Apollo 11 launch continued...
- 0:36:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We have passed the 36-minute mark in our countdown. T minus 35 minutes, 48 seconds and counting. We've completed those range safety command checks. All still going well with the countdown. A short while ago Spacecraft Test Conductor, Skip Chauvin, asked Neil Armstrong if the crew was comfortable up there and Neil reported back. He said it is very comfortable - it's very nice this morning. For a status report, we will now switch to Mission Control, Houston.
- 0:xx:xx PAO, Houston (Jack Riley): This is Apollo Mission Control. Flight Director, Cliff Charlesworth's team is on station here in the Mission Operations Control Room, ready to assume the control of this flight at tower clearance. There is a possibility that Apollo 11 will check out the command module color TV camera during the first earth revolution while in contact with the Goldstone station. If this checkout does occur, we acquire Goldstone at 1 hour, 29 minutes elapsed time. We have loss of signal at 1 hour, 33 minutes, 50 seconds elapsed time. This TV camera checkout is a possibility. This is Mission Control, Houston.
- 0:31:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We've just passed the 31 minute mark in our count. At T minus 30 minutes 52 seconds and counting, aiming toward our planned liftoff time of 32 minutes past the hour, the start of launch window on this the mission to land men on the Moon. The countdown still proceeding very satisfactorily at this time. We've just got by an important test with the launch vehicle checking out the various batteries in the three stages and instrument unit of the Saturn V. We remain on external power through most of the count to preserve those batteries which must be used during the powered flight. We've just taken a look at them by going internal and then switching back to external again. The batteries all look good. The next time we go internal will be at the 50 second mark with those batteries and they will remain, of course, on internal power during the flight. The lunar module, which has been rather inactive during these latter phases of the count also is going on internal power at this time on the two batteries in the ascent stage and the four batteries in the descent stage. For the next 20 minutes we will take a look at some systems in the lunar module and then power down at about the ten minute mark in the count, power down the telemetry to preserve the power of the LM. The lunar module on Apollo 11, of course, when it separates from the command module in lunar orbit, will have the call sign Eagle. The command module call sign, once the two vehicles separate, will be Columbia.
- 0:29:24 PAO (King): Both Columbia and Eagle are Go at this time at 29 minutes 24 seconds and counting. This is Kennedy Launch Control.
- 0:26:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We've just passed the 26 minute mark in the count, T minus 25 minutes 53 seconds and counting, still proceeding very satisfactorily. At this time Spacecraft Test Conductor Skip Chauvin working with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the middle seat covering the final pressurization of the reaction control system for the spacecraft. These are those big thrusters on the side of the service module that are used for maneuvers in space. Each one of these thrusters is capable of 100 pounds of thrust, there are 16 of them located in four quadrants around the service module. We pressurize the system with helium prior to launch to make sure that all will be in readiness for use in space. The countdown still proceeding satisfactorily. We picked up at the T minus 9 hour mark at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time last evening. We've just had two comparatively minor problems since that time. The major portion of the countdown during the early morning hours, some five hours of work was taken to load the various propellants aboard the stages of the Saturn V launch vehicle. As we came into the count this morning we did already have the fuel aboard the first stage, but it was necessary to bring the liquid oxygen aboard all three stages and the liquid hydrogen fuel aboard the second and third stages.
- 0:xx:xx PAO (King): Close to three-quarters of a million gallons of propellants were loaded during these five hours. Following that the astronauts, the prime crew, were awakened at 4:15 a.m. Eastern Daylight as planned in their countdown, and proceeded to have their physical examination in which they were declared flight ready. They sat down for the normal astronaut fare on launch day as far as breakfast is concerned, orange juice, steaks, scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. The three pilots were joined by two of their colleagues at breakfast, Director of Flight Crew Operations Deke Slayton and the backup command module pilot Bill Anders who has been named the Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council. The astronauts departed from their crew quarters. After checking out their suits they departed from the crew quarters at 6:27 a.m. and some 27 minutes later and eight miles away from the crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center atop the launch pad at Complex 39, 6:54 a.m. the commander, astronaut Neil Armstrong, was the first to board the spacecraft. He was followed about five minutes later by Mike Collins and finally Buzz Aldrin, the man who is sitting in the middle seat during liftoff, was the third astronaut to come aboard. Two minor problems have been encountered during the count. Early in the count a malfunction light came on here in the control center indicating that we might have a communication problem at the launch pad. Nothing to do with the spacecraft, but it indicated we possibly might not be able to talk to some key technicians we had at the pad. The problem turned out to be very minor, a simple adjustment of some equipment beneath the pad remedied the problem. There was no, in fact, no equipment problem involved. The second problem, we did encounter a leaky valve in part of the equipment that is used to replenish the hydrogen fuel supply on the third stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle. A team of technicians were sent up to the launch pad at about the time the astronauts were traveling to the pad. They tightened some bolts and we were able to bypass this valve and proceed with our countdown. The weather is certainly Go. It's a beautiful morning for a launch to the Moon. We expect a temperature of about 85 degrees in the Kennedy Space Center area. The wind is about ten knots from the southeast, and the weather conditions in the round-the-world track, according to reports to the Manned Space Flight Meterology group indicate all weather conditions are acceptable for launch. That's our general status. We've just passed the 22 minute mark in the count.
- 0:21:55 PAO (King): 21 minutes 55 seconds and counting, this is Kennedy Launch Control.
- 0:16:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We are now less than 16 minutes away from the planned liftoff of the Apollo 11 space vehicle. All still going well with the countdown at this time. The astronauts aboard the spacecraft have had a little chance to rest over the last few minutes or so. At least they haven't been busy with procedures with the spacecraft test conductor. In the meantime we have been performing final checks on the tracking beacons and the instrument unit which is used as a guidance system during the powered phase of flight. Once we get down to the 3-minute and 10-second mark in the countdown, we'll go on an automatic sequence. As far as the launch vehicle is concerned all aspects from there on down will be automatic, run by the ground master computer here in the firing room. This will lead up to the 8.9-second mark in the countdown when the ignition sequence will begin in those five engines of the first stage, the S-IC stage of Saturn V. At the 2-second mark we'll get information and a signal that all engines are running and at the zero mark in the countdown once we get the commit signal, the signal that says that the thrust is proper and acceptable, we then will get a commit and liftoff as the hold-down arms release the vehicle. We have some 7.6 million pounds of thrust pushing the vehicle upwards, a vehicle that weighs close to six and one-half million pounds.
- 0:14:30 PAO (King): We are now 14 minutes 30 seconds and counting. This is Kennedy Launch Control.
- 0:11:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We've passed the 11-minute mark. Now T minus 10 minutes 54 seconds on our countdown for Apollo 11. All still Go at this time. The astronauts in the spacecraft busy again. The commander Neil Armstrong has performed some final switch settings for the stabilization and control system of the spacecraft. The spacecraft also now is on full internal power. This came shortly after the 15-minute mark. Spacecraft now on the full power of its fuel cells. Up to this time, it had been sharing the load with an external power source. Both Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have armed their rotational hand controllers - the controllers they use in flight and we have now gone to automatic system with the emergency detection system. That system - it would queue the astronauts if there's trouble down below with the Saturn V rocket during the powered flight. We're now coming up on the 10-minute mark. Ten minutes away from our planned liftoff.
- 0:10:00 PAO (King): Mark. T minus 10 minutes and counting, T minus 10. We're aiming for our planned liftoff at 32 minutes past the hour. This is Kennedy Launch Control.
- 0:06:00 PAO (King): This is Apollo/Saturn launch control. We've passed the six minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11. Now 5 minutes, 52 seconds and counting. We're on time at the present time for our planned lift off of 32 minutes past the hour. Spacecraft Test Conductor, Skip Chauvin now has completed the status check of his personnel in the control room. All report they are Go for the mission, and this has been reported to the Test Supervisor, Bill Schick. The test supervisor now going through some status checks. Launch Operations Manager, Paul Donnelly, reports Go for launch. Launch Director Rocco Petrone, gives a Go.
- 0:05:20 PAO (King): We're 5 minutes, 20 seconds and counting. Coming up shortly that swing arm up at the spacecraft level will come back to its fully retracted position. It should occur at the five minute mark in the count. In the meantime the lunar module telemetry has been powered down. We took a good look at Eagle, and it looks good. The spacecraft test conductor for the lunar module reported that Eagle was Go. The swing arm now coming back to its fully retracted position as our countdown continues.
- 0:04:50 PAO (King): T minus 4 minutes, 50 seconds and counting. Skip Chauvin informing the astronauts that the swing arm now coming back. The astronauts will have a few more reports coming up in the countdown. The last business report will be from Neil Armstrong at the 45 seconds mark in the count when he gives the status on the final alignment of the stabilization and control system.
- 0:04:30 PAO (King): We're now passing the 4 minute, 30 second mark in the countdown - still Go at this time.
- 0:04:15 PAO (King): Four minutes, 15 seconds - the test supervisor now has informed Launch Vehicle Test Conductor, Norm Carlson, you are Go for launch. From this time down, Carlson handles the countdown as the launch vehicle begins to build up.
- 0:04:00 PAO (King): We're now hitting the four minute mark. Four minutes and counting. We are Go for Apollo 11. We'll go on an automatic sequence as standing at 3 minutes and 7 seconds.
- 0:03:45 PAO (King): Three minutes, 45 seconds and counting. In the final abort checks between several key members of the crew here in the control center, and the astronauts' Launch Operations Manager, Paul Donnelly, wished the crew on the launch teams we have good luck and God speed.
- 0:03:25 PAO (King): Three minutes, 25 seconds and counting. We're still Go at this time. We'll be coming up on the automatic sequence in about 10 or 15 seconds from this time. All still Go at this time. Neil Armstrong reported back when he received the good wishes, "Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight." Firing command coming in now. We are on the automatic sequence. We're approaching the three minute mark in the count.
- 0:03:00 PAO (King): T minus 3 minutes and counting. T minus 3 - we are Go with all elements of the mission at this time. We're on an automatic sequence system as the computer supervises hundreds of events occurring over these last few minutes.
- 0:02:45 PAO (King): T minus 2 minutes, 45 seconds and counting. The members of the launch team here in the control center monitoring a number of what we call red-line values. These are tolerances we don't want to go above and below in temperatures and pressures. They're standing by to call out any deviations from our plans.
- 0:02:30 PAO (King): Two minutes, 30 seconds and counting. We're still Go on Apollo 11 at this time. The vehicle starting to pressurize as far as the propellant tanks are concerned, and all is still Go as we monitor our status for it.
- 0:02:10 PAO (King): Two minutes, ten seconds and counting. The target for the Apollo 11 astronauts, the moon, at liftoff will be at a distance of 218,096 miles away. Just passed the 2 minute mark in the countdown.
- 0:01:54 PAO (King): T minus 1 minute, 54 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates that the oxidizer tanks in the second and third stages now have pressurized. We continue to build up pressure in all three stages here at the last minute to prepare it for liftoff.
- 0:01:35 PAO (King): T minus 1 minute, 35 seconds on the Apollo mission, the flight to land the first man on the moon. All indications are coming in to the control center at this time indicate we are Go.
- 0:01:25 PAO (King): One minute, 25 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates the third stage completely pressurized. Eighty second mark has now been passed. We'll go on full internal power at the 50 second mark in the countdown. Guidance system goes on internal at 17 seconds leading up to the ignition sequence at 8.9 seconds. We're approaching the 60 second mark on the Apollo 11 Mission.
- 0:01:00 PAO (King): T minus 60 seconds and counting. We have passed T minus 60.
- 0:00:55 PAO (King): 55 seconds and counting. Neil Armstrong just reported back, "It's been a real smooth countdown."
- 0:00:50 PAO (King): We have passed the 50-second mark. Power transfer is complete, we're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time.
- 0:00:40 PAO (King): 40 seconds away from the Apollo 11 liftoff. All the second stage tanks now pressurized.
- 0:00:35 PAO (King): 35 seconds and counting. We are still Go with Apollo 11.
- 0:00:30 PAO (King): 30 seconds and counting. Astronauts reported, "Feels good."
- 0:00:25 PAO (King): T minus 25 seconds. 20 seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal.
- 0:00:16.968 ** Guidance reference release.
- 0:00:12 PAO (King): 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts.
- 0:00:08.9 ** S-IC engine start command.
- 0:00:06.4 ** S-IC engine ignition (#5).
- 0:00:06 PAO (King): 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero, all engines running -
- 0:00:01.6 ** All S-IC engines thrust OK.
How many directors of modern movies and documentaries fail (because of their ignorance) to get that last part right:-
- 0:00:12 PAO (King): 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts.
- 0:00:08.9 ** S-IC engine start command.
- 0:00:06.4 ** S-IC engine ignition (#5).
- 0:00:06 PAO (King): 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero, all engines running
Nowdays they show engine ignition at zero, instead of at -8.9 seconds. I was surprised that Apollo 13 got it wrong, considering that Tom Hanks was an Apollo fan.
