Source Notes

Chapter 16: Automating Launch Operations

  1. 1. Sidney Sternberg, "Automated Checkout Equipment - The Apollo Hippocrates," in Man on the Moon, ed. Eugene Rabinowitch and Richard Lewis (New York: Basic Books. 1969), pp. 196-97.

  2. 2. W. Haeussermann, Dir., Guidance and Control Div., MSFC, memo for record, "Meeting on Saturn Checkout Equipment," 22 July 1960; Paul interview.

  3. 3. Debus to Dieter Grau, "Automatic Checkout Committee," 2 Sept. 1960; Richard interview, 12 Dec. 1973. See B. J. Funderburk, Automation in Saturn I First Stage Checkout (NASA TN D-4328, Jan. 1968), for story of the Packard Bell 250 and MSFC's early automation efforts.

  4. 4. Ludie Richard and Charles O. Brooks, The Saturn Systems Automation Plan, MSFC. 15 Sept. 1961, sec. II.

  5. 5. Ibid., sec. VII.

  6. 6. "Brief Chronological History of the Saturn V Breadboard," attached to MSFC Automation Plan, 8 May 1962; Burns interview; Greenfield interview.

  7. 7. Jafferis interviews, 19 Dec. 1973, 22 Jan. 1974; Greenfield interview; Whiteside interview. 4 Jan. 1974.

  8. 8. Jafferis interview, 19 Dec. 1973; "Description for Use of Saturn Ground Computer on SA-5," draft copy in Jafferis's private papers; Spaceport News, 21 May 1964, p. 2.

  9. 9. B. E. Duran, "Saturn I/IB Launch Vehicle Operational Status and Experience," read at Aeronautic and Space Engineering and Manufacturing Meeting, New York, 7-11 Oct. 1968, Society of Automotive Engineers reprint 680739; KSC, "Utilization of Saturn/Apollo Control and Checkout System for Prelaunch Checkout and Launch Operations," GP-663, 25 Mar. 1969.

  10. 10. W. O. Frost and D. E. Norvell, "Telemetry System Design for Saturn Vehicles," Proceedings, 1966 International Telemetering Conference, Los Angeles, 18-20 Oct. 1966. p. 70. See also E. A. Robin, "Development and Utilization of Computer Test Programs for Checkout of Space Vehicles," p. 297; Canaveral Council of Technical Societies, Proceedings of the Second Space Congress, Cocoa Beach, FL, 5- 7 Apr. 1965, pp. 617, 634 D. M. Schmidt, "Automatic Checkout Systems for Stages of the Saturn V Manned Space Vehicle," International Convention Record of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 13 (pt. 4, Mar. 1965), p. 87.

  11. 11. Canaveral Council of Technical Societies, Proceedings of the Second Space Congress. p. 656; William G. Bodie, "Techniques of Implementing Launch Automation Programs. Saturn IB Space Vehicle System," Practical Techniques and Applications, 4: 740. See also Apollo/Saturn IB Launch Operations Plan AS-203, KSC document K-IB-021.3, p. 6-8.

  12. 12. Duran, "Saturn 1/IB Launch Vehicle Operational Status"; KSC, "Utilization of Saturn Apollo Control and Checkout."

  13. 13. Richard Dutton and William Jafferis, "Utilization of Saturn/Apollo Control and Checkout System for Prelaunch Checkout and Launch Operations," paper read at New York Univ., Project SETE, 24-28 July 1967, pp. 3-34 through 3-43; Medlock interview; Thompson interview.

  14. 14. F. Brooks Moore and William Jafferis, "Apollo/Saturn Prelaunch Checkout Display Systems," read at IEEE Conference on Displays, Univ. of Loughborough, England, 7-10 Sept. 1971, pp. 7-9.

  15. 15. Ibid., pp. 9, 15-16.

  16. 16. Ibid., p. 14.

  17. 17. Richard Jenke to Benson, 17 Jan. 1975; Richard Smith interview; Medlock interview; Thompson interview.

  18. 18. Dutton and Jafferis, "Utilization of Saturn/Apollo Control and Checkout System," pp. 3-44 through 3- 48; Jenke to Benson, 17 Jan. 1975.

  19. 19. Jenke to Benson, 17 Jan. 1975; Medlock and Thompson interviews.

  20. 20. Jenke to Benson, 17 Jan. 1975; Medlock and Thompson interviews.

  21. 21. Fridtjof Speer, Chairman, Saturn System Evaluation Working Gp., MSFC, to LOD Dir., "Justification for Early Delivery of the Saturn Blockhouse Records and Sequence Records," 19 Sept. 1961, Debus reading file.

  22. 22. R. W. Bivans, G. D. Matthews, and F. T. Innes, "A Scanning and Digitizing System for Multiple Asynchronous Telemetry Data Sources," read at National Telemetry Conference, Los Angeles, June 1964, p. 1, G. D. Matthews's private papers.

  23. 23. Bruns interview, 3 Jan. 1974; Bobby Griffin and G. D. Matthews, The Real-Time Telemetry Data Processing Effort at the Launch Operations Center, MTP-LVO-63-2, MSFC,

  24. 24. Griffin and Matthews, Real-Time Telemetry Data, pp. 9-11; Bruns interview, 3 Jan. 1974; Corbett, Hughes, and Jelen interviews.

  25. 25. Griffin and Matthews, Real-Time Telemetry Data, pp. 3-6; George Matthews interview.

  26. 26. Griffin and Matthews, Real-Time Telemetry Data, pp. 14-17; Bivans, Matthews, and Innes, "Scanning and Digitizing"; George Matthews interview; LOC Weekly Notes, Sendler to Debus, 23 Aug., 15 Nov. 1962.

  27. 27. KSC Computation Br., "Scientific Computation Support of Saturn/Apollo Vehicle, SA-7," TR-103-2, 3 Dec. 1964.

  28. 28. Joralan interview, 3 Jan. 1974; LOC Weekly Notes, Sendler to Debus, 22 Mar. 1962.

  29. 29. LOC Weekly Notes, Gruene to Debus, 21 Feb. 1962.

  30. 30. Raymond Clark, Asst. LOC Dir., to Col. Max Carey, "Request for Additional Data on NASA Telemetry Requirements," 6 Oct. 1962; Debus to Davis, "The AFMTC Launch Area Telemetry System Plan, 28 September 1962," 18 Oct. 1962.

  31. 31. Telephone directory, Project Mercury Field Ops., STG, Cape Canaveral, FL, Sept. 1961; "Patent Application on ACE, NASA Case No. 8012," encl. to letter, James O. Harrel to Harold G. Johnson, 20 Jan. 1967, Johnson's private papers; Walton interview, 17 Dec. 1970. The Cape launch team first appeared as Preflight Operations Division on a Sept. 1962 MSC organization chart. Earlier it was called Mercury Field Operations or MSC's Atlantic Missile Range Operations.

  32. 32. Parsons interview; Preston interview, 22 Jan. 1974.

  33. 33. Parsons interview; Walton interview, 17 Dec. 1970; Preston interview, 22 Jan. 1974; W. E. Parsons, Head, Flight Instrumentation Sec., to C. W . Frick, Head, Apollo Project Off., MSC, "Implementation Plan for Apollo SPACE System," 26 June 1962, Johnson's private papers; "PACE-S/C History," compiled by Harold Johnson ca. 1963, Johnson's private papers.

  34. 34. Parsons interview; Harold Johnson interview; "PACE-S/C History"; Walton interview, 17 Dec. 1970.

  35. 35. Tom S. Walton, MSC Florida Ops., Experimental Station Implementation and Planning, 18 Dec. 1964; Walton interview, 17 Dec. 1970.

  36. 36. "PACE-S/C History"; Parsons interview; Walton interview, 23 Jan. 1974.

  37. 37. Parsons interview; Norwalk interview; Walton interview, 23 Jan. 1974.

  38. 38. Parsons interview.

  39. 39. Page interview; Spaceport News, 6 Jan. 1966; Apollo Support Dept., General Electric Co., ACE-S/C, Acceptance Checkout Equipment, Spacecraft, Daytona Beach. FL. undated.

  40. 40. Apollo Support Dept., General Electric Co., ACE-S/C; James O. Hassell to Harold G. Johnson, "Patent Application on ACE," 20 Jan. 1967, with encl. 1, "Patent Application on ACE, NASA Case No. 8012," Johnson's private papers; Harold Johnson interview.

  41. 41. Moore and Jafferis, "Apollo/Saturn Prelaunch Checkout," pp. 4-7.

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