MovieChat Forums > Apollo 13 (1995) Discussion > Did you ever see a launch?

Did you ever see a launch?

posted 13 years ago by eddysl12
40 replies | jump to latest

When I was a kid my parents took my family down to see an Apollo launch. It was the 1969 launch that would put men on the moon. I was only nine at the time, but I do remember that they wouldn't allow people closer than three miles to the launch pad. The reason for this was because the rocket made so much sound that it could permanently damage your hearing if you were closer than three miles. If you were closer than one mile the light from the rocket could permanently blind you. I think we were about five miles out from the pad. I don't remember if the ground shook, but I do remember watching it go up and trying to shield my eyes from the sun so I could keep watching it as it rose.

When I worked in Forestry, I had a good vantage point from fire towers here in Florida to watch launches. The John Glenn launch was quite visible, even from about 120 miles away. The shuttle through binoculars looked likes a regular airplane with a big orange flame coming out the back.

[–] sean-cowan1 12 years ago

I never saw an Apollo launch (I wasn't born yet lol). But I did see a space shuttle launch, I forget the exact year but the one when John Glenn went back into space on the shuttle. I was a the designated viewing area that NASA ran for each shuttle launch. Completely f-ing insane how much power the engines make, I think the viewing area is like you say 3 miles out from where take off is and you could feel your entire body rumble from the engines - like when there's a massive thunder storm and the thunder shakes the house - but non-stop. The sound too was equally powerful I had to yell at full volume for my dad who was standing right beside me to even hear a word I was saying.

You're a troll.

[–] Movie_map 12 years ago

Not an Apollo launch but I did see a shuttle launch.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] zandylovesRISK 12 years ago

Man, I would have loved to have seen Apollo 11's liftoff. I was unfortunately born a generation late to see the age of the space program. I was born in 1992 and live near Atlanta. I did go a see one of the shuttle launches as I knew they were getting ready to stop. It was either Discovery's last or Atlantis' last in May 14/15, 2010.

Half-Blood #18 and Son of Poseidon, Son of Adam, Gryffindor 7th year

[–] action_on_deck 12 years ago

The Apollo launches were all well before my time. I did get to see a space shuttle launch, which is nothing compared to the Saturn V. We got to see it from Titusville, about 12 miles away. It was on private land, so there weren't a gob of people around. The city park gets crazy packed, it was nice to have just a few people there.

[–] amandawillis-55525 10 years ago

I just watched this movie, and I always thought, in the 60s, the space program was a very big deal and the world watched in awe as the rockets launched. I wish I was young during that era. even the shuttle program, as I've heard and learned, was awe inspiring as well. But I was a child and didn't understand then. I have never seen a real rocket launch, and i live in Ohio. Nowadays, Nasa is sending rockets up for weather research and for the astronauts in the ISS. Today it is not as a big deal like it once was. I hear people taking it for granted.

[–] ellisdtripp 12 years ago

Saw STS-129 from Spaceview park in Titusville.

Would have loved to see an Apollo launch, but never did.

[–] NYG11 11 years ago

I live about 45 minutes south of KSC, so I can (and have) watched dozens of launches from my backyard, both shuttles and unmanned launches. In fact there's a Delta IV launch tonight! Would have loved to have seen an Apollo launch live...

[–] SevernSarge 10 years ago

Was lucky to have witnessed all the Apollo mission launches from the tower at the Florida Power and Light plant at Port St. John, just across the river from the launch pad. Loud! And, that huge tower swayed back and forth from the shock waves!

[–] TheFonz79 10 years ago

I was born after Apollo, but did Atlantis launch in November 1985 (STS-61 B).

My father lived in a town called Abita Springs, Louisiana, which is a little under forty miles away from the Stennis Space Center during the Apollo days. He said that when they tested the Saturn V engines there, all five would be tested at the same time. Even at forty miles, my dad said they could be heard in town and the windows rattled. That's just to give you a sense of how powerful those engines were.

I would love to have seen a Saturn V launch in person. In Apollo 13, I wonder if anyone could have gotten as close as Ken Mattingly did to the Saturn V at launch. It looked like at that distance, it would have knocked him on his keester and blown all of the windows out of his car!

[–] eddysl12 9 years ago

From my own experience and also from what Jim Lovell said on the DVD commentary, there is no way that he would allowed to be that close. He seemed to be no more than one mile away and it looked to be about 1/2 mile or so. His hearing would most likely be permanently damaged and he would also face the real possibility of being permanently blinded by the intense light.

Another reason is that they were really security conscious about the Saturn V, it's skin wasn't all that thick and someone with a high-powered rifle could probably hit it and potentially blow it up if they were closer than a mile.

So the three mile rule served a variety of purposes.

[–] gfmitch72 9 years ago

I've never seen a launch, but I did see the space shuttle on the launch paid, still pretty cool. I also saw the shuttle piggybacked on a 474.