National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations

By Charles D. Benson and William Barnaby Faherty.

Published as NASA Special Publication-4204 in the NASA History Series, 1978.

Table of Contents

• Library of Congress Card Catalog
  Foreword
  Preface
  • Chapter 1 - The First Steps
    • Genesis of the Saturn Program
    • A Saturn Launch Site
    • The Making of "the Cape"
    • Building a Launch Complex
    • Missions for Saturn
    • A Marriage of Convenience
    • Upper Stages
  • Chapter 2 - Launch Complex 34
    • The Director
    • Conversations with the Air Force
    • Writing the Criteria Book
    • Problems in Designs
    • A Service Structure for Saturn
    • A Money Transfusion
    • The Ground Support Equipment
    • Labor Difficulties
  • Chapter 3 - Launching the First Saturn I Booster
    • The Magnitude of the Task
    • The Leadership
    • The Test Catalog for SA-1
    • The Saturn Goes Sailing
    • Beginning the Checkout
    • The Launch of the SA-1
  • Chapter 4 - Origins of the Mobile Moonport
    • Ambitious Plans and Limited Space
    • Offshore Launch Facilities
    • Texas Tower vs. Landfill
    • The Mobile Launch Concept
    • The Mobile Concept - Initial Studies
    • NASA Plans for a Lunar Landing
    • The FLeming Committee
    • Debus-Davis Study
    • Debus-Davis Report - Launch Concept
  • Chapter 5 - Acquiring a Launch Site
    • Hazards Board Recommends Merritt Island
    • A New Home in Georgia?
    • Organizing for the Debus-Davis Study
    • Recommending a Launch Site
    • The Questions Begin
    • The Webb-Gilpatric Agreement
    • Merritt Island Purchase
    • The Titan III Problem
    • Congress Says NASA
    • A New Agreement
    • Land, Los of Land - Much of It Marshy
  • Chapter 6 - LC-39 Plans Take Shape
    • Rapidly Evolving Hardware
    • The Mobile Launch Plan Comes Under Fire
    • A Trip by Barge or a Trip by Rail
    • The Crawler Makes Its Debut
    • Plans for a VAB
    • The Mobile Launch Concept - Debate and Approval
  • Chapter 7 - The Launch Directorate Becomes an Operational Center
    • Growing Responsibilities at the Cape
    • The Argument for Independent Status
    • New Captains at the Cape
    • Organizing the Launch Operations Center
    • "Grand Fenwick" Overtakes the U.S. and U.S.S.R.
    • Mid-1963: A Time of Reappraisal
    • Kennedy's Last Visit
    • Washington Redraws Management Lines
    • Data Management
  • Chapter 8 - Funding the Project
    • The Budgetary Process
    • Fiscal 1963
    • Subcommittee Hearings at the Cape
    • Progress in Washington
    • Updating LC-39 Requirements
    • The Fiscal 1964 Program
    • "What Is It Going to Cost?"
  • Chapter 9 - Apollo Integration
    • An Integration Role for General Electric?
    • Intercenter Panels
    • New Contractors with New Roles
    • Relations with Marshall Space Flight Center
    • Relations with Manned Spacecraft Center
    • Range Safety
    • Summary
  • Chapter 10 - Saturn I Launches (1962 - 1965)
    • Testing the Booster
    • A Second Saturn Launch Complex - LC-37
    • The Troubled Lauching of SA-5, January 1964
    • The Cracked Sleeves
    • All's Well That Ends Well
    • The Remaining Block II Launches, SA-6 - SA-10
  • Chapter 11 - Ground Plans for Outer Space Ventures
    • The Task
    • URSAM Makes Its Debut
    • URSAM and the Design Contract
    • Design Problems - VAB
    • Launch Control Center Design
    • Design of the Crawlerway
    • Flame Deflector and Launch Pads
    • Plans for the Industrial Area
    • Design of the Central Instrumentation Facility
    • Selection of MILA Support Contracts
  • Chapter 12 - From Designs to Structures
    • Making Big Sandpiles
    • NASA Declares War - On Mosquitoes
    • Contracting for the VAB and the LCC
    • Laying the Foundations
    • Structural Steel and General Construction
    • Cleo and Dora Visit the Cape
    • VAB Nears Completion
    • Construction in the Industrial Area
    • Ceremonies at Completion
  • Chapter 13 - New Devices for New Deeds
    • The Crawler-Transporter
    • Building a New King of the Road
    • The Swing-Arm Controversy
    • Hold-Down Arms and Tail Service Masts
    • Launch Pads
    • From Arming Tower to Mobile Service Structure
    • Lightning Protection for Apollo Launch Operations
    • Flame Deflectors
  • Chapter 14 - Socio-Economic Problems on the Space Coast
    • Labor Problems at the Missile Center
    • The Center's Labor Policy
    • A Spring and Summer of Strikes
    • The Spaceport's Impact on Local Communities
    • Familial and Personal Tensions
  • Chapter 15 - Putting It All Together: LC-39 Site Activation
    • The Site Activation Board
    • Site Activation Working Groups
    • Interface Control Documentation
    • 500-F - A Dress Rehearsal
    • The Crawler-Transporters Begin to Crawl
    • For Want of a Bearing
    • "Negative Slack" in "Critical Paths"
    • 500-F Up and Out
    • Lack of Oxygen Slows Apollo
    • Management by Embarrassment
  • Chapter 16 - Automating Launch Operations
    • Origins of Saturn Automated Checkout
    • Saturn I-IB Computer Complex
    • Saturn V Computer Complex
    • The Transition to Automation
    • Automating Telemetry Operation
    • Automatic Checkout for the Spacecraft
    • Spacecraft Checkout
  • Chapter 17 - Launching the Saturn 1B
    • Remodelling LC-34 for Bigger Things
    • LC-34 Wet Tests
    • The Apollo-Saturn 1B Space Vehicle
    • The Troubled checkout of AS-201
    • The 201 Launch
    • A Reorganization
    • More launches of the Saturn 1B
  • Chapter 18 - The Fire That Seared the Spaceport
    • Introduction
    • Predictions of Trouble
    • The Spacecraft Comes to KSC
    • The Hunches of Tom Baron
    • Disaster at Pad 34
    • The Review Board
    • Congress Investigates
    • Reaction at KSC
    • The Boeing-TIE Contract
  • Chapter 19 - The Trial Run
    • The Significance of AS-501
    • The Parts of AS-501
    • Delay after Delay after Delay
    • The Tests
    • More Delays for AS-501
    • The Launch of Apollo 4
    • Press, VIPs, Tourists, Dependents
    • KSC Learns about Government Accounting
  • Chapter 20 - Man on Apollo
    • Two More Trial Flights - Apollo 5 and 6
    • Apollo 6 - A "Less Than Perfect" Mission
    • Two Engines Out but Still Running
    • Apollo Astronauts at KSC
    • Apollo 7 Operations
    • Apollo 8 Launch Operations - Early Uncertainties
    • Lunar Module Problems and Another Change of Mission
    • Launch Countdown for Men on Saturn V
    • Apollo 8 - A Christmas Gift
  • Chapter 21 - Success
    • The Launch Complex Becomes "Operational"
    • The Slowest Part of the Trip
    • The Launch of Apollo 9
    • The Contractors Receive Their Due
    • Changes in the Telemetry
    • At Long Last
    • "Eagle Has Landed"
  • Chapter 22 - A Slower Pace: Apollo 12 - 14
    • Introduction
      • Lightning Strikes
      • Whys and Wherefores of Lightning
      • Apollo 13 Launch Operations
      • A Case of Measles
      • A Fragile Lifeboat
      • Apollo 14 Launch Operations
      • Pruning the Apollo Program
      • The Impact of the Apollo Slowdown on KSC
    • Chapter 23 - Extended Lunar Exploration: Apollo 15 - 17
      • A Change of Course for Apollo
      • Interfaces with the First SIM
      • The Moon Gets an Automobile
      • Lunar Module Problems and More Lightning
      • Apollo 16 Operations
      • Spacecraft Storage
      • Apollo 17 Launch Operations
    • Chapter 24 - Five Years After
  • Appendix A: Launches of Saturn 1B and Saturn V
  • Appendix B: Launch Complex 39
  • Appendices C-E
  • Bibliography
    • Overview
    • Books
    • Journal Articles
    • Congressional Documents
    • Conference Papers
    • Technical Reports
    • Interviews
    • The Authors

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    Updated September 26, 2000
    Roger D. Launius, NASA Chief Historian
    Steve Garber, NASA History Web Curator
    For further information E-mail histinfo@hq.nasa.gov