Cover Page

Man in Space Introduction

STUDY CONCERNS (continued)

APOLLO LAUNCH TOWER

Launch tower, Saturn V space vehicle, crawler-transporter, and mobile launcher, 1968

The House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs also requested that the Park Service study possibilities and alternatives to support a fund-raising campaign for reassembly of the Apollo launch tower that is part of launch complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center and is listed on the National Register as nationally significant. At one time there were three Apollo launch towers; however, two of them have been modified for the shuttle program. The third, of concern in this study, has been disassembled and stored. This tower launched Apollo 11 toward the first moon landing and is the only complete Apollo launch tower remaining.

The Apollo Society is a small nonprofit membership organization. It is an outgrowth of a coalition of national preservation and space organizations that have worked with NASA to save the Apollo launch tower. The society has proposed that the launch tower be reassembled--complete with an elevator for guided tours--and that a simulated pad 39B base (with flame trench, octagonal concrete pad, and flame deflector), a stationary reproduction of the launching platform, and an authentic reproduction of a Saturn V space vehicle and Apollo command module be constructed. The launching platform would house the interpretive media and visitor services. Proposed activities would include a hands-on exhibit area and elevator rides to the top of the tower. The society's efforts to raise the $20 million ($15 million capital cost and $5 million for long-term maintenance) for the project have to date been unsuccessful. It is important to note that the society feels that obtaining donations from the private sector has not been fully explored and that with the necessary expertise and organization, a major fund-raising effort can be undertaken.

Launch pad 39A, Apollo 11 spacecraft, and Saturn V launch vehicle, 1969	Artist's sketch, Apollo Society proposal
Disassembled launch tower, 1986

Last Modified: Wed, Nov 29 2000 10:00:00 am PDT
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