a04 (AS-501)_v_bw_o_n (67-H-1538) - a photo on Flickriver

“The first flight test of the Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle is being prepared for launching from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Complex 39A. The mission is designated Apollo 4. The Apollo/Saturn V is the most powerful space vehicle developed in the United States space program. It is 363 feet tall and its first-stage engines produce 7,500,00 pounds of thrust at liftoff. Weight fully fueled is 6,220,025 pounds. The Saturn V launch vehicle will place 278,699 pounds in a 101-nautical-mile (117-statute mile) Earth orbit. The command module will reenter the atmosphere, land, and be recovered in the Pacific Ocean about 622 miles northwest of Hawaii. Objectives of the Earth-orbital unmanned mission are to obtain flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, subsystem operation, emergency detection subsystem operation and to evaluate the Apollo command module (CM) heat shield under conditions encountered on return from a Moon mission.”

A rarely seen perspective, of any Saturn V, depicting either rollout/rollback of the Mobile Service Structure (MSS). Either activity meriting the gentleman documenting it with his tripod-mounted 16mm?/35mm? motion picture camera. He may be a contractor, although I can’t identify the lettering or logo on the back of his jacket. Looks to be a capital 'R", and the third letter possibly a lowercase 'c', which would suggest Rocketdyne; however, that would've been all caps, and that's not the Rocketdyne logo on the left. Finally, the fact he’s wearing a jacket/windbreaker may support it being MSS rollback.

All of that, during the first “all-up” test of the entire rocket that was to safely launch humans, with the goal of landing – also safely – on the moon. And then, returning the crew – safely – back to the earth.

THIS PHOTOGRAPH & MACHINES IS/ARE FROM LATE 1967.

I SAY AGAIN, 1967.

1967.

1000.
900.
60.
7.

1 - 9 - 6 - 7.

Where were you in 1967?
‘WERE’ you in 1967?
I’m guessing most of you ‘WERE NOT’.

www.nasa.gov/feature/55-years-ago-apollo-4-the-first-flig...

Taken on: January 7, 2022

Tags:

67-H-1538

Technicolor

Arriflex 35

ARRI

Arriflex

35mm camera

16mm camera

rollback

unmanned rocket

DANGEROUS INTERSECTION

moon rocket

space race

rocket

Marion Shovel Company

tracked vehicle

enormous

launchpad

engineering marvel

latticework

girders

access arms

LUT

Launcher Umbilical Tower

Launch Umbilical Tower

hammerhead crane

Arming Tower

MSS

Mobile Service Structure

Mobile Launch Tower

Mobile Launcher

Mobile Launch Platform

Mobile Launcher Platform

crawler transporter

crawlerway

Apollo 4

Apollo IV

Apollo spacecraft

SA-501

AS-501

test flight

NASA

NASA rocket

Saturn V

Saturn V launch vehicle

Saturn V rocket

Project Apollo

Apollo Program

LC-39

LC-39A

Launch Complex 39

Launch Complex 39A

KSC

Kennedy Space Center

overcast

composition

dramatic

glossy photo

black and white « less

Sets appears in: • Breaking The Bonds & Firsts • Apollo 4

Groups appears in: • B&W • Rocket more » • Kennedy Space Center • Real Rockets (no models please) • in explore « less

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