The military gets all of the best equipment!

The Honeywell Visicorder is the great-grandfather of Windows' Perfmon tool.

The Bomarc missile (and its cancelled relative, the SM-64 Navaho) are a really interesting mostly-forgotten branch of the Air Force - they functioned like cruise missiles, but were essentially robotic kamikaze ramjet aircraft, and were labelled "pilotless interceptors" by the Air Force. The Navaho (in its red and white paint scheme) just needs a cockpit to look like a 1980s anime fighter jet, but was flown thirty years earlier.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Launch Complex 26 Firing Room
[ Firing Room ]
Firing Room
   

Stitched from five shots.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Launch Complex 26 Firing Room Console
[ LC26 Console ]
LC26 Console
   

Stitched from three shots. I had to apply a fairly intense unsharp mask to bring out any of the details, giving this photo a very Fallout 3 look, especially given the era in which it was built.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 

Launch Complex 34 is the stark memorial to the crew of Apollo I - the launch pad test in which a fatal accident killed three astronauts and compelled NASA to make significant design changes to the Apollo spacecraft.

LC34 received significant publicity when Michael Bay gave it an appearance in Armageddon[4]. You may remember it as the concrete structure with the plaque reading "Ad Astra Per Aspera (A Rough Road Leads To The Stars)".

In case you don't, here are a couple of screenshots:

Launch Complex 34 in Armageddon
[ Launch Complex 34 in Armageddon ]
Launch Complex 34 in Armageddon
[ Memorial plaque in Armageddon ]
Memorial plaque in Armageddon
     

Copyright 1998 Touchstone Pictures

 

What you may not know is that this plaque was affixed to LC34 by Bay's film crew! The actual NASA plaque is much less dramatic, but surprisingly, also much larger - the Armageddon plaque is quite small[2]. According to the tour guide, when the NASA administrator at the time discovered the plaque, he wanted someone's head for "defacing a historical site" (or words to that effect), but calmed down when he was told that it was from the film crew.

In person, LC34 is a striking sight, especially after reflecting on what makes it different from all of the other historical launch pad areas - the others have generally been cleared down to the pavement, but at LC34, literally everything that will last in the sea air (that is, everything that's made of concrete) has been left standing. The launch platform itself has been stenciled "ABANDON IN PLACE". It is the astronaut equivalent of a battlefield cross.

Launch Complex 34
[ With other visitors for scale ]
With other visitors for scale
[ Plaque added by the Armageddon crew ]
Plaque added by the Armageddon crew
[ Then and now - LC34 with a United Launch Alliance pad in the distance ]
Then and now - LC34 with a United Launch Alliance pad in the distance
[ Armageddon plaque with visitors for scale ]
Armageddon plaque with visitors for scale
[ LC34 backlit ]
LC34 backlit
[ A metal halo ]
A metal halo
[ The real memorial plaque ]
The real memorial plaque
[ The real memorial plaque detail ]
The real memorial plaque detail
[ LC34 is a study in improvised memorial obelisks ]
LC34 is a study in improvised memorial obelisks
[ Past/future contrast part 2 ]
Past/future contrast part 2
[ Abandon In Place ]
Abandon In Place
       

 

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-24
Version: 1.0

 

KSC - like Space Center Houston - also features a restored Saturn V rocket in a climate-controlled building (finally).

Tourist Photos: Saturn V Building
[ Saturn V engines ]
Saturn V engines
[ Saturn V engines ]
Saturn V engines
[ Saturn V engine detail ]
Saturn V engine detail
[ Apollo Lunar Module ]
Apollo Lunar Module
[ Apollo Lunar Module ]
Apollo Lunar Module
[ Saturn V fuel tank inside the body of the rocket ]
Saturn V fuel tank inside the body of the rocket
[ Saturn V second-stage engine ]
Saturn V second-stage engine
[ Apollo Command and Service Modules ]
Apollo Command and Service Modules
[ Apollo Command and Service Modules ]
Apollo Command and Service Modules
[ Apollo Command Module ]
Apollo Command Module
[ Apollo Command Module - stripped interior ]
Apollo Command Module - stripped interior
[ Saturn V components ]
Saturn V components
[ Lunar Module interior ]
Lunar Module interior
[ A wagon for astronauts ]
A wagon for astronauts
[ Lunar Rover control console ]
Lunar Rover control console
[ Apollo spacesuit ]
Apollo spacesuit
[ Another prototype hard-suit - this Litton Industries design splits diagonally across the torso ]
Another prototype hard-suit - this Litton Industries design splits diagonally across the torso
[ Hard-suit arms ]
Hard-suit arms
[ This is what's under the white outer layer of an Apollo spacesuit ]
This is what's under the white outer layer of an Apollo spacesuit
[ Another internal spacesuit layer - a later revision? ]
Another internal spacesuit layer - a later revision?
[ Alan Shepard's(?) Apollo spacesuit ]
Alan Shepard's(?) Apollo spacesuit
[ Apollo video camera ]
Apollo video camera
[ Multi-layered helmet visors - neutral density, gold, Jedi lightsaber training ]
Multi-layered helmet visors - neutral density, gold, Jedi lightsaber training
[ A somewhat <i>Dead Space</i>-esque glove ]
A somewhat Dead Space-esque glove
 

 

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-02-28
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Apollo 14 Command Module
[ Apollo 14 Command Module ]
Apollo 14 Command Module
       

Stitched from 4 photos due to the close quarters in the display area.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-28
Version: 1.0

 

My visit took place just as the last work on the International Space Station was winding down, so most of what used to be in "the ISS building" was gone, but I thought it was great to be able to walk through modules like what were actually flown.

Tourist Photos: International Space Station Building
[ Mobile Surfacing System equipment rack ]
Mobile Surfacing System equipment rack
[ Gravitational Bio Rack ]
Gravitational Bio Rack
[ Human Research/Gasmap Equipment rack ]
Human Research/Gasmap Equipment rack
[ Some sort of botany-related gear (labelled
Some sort of botany-related gear (labelled "Bottom Drawer Rack"?)
[ Standard Payload rack ]
Standard Payload rack
[ Microgravity Glovebox ]
Microgravity Glovebox
[ Fluids equipment rack ]
Fluids equipment rack
[ Express Rack ]
Express Rack
[ Fluids/Combustion 3 ]
Fluids/Combustion 3
[ ISS interior mockup ]
ISS interior mockup
[ ISS interior mockup ]
ISS interior mockup
[ ISS interior mockup console ]
ISS interior mockup console
[ Modules for ground testing? ]
Modules for ground testing?
[ Modules for ground testing? ]
Modules for ground testing?
[ Modules for ground testing? ]
Modules for ground testing?
[ Equipment rack ]
Equipment rack
[ ISS module interior ]
ISS module interior
[ The eerie spectre of Dave Bowman is just out of frame ]
The eerie spectre of Dave Bowman is just out of frame
[ Another rack shot ]
Another rack shot
[ One more rack shot ]
One more rack shot

 

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-03-05
Version: 1.0

 

A short distance from KSC is the Astronaut Hall of Fame. I almost didn't stop, but I'm glad I did - they've got a number of things you won't see elsewhere, and it was interesting to see that most of the astronauts with many missions to their credit didn't tend to be the ones that are mentioned most frequently in the news.

Tourist Photos: Astronaut Hall of Fame
[ Gemini capsule? ]
Gemini capsule?
[ A 2000mm (f/10) lens which really is 2 meters long! ]
A 2000mm (f/10) lens which really is 2 meters long!
[ Gemini capsule? ]
Gemini capsule?
[ Gemini capsule ]
Gemini capsule
[ Gemini capsule ]
Gemini capsule
[ Gemini(?)
Gemini(?) "grasshopper" spacesuit
[ Aircraft flight helmets used by astronauts ]
Aircraft flight helmets used by astronauts
     

Life Magazine's photographers used the cartoonish 2-meter lens to obtain close-up photos of the Mercury launches from a very safe distance.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-03-05
Version: 1.0

 
Tourist Photos: Astronaut Hall of Fame Mission Control Console
[ Mission Control Console ]
Mission Control Console
   

This very high-resolution image was stitched from three photos, for anyone who is interested in building a replica. There is a very obvious stitching problem near the middle that I couldn't avoid without compromising the image in other ways, but nearly all of the details are visible.

Date Shot: 2010-07-15
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon AFS-DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EDII
Filters: Schott BG38
Date Processed: 2011-01-28
Version: 1.0

 

Between Space Center Houston, Kennedy Space Center, and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, I managed to collect a nearly-complete set of "Barack Obama, remorseless assassin of dreams"[3] patches:

No, Really Guys, We Will Totally Go To An Asteroid Or Something
[ Mission Patches ]
Mission Patches
       

 

 

...as well as a "life imitates art imitating life" US/Russia joint ISS mission patch:

Joint Mission Patch
[ Full patch set ]
Full patch set
[ Joint mission patch detail ]
Joint mission patch detail
     

Back in the late-2000s, my Halloween costume was "Leonov crewmember from the evil mirror universe", with the main components being a full set of replica 2010 patches from SciFiGeeks.com (formerly PatchGeeks.com).

Of course, the joint US/Soviet theme in that film (and novel) was inspired by earlier real-world missions like Apollo-Soyuz.

It could just be a coincidence (I guess...), but it sure looks to me like whoever designed the mission patch for ISS Expedition 4 (launched in late 2001) was a fan of that film too.

Extremely nerdy trivia: In Serenity, Alan Tudyk's jacket has a modified version of the same 2010 patch.

 

Driving around Cocoa, I finally discovered an automated carwash ("Peachtree"). Unlike the ones I'm familiar with, instead of the car moving through it on a track, the car stands still and a robot arm moves the cleaning equipment around the car. This meant that it could be left unattended for use overnight, which is how I made use of it.

Date: 15 July 2010
Starting Mileage: 34012
Ending Mileage: 34077
Distance Travelled (Day): 65 miles / 105 kilometers
Distance Travelled (Trip to Date): 3888 miles / 6271 kilometers
Fuel Purchased (Day): 0 gallons / 0 liters
Fuel Purchased (Trip to Date): 130.510 gallons / 494.034 liters
Average Fuel Economy (Day): N/A
Average Fuel Economy (Trip to Date): 29.8 miles per gallon / 7.9 liters per 100 kilometers / 12.7 kilometers per liter

 
Footnotes
1. "Special" in the "conventional" sense that any visitor could pay extra to go on one of these tours each day. I'm sure there are actual "special special" tours that require an invitation or friend with connections.
2. I imagine this is to compensate for the focal length of lens used in certain shots, so that it seems to be the "right" size in relation to the actors.
3. I know, I know, the alternative was worse. Supposedly.
4. AKA "Michael Bay's best movie before he made the first live-action Transformers film". I am a big Michael Bay fan (with one major exception), but even if you aren't, hopefully you can appreciate the service he did by giving LC34 a guest role in Armageddon. If you've been reading my site for awhile, you may remember that I was not entirely pleased with the second Transformers film he made (see Drive 2007 - Day 05). I am happy to report that he seems to have learned from the error of his ways, because I thought the third one was a return to the spirit of his first.
 
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