Author:
Ward, Jonathan H.
Imprint:Cham : Springer, c2015.
Descriptionxxiii, 331 p. : ill. some col. ; 25 cm.
Note:1. Introduction : -- From fishing for mullet to shooting the moon -- Why a book about the Kennedy Space Center during Apollo? -- How this book is organized -- 24,000 perspectives -- 2. Setting the stage for Apollo/Saturn, 1960-1966 : -- The Cape and Kennedy Space Center -- LC-34 and LC-37 and the Launch Operations Division -- The spacecraft organization comes together -- Operations at LC-34 and LC-37 -- KSC learns to use computers: Growing pains ; The ACE system for spacecraft checkout ; Hangar D and the central instrumentation facility -- Different origins, different hardware, different cultures, common goal -- The people ; Putting it all together : launch day at LC-34/37 -- Preparing for manned Apollo/Saturn missions -- 3. The Apollo 1 fir: -- Preparations for the first manned Apollo mission -- Tests at the pad -- January 27, 1967 : the plugs-out overall test -- Monitoring the test from the ACE room -- Fighting the fire -- Shock and grief -- Locking down -- Lessons learned -- Apollo moves ahead -- 4. The spacecraft assembly and checkout facilities : -- The world of spacecraft operations -- The manned spacecraft operations building (MSOB): The astronauts' KSC home base ; The assembly and test area ; Altitude chambers L and R -- Computerized spacecraft checkout : the ACE system ; The quick-look data station -- Other KSC spacecraft support sites: RF test facility ; Hypergolic maintenance facility ; The super guppy -- The dangerous world of spacecraft testing -- 5. The VAB and the mobile launcher : -- The vehicle assembly building: Cranes ; Work platforms ; Activating the VAB -- The launcher/umbilical tower: Swing arms ; Environmental chamber (white room) ; Tail service masts ; Holddown arms ; Engine servicing platforms ; The milkstool -- 6. The launch control center and firing rooms : -- The launch control center -- Firing rooms: Area A ; Area B ; Area C ; Areas D, E, and F ; The woodshed ; Operational intercom system (OIS) ; Operational television -- The LCC ran the show: The computer-DDAS-hardwire-TCS complex ; Terminal countdown sequencer ; The transfer-logic-distribution complex ; The system in operation -- Activating the LCC -- About that spacecraft ready light -- 7. Launch pads 39A and 39B : Pad terminal connection room (PTCR) ; Environmental control system (ECS) room ; Rubber room and blast room ; High-pressure gas storage facility ; Pad interface for LUT and MSS ; Azimuth alignment building ; S-IC engine servicing equipment ; Launch pad cameras ; Sidebar : cameras in the flame trench ; Pad water systems -- Pad support area -- Fuel systems facilities -- LOX system facility -- Putting it all together : the AS-500F facilities integration vehicle -- 8. Life at the launch pad : -- Security: Badges ; The soviet threat ; APIP -- Working in the PTCR -- Women at the launch pad -- Trailers -- Inside the mobile launcher at the launch pad -- Crossing the swing arms -- Inside the Saturn V -- Launch pad safety -- Weather -- Fire safety -- Working around hypergolic propellants -- SCAPE suits -- Hypergolic spills at the launch pad -- Crew extraction and rescue -- Red crews: Apollo 4/AS-501 relay failure -- Rubber room and blast room -- Slide wire system: The gondola -- Launch pad explosions -- Plutonium and car washes -- Brute force sometimes saved the day -- Replacing launch vehicle fins on the launch pad -- Thoughts on working at the launch pad -- Observing a launch: Apollo 4 ; Apollo 11 ; Other missions -- Back to work -- 9. Epilogue : -- The end of an era -- Reflections on the experience -- Conclusions -- Appendix A : Acronyms and abbreviations -- Appendix B : Missions with Apollo and Saturn flight hardware -- Appendix C : RCA 110A features -- Appendix D : Mobile launcher layout -- Appendix E : Firing room areas A and B manager positions and test engineer consoles -- Appendix F : Recommended reading and references -- Appendix G : Interviewees.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references and index.
