Lunch Trip 3 - LC 16 and 14

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been really busy with work, but not too busy to explore!

This lunch trip was to two Launch Complexes: 16 and 14.

First i'll explain where we're running around. we've been making our way south on ICBM road, which is a road on the east side of cape canaveral air force station from which all the launch complexes branch off from. In the 1960s this area was known as Missle Row. Here's a picture with some of the spots circled:

CCAFS with different Launch Complexes

All of the launch complexes have a very similar layout. Here is a diagram of Complex 19 which shows the main parts of a launch site:

LC 19 diagram

The blockhouse is where the engineers hit the go button. The big metal thing would either assemble the rocket or lift the rocket vertical before launch. Flame buckets (or flame deflectors) would angle the exhaust away from the rocket. Skimming basins hold all the deluge (water) that is used to lessen launch vibrations and cool the launch platform. Lastly, the fuel farm and oxidizer tanks are always separated like that to avoid catastrophic explosions (except the ones that make the rocket go into space).

Now that you know a little more about what a launch complex consists of, let's get started with the first LC:

Launch Complex 16

The site was constructed in the 1950s for the Titan I Missile Program. In 1973, the site was used for the Pershing Engineering Development Program which was some missile program. The current launch complex is dismantled, so it was kind of weird that there were so many cars parked out in front of the blockhouse. As we were driving up REMOVED BY GOVERNMENT. We saw a bunch of REMOVED BY GOVERNMENT standing CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. DELETED.


Launch Complex 14
Used as the launch site for the Atlas rockets, LC14 was where astronaut John Glenn and Scott Carpenter (among others) became the first Americans in orbit. Scott Carpenter, as some of you may know, hails from Boulder. This complex is currently dismantled, so i was able to get the best parking spot before heading in:

A dismantled launch complex pretty much means the giant metal construction tower is removed and all the fuel stuff has been cleaned out. They usually leave as little metal behind because the sea air will chew right through it. It's also crazy how the plants totally take over when no one tends to a site. They did have a push to restore parts of the site because of its significance, so they turned the blockhouse into a conference room. Here is a montage of pics:

Shot from top of blockhouse looking at the launch pad.

Water pump under the platform. Plants taking over.


Looking up at the service ramp/launch platform.
Blue posts were installed to support because the brown ones
that have pretty much been eaten through.


Straight on view of where the launch platform woulda been.
The rocket would have been right where i'm taking the picture on a metal launch platform.
Most LC's have the launch platform removed, except LC 34


This is looking up at the access ladders for the service ramp.

I have a bunch more pictures that I'll post soon!

Lunch Trip 2

Complex 34 is a launch site on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base that was used for the Apollo program. It was where the Saturn 1 and Saturn 1B rockets were launched. It was officially opened on June 5th 1961. This is what it looked like, back in the day:



Complex 34 has since been deconstructed. Greg and I could drive right up to the big circular concrete area (where the rocket is in the picture above). We parked right next to the giant flame deflectors. All that is left is the launch tower, flame thingys and a memorial to the crew of Apollo 1 who died. Here's a pic of that:


One structure that is kind of cool is the this tunnel that goes from the blockhouse to the pad. Well anyway, here are the rest of the pics i took. Next Lunch trip is a couple of launch complexes.

There's a surfboard in the shot

Hey so I got a surfboard! I took a lesson saturday morning with the ron jon surf company. Coby, the instructor, was from maryland and his mom worked on a previous hubble mission. small world.

Anyway, went to ron jon after the lesson and bought myself a 7'6" board and hit the beach! Here are some shots:

Lunch Trip 1

New feature for the blog: Lunch Trip

I'll go on a little trip to explore KSC or the air force base during lunch, or down time. My first one is kind of a drive-by look at the VAB (vehicle assembly building), launch Pad A and the Crawler.


Here's the VAB:

The VAB is the largest 1 story building in the world. It is 525 feet tall, 716 feet long and 518 feet wide. Each of the stars on the American Flag painted on the building is 6 feet across, the blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court and the whole flag is as long as a football field. It is able to withstand hurricanes, but Hurricane Frances blew off some panels (top picture, left of the flag). The rocks seen in the left pic are on the "Crawlerway", and they are special rocks that were selected due to their compression properties

The crawler is what gets to ride on the "Crawlerway". Here it is:
The Crawler weighs 6 million pounds (each tread weighs about 1 ton). The crawler's max speed is 1 mile per hour and burns 150 gallons per mile. The distance from the VAB to a pad is about 3.5 miles, which at today's gas prices is about $2100. Takes about 5 hours to go to the pad.



Next stop: Pad A. This pad is where the Atlantis will blast off from (so says the security guard). Couldn't get right up on it (even though i have authorization) because I didn't have a hard hat. Check it:




Finally, got to see the can. This thing will drive all the payloads to the pad. It will get lifted vertically in that big gray structure and all the payloads will get pushed into the Orbiter (space shuttle) cargo bay.




Check back tomorrow for the next Lunch Trip: Complex 34, Where Saturn 1 and 1B were launched from!

Free Turtle

So yesterday i was on my way walking to the PHSF and i hear some rustling near the fence. I decide to investigate (from a distance, of course) and i see this:



There was a little turtle stuck under the fence as he was trying to get into the swamp. He was about as big around as a large dinner plate. I walked up to it, and as i did he sucked into his shell. All i had to do was push him through with my foot and he was free. Here's the free turtle:

Here's where I work

Let me show you the areas i work. My office (pictured to the right) is in the MOSB (below). This building is located in the KSC industrial section, but we are actually in the middle of no where.





KSC is way bigger than Goddard, you drive for like 10 minutes through a wildlife reserve and then come across a building like this:

The PHSF is the big clean room that will hold all our carriers. We are currently setting up all our test equipment here. First, we verify the flight hardware survived the truck ride down here. Then, all the stuff is packed up in "the can" which takes the payloads to the launch pad.






NASA is known for being on the cutting edge of technology. We send payloads and people into the upper atmosphere, onto the moon, and beyond the stars. Ground support equipment is no exception, our equipment is housed in the finest structure NASA has to offer...this is "the trailer"




The trailer is outfitted with the most high-tech hurricane proofing equipment (patent pending)














Inside, you can see our hotrod red racks are all set up and ready to power up some flight hardware. I spend most of my time here, as well as the clean room in the PHSF.





To really get a feel for the size of the PHSF, here's a sweet picture:






Finally, every day i leave down a little road that lets me look at all the crazy animals that are found at KSC. I'll leave you with a nice view of the swamp right next to work. Check back soon!

My Sweet Ride!

This is my rental car, a Buick Lacrosse. Oh man, its sweet...i fit right in with all the old people.

New Look!

Check out my badass banner and color scheme. Bitchin!

Watch Your Step!

July 9th


Things have been going waaaaaaaaay too smooth, and today our good fortune ran out. I show up to the 8 o'clock meeting ready to go. Looking around, i notice everyone that i work with is out except a tech. Steve begins the meeting saying that marty slipped getting out of the shower and cut his head open on the sink, so he and dave (another one from our crew) are heading to the hospital. Steve continues saying greg has called in sick. So i'm stuck here by myself and we have to pretty much set everything up and start certifying everything today!!! greg doesn't have any detailed plan for me to follow, so i just jump in.

I finally get over the feeling of drowning in work and start to take care of one thing, getting cables cleaned. On my way back from the clean room, steve stops me and says i have to support the mission simulation (JIS) that started an hour ago. Of course nothing works to allow me to call in to the JIS so i'm calling all sorts of IT people. Have to leave the JIS to get the tech guy working on something, so i run over to the clean room and start him.

Thankfully at like 11 dave shows up and says marty is ok. He described marty's hotel as a crime scene: blood in the bathroom, blood all over the sink, blood on the floor, every towel was red and marty was laying on the couch (which was covered in blood) getting bandaged by the paramedics. Crazy...

Dave takes over at the JIS so i can run around with the EGSE. Before i know it it's 5 and i'm outta there!


That night breda and i cruised in the old-man car, checking out the southern part of the town. then we hit up Ron Jon (which i will document later. wild place) and then the irish bar across the street from our apt (paddy's). A nice end to the day

Onward to Cocoa Beach!

Monday, July 7


Breda and I begin our journey from sunset beach to cocoa beach. Google says it'll be 550 miles should take around 10 hours. We ABSOLUTELY need to make it to the realty office by 6 or else we'd be sans condo for a night, creating much headache...so we decide to leave at 4am. Turns out it doesn't actually take that long. We were able to make it down to the office in about 8 hours...probably coulda slept in a little bit more. Practically nonstop driving (cept for gas) and no traffic helped achieve our excellent time.


Now begins the scary part...


Walked in to the realty office to get the keys to the apartment. They got my name then handed me my keys. Just had to initial some forms that were already filled out by Orbital. Now that we got the keys, we HAD to go check out our digs! Headed down to Royale Towers (passing Ron Jon, which looks like something out of a cartoon) and got into our room. After drooling over the apt, we drove up to get my rental car. I walked in and ran into two people from work waiting for their cars. Picked out my car from the lot (a totally rad Buick Lacrosse, my 'old man' car) and drove out in less than a half hour. Now that we were all caught up with our junk, we just needed to check in with the apartment office. They had our papers all filled out, and all we needed was stickers for both the cars, which we got with no problems.

So yeah, it was scary because everything worked perfectly!

A little more about the apartment:
It is exquisite. Two bedrooms, two baths, big kitchen, huge living room and a magnificent view of the beach from the balcony. Check out the pics (and yes, the beach really is that close):

The Kitchen, over the counter

Me, leisurely standing on the deck

Sunset Beach part 2!

Sunday July 6th


Did breakfast at Magnolia's and got ready for church. I said that Breda was going to hang back so just grandma and I went.

Hung around for a bit then headed to the beach for a couple hours. Very nice. Saw some people getting married on the beach; the girl was all decked out but was the only one.

Got to bed early cuz we we are planning on leaving at 4am!

Sunset Beach!

July 5th 2008


Made it down to Grandma's in Sunset Beach. Left at around 5am from Bel Air and made it to her house at 3:15. Stopped at Smithfield outlets for some shopping on our way.

We immediately got all ready to go to the beach. After crossing the bridge, we saw the line leaving the island...whoa. Now i know why Dad likes leaving at 5am, cuz at 4 there was a line out to the beach and even a little down that main street on both sides! We were able to get a parking spot and did some much needed relaxing.

When we got back to grandma's she realized she left her purse on a bench at the beach. Luckily somebody found it and left a message that they would stop by. Had steaks for dinner and then got to bed.

It begins!

July 3rd 2008


Space Suit Colin blog begins. Still in Maryland, getting everything out to the loading dock to be shipped to KSC. I had 10 boxes total, which is kind of a lot but not everyone else is homeless. One guy who is heading down solo has 7, which is about 1/3 his normal amount.

Breda and I will be heading down to Florida on Saturday early. We'll probably stop at the outlets and will spend the night at Grandma's Saturday and Sunday (to hopefully avoid any July 4th traffic). We'll then get up super early again on Monday and drive the rest of the way to Cocoa Beach.

These past few weeks have been absolutely terrible, but I'm hoping Florida will be more laid back.