gcarter
07-16-2009, 01:18 PM
It's really hard to imagine it's been 40 years!
Wow! :shocking:
Just a few years before that, I was a young mechanical designer wanting to make my own imprint on the Apollo Program. I grew up in Houston and of course the decision to build the Manned Spacecraft Center there was "A Big Deal" to Texas, Texans, and Houstonians in particular.
I was able to attend the speech JFK gave at Rice Stadium where he declared we would go to the Moon and return during the next decade. What a monumental statement that was. I remember him stating how an ICBM could be launched several thousand miles away and land between the 40 yard lines there in that stadium. I was mesmurized. I guess my mouth was probably hanging open.
After the Center was built I was able to land a job w/Link Systems concerning the Apollo and Lunar Module flight simulaters.
Later I worked for LTV Aerospace w/a group that was involved in designing the hand tools used on the Lunar surface. Also we designed a lot of the astronaut hardware where bits and pieces had to be attached to space suits.
I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven.
I was excited to go to work everyday.
Then in '68, I was hired to move here to Florida and work for Bendix Launch Support Div. Bendix's primary responsibility was providing, maintaining, and operating most all the cryogenic resources including fueling the Saturn 5 boosters and the spacecraft.
I think I still have my "Hazardous Fuels" class certificate somewhere. I learned that some hypergolic fuels, such as Nitrogen Tetroxide, was so deadly that if there was 1 ppm (I think) in the air, you'd literally drown in a very short period of time. A sure fire way to tell if N.T. was present was it smelled like swamp........of course all these fuels were stored in the middle of the wildlife preserve that makes up the Space Center.
Go figure.
Just about a week before the Apollo 11 launch (40 years ago), I had to go verify the configuration and location of some of Bendix's equipment on the launch structure at 39 A, the pad used for the Apollo 11 launch. I even remember the process of getting out to the pad.....first I had to go to the Launch Control Center and sign out w/a 39 A badge I had to wear w/my own badge, get into the govt. "Gray Ghost", park in the pad parking lot, and check into the pad security center where I had to exchange badges again.
Wow!
Anyway, the high point of this exercise was, after wasting a lot of time looking at everything I could, I was actually able to reach out and touch the lower part of the Saturn 5 booster.
I felt pretty important and special! :):yes:
On the day of the launch, my ex, who also worked for Bendix, and I were able to watch the launch. My heart was beating so hard. I think I cried a little. We had all been working so hard for that moment.
Later that day, Bendix had a launch party at the local country club in Titusville.
The following week, I started looking diligently for another job because we all could see the writing on the wall.
Cutbacks were coming.
Due to some good timing, I was able to snag my old job at LTV in Houston.
We boxed up everything we owned, rented a U-Haul, and moved back to Houston. I don't think I even missed a single days work. It wasn't so good for about 5,000 other folks and their families. Titusville just about turned into a ghost town a short time later.
Of course we watched and listened to everything we could about the mission. Everything that happened was personal. It was important. All of us at work talked about the lunar landing incessantly.
Someone brought in a TV on the day of the splashdown in the Pacific. Everything about the mission went perfectly. There was no way it could have been better.
Later on the day of the splashdown, LTV threw a Splashdown Party at one of the local hotels. Everyone attended. Everyone was so excited about their own contribution to the program. I was probably one of just a handfull of people that was able to view the launch in person, attend a Florida based, contractor sponsored launch party, and then attend a Houston based, contractor sponsored splashdown party.
We all felt that, given a mandate and the money, we could have accomplished anything.
NASA in those days was "MAGIC"........it's hard to describe and comprehend today, 40 years later.
Maybe we were simple and a little naive in our devotion and dedication.
But I'll never forget those days.......I still believe.
....40 years later.
Wow! :shocking:
Just a few years before that, I was a young mechanical designer wanting to make my own imprint on the Apollo Program. I grew up in Houston and of course the decision to build the Manned Spacecraft Center there was "A Big Deal" to Texas, Texans, and Houstonians in particular.
I was able to attend the speech JFK gave at Rice Stadium where he declared we would go to the Moon and return during the next decade. What a monumental statement that was. I remember him stating how an ICBM could be launched several thousand miles away and land between the 40 yard lines there in that stadium. I was mesmurized. I guess my mouth was probably hanging open.
After the Center was built I was able to land a job w/Link Systems concerning the Apollo and Lunar Module flight simulaters.
Later I worked for LTV Aerospace w/a group that was involved in designing the hand tools used on the Lunar surface. Also we designed a lot of the astronaut hardware where bits and pieces had to be attached to space suits.
I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven.
I was excited to go to work everyday.
Then in '68, I was hired to move here to Florida and work for Bendix Launch Support Div. Bendix's primary responsibility was providing, maintaining, and operating most all the cryogenic resources including fueling the Saturn 5 boosters and the spacecraft.
I think I still have my "Hazardous Fuels" class certificate somewhere. I learned that some hypergolic fuels, such as Nitrogen Tetroxide, was so deadly that if there was 1 ppm (I think) in the air, you'd literally drown in a very short period of time. A sure fire way to tell if N.T. was present was it smelled like swamp........of course all these fuels were stored in the middle of the wildlife preserve that makes up the Space Center.
Go figure.
Just about a week before the Apollo 11 launch (40 years ago), I had to go verify the configuration and location of some of Bendix's equipment on the launch structure at 39 A, the pad used for the Apollo 11 launch. I even remember the process of getting out to the pad.....first I had to go to the Launch Control Center and sign out w/a 39 A badge I had to wear w/my own badge, get into the govt. "Gray Ghost", park in the pad parking lot, and check into the pad security center where I had to exchange badges again.
Wow!
Anyway, the high point of this exercise was, after wasting a lot of time looking at everything I could, I was actually able to reach out and touch the lower part of the Saturn 5 booster.
I felt pretty important and special! :):yes:
On the day of the launch, my ex, who also worked for Bendix, and I were able to watch the launch. My heart was beating so hard. I think I cried a little. We had all been working so hard for that moment.
Later that day, Bendix had a launch party at the local country club in Titusville.
The following week, I started looking diligently for another job because we all could see the writing on the wall.
Cutbacks were coming.
Due to some good timing, I was able to snag my old job at LTV in Houston.
We boxed up everything we owned, rented a U-Haul, and moved back to Houston. I don't think I even missed a single days work. It wasn't so good for about 5,000 other folks and their families. Titusville just about turned into a ghost town a short time later.
Of course we watched and listened to everything we could about the mission. Everything that happened was personal. It was important. All of us at work talked about the lunar landing incessantly.
Someone brought in a TV on the day of the splashdown in the Pacific. Everything about the mission went perfectly. There was no way it could have been better.
Later on the day of the splashdown, LTV threw a Splashdown Party at one of the local hotels. Everyone attended. Everyone was so excited about their own contribution to the program. I was probably one of just a handfull of people that was able to view the launch in person, attend a Florida based, contractor sponsored launch party, and then attend a Houston based, contractor sponsored splashdown party.
We all felt that, given a mandate and the money, we could have accomplished anything.
NASA in those days was "MAGIC"........it's hard to describe and comprehend today, 40 years later.
Maybe we were simple and a little naive in our devotion and dedication.
But I'll never forget those days.......I still believe.
....40 years later.