Back to SoWal Lounge

STS-129 time lapse launch sequence

Bob avatar
SoWal Insider
499 views

Replies

5
30ashopper avatar
SoWal Insider
#3
that's really cool...thanks. I worked at the Cape during the Apollo program--loved seeing the Saturn lift-off.

Really? Any interesting stories?

I was watching Apollo 13 recently wondering how many men currently walk the earth today that have also walked on the moon. Found a wikipedia article on the subject -

List of Apollo astronauts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure how many are still alive.
Beach Fanatic
#4
Really? Any interesting stories?

I was watching Apollo 13 recently wondering how many men currently walk the earth today that have also walked on the moon. Found a wikipedia article on the subject -

List of Apollo astronauts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure how many are still alive.

Lots...what sticks in my mind the most every time I see a launch...my husband was one of the last 15 people off the site before a launch; as I would stand outside my office watching the lift-off, I never knew if he had made it safely off (there is a very sophisticated safety procedure, but...)it was always scary until I heard from him. In those days we did not have cell phones!

and, the Saturn would hover over the pad right after ignition...for what seemed like an eternity, although it was only a few seconds. You could always hear the collective release of hundreds of people who had been holding their breath...it was a most amazing experience. It was an honor to be part of the space program--when I remember how so many people worked together 24/7 for years on a common goal--and the excitement of launch day--it was like nothing else...we all felt our contributions, big or small, were part of the astronauts "slipping the surly bonds of earth..."
Andy A avatar
Beach Fanatic
#5
I was fortunate enough to be on the Cape when John Glenn was launched and was about as close as you could get to the launch pad. Our TM76B launch site was located fairly close to the pad from which Glenn was launched. It was quite a sight and a moment in history I'll never forget.
Beach Fanatic
#6
One of the most fun things I did while at the Space Center was coordinate logistics between the Kennedy AFS which was located on what was then called Cape Canaveral (now Kennedy Space Center) and NASA as they were allowing one of the sites at the Cape to be used to film the movie, Marooned

A highlight of the work was getting to meet Gregory Peck--a most wonderful man. I met the other stars too, but Gregory Peck stood out for his good manners, "regular guy" attitude. He was delightful. Not to speak of the fact that he was "drop dead" goregous:D

Another highlight (on a different level) was what happened one day when we were all being used as extras on the set--it was supposed to be a hurricane--I had the good fortune to see one of the people from our office who was a real jerk(every office has at least one) get totally drenched when the fans started blowing the water around to simulate the storm. He had been told to stand back, but of course he never listened to anyone--it was karma or pay back of the highest order, and so funny.

Somewhere I have my autographed copy of one of the scripts...Marooned | Space Movies

Checking your forum account

Please wait while we verify your forum account.