Apollo

[Ramseys]

On July 16 1969. A teenage me, and few thousand other people stood on a beach in Florida and watched history in the making.




Dad drove mom and me in a chevy pick up truck, with a homemade plywood camper shell on the back, from Ohio to the 'Sunshine State' over the past three days. The interstate road system was still being built, so some of the way was old two lane roads. We were about ten miles away. The closet anyone could get that didn't know someone to get them out onto the cape.




The night before they had huge banks of search lights set up, pointing at the rocket. The light that streamed past, made a huge 'crown' in the sky.




The day of the launch everyone was in beach chairs watching the launch complex slowly come alive. Clouds of LOX escaped from the swing arms attached to the sides of the rocket at various points.




Everyone had their radios and seemingly tuned to a different station. But as it got down to one min. All the stations started broadcasting NASA's audio.




At ignition I was watching through an old telescope and could see the belch of flame that came from the bottom of the rocket.




Slowly is started to rise. Massive clouds of steam billowed out from the thousands of gallons of water being dumped onto the pad.




By the time the base of the rocket had reached the top of the tower is was going 60mph. And rapidly picked up speed.




About this time the sound reached up. You could actually see the pressure wave come across the water. The roar of the rocket was incredible, as were the cheers that went up. 




Soon it was just a glowing spot in the Florida sky.








Anyways. That's what I was doing 50 years ago today.  

[ferritlove]

Thats a great memory and story!  Thanks for sharing it... I missed it by 7 months being born too late.

[silverwolf1]

WOW!




7yo me would've given anything to be you right then! What a memory to carry, and thanks for sharing it with us!




sw

[heavyhorse]

No such luck here.  Although I was glued to an old round-screen RCA color TV.  Which if I recall, had about 4 pixels per inch.  Or the cameras did.  

[Hiway]

The image of a 363ft tall Saturn V rocket is projected onto the Washington Monument, in Washington, Tuesday July 16th. 2019, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.




 




*Fox News




www.foxnews.com/category/topic/apollo-11?fbclid=IwAR14i1KmvZYNkdE7bn_jmAqXDV4fTaZO857VBTqnfSoYiv4lCECAfJ4X5mQ

[farellfoxx]

On 7/16/2019 at 2:38 PM, Ramseys said:




On July 16 1969. A teenage me, and few thousand other people stood on a beach in Florida and watched history in the making.




Dad drove mom and me in a chevy pick up truck, with a homemade plywood camper shell on the back, from Ohio to the 'Sunshine State' over the past three days. The interstate road system was still being built, so some of the way was old two lane roads. We were about ten miles away. The closet anyone could get that didn't know someone to get them out onto the cape.




The night before they had huge banks of search lights set up, pointing at the rocket. The light that streamed past, made a huge 'crown' in the sky.




The day of the launch everyone was in beach chairs watching the launch complex slowly come alive. Clouds of LOX escaped from the swing arms attached to the sides of the rocket at various points.




Everyone had their radios and seemingly tuned to a different station. But as it got down to one min. All the stations started broadcasting NASA's audio.




At ignition I was watching through an old telescope and could see the belch of flame that came from the bottom of the rocket.




Slowly is started to rise. Massive clouds of steam billowed out from the thousands of gallons of water being dumped onto the pad.




By the time the base of the rocket had reached the top of the tower is was going 60mph. And rapidly picked up speed.




About this time the sound reached up. You could actually see the pressure wave come across the water. The roar of the rocket was incredible, as were the cheers that went up. 




Soon it was just a glowing spot in the Florida sky.




Anyways. That's what I was doing 50 years ago today.  

Neat that you got to see that.

[shortleash]

i was 15 then and even i am jealous now...never got to see a launch...i guess i am off to fla now...




 

[heavyhorse]

I wonder if the batteries are still charged in the Tesla they launched into solar orbit.....?

[threelegs]

On 1/21/2021 at 8:36 AM, heavyhorse said:




I wonder if the batteries are still charged in the Tesla they launched into solar orbit.....?

I think I read someplace that it had no motors or batteries in it.