|
Author
|
Topic: Apollo-era launch pad white rooms
|
User997
Member Posts: 59
From:
Registered: Oct 2005
|
posted 01-12-2006 01:14 PM
  
Anyone have the history of the White Room that is on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere? (What pad it came off, what period it was used, etc.) |
John Youskauskas
Member Posts: 126
From:
Registered: Jan 2004
|
posted 01-18-2006 06:20 PM
Don't know much about its' history, but I got to see it there last summer and found that Guenter Wendt had signed his name above the opening to where the command module would be. I wondered how many visitors noticed or even knew who he was. |
Steve Smith
Member Posts: 503
From: Wichita, Kansas, USA
Registered: Mar 2002
|
posted 01-18-2006 07:24 PM
When the campaign was going to save the Launch Umbilical Tower-1 (LUT-1), there was an article in Florida Today that said what flights the White Room at the Cosmosphere was used. They included Apollo 8 and 11, and other Apollo and Skylab flights.The Cosmosphere's staff feels that there is insufficient documentation to say which specific flights the white room was used on. I sure wish we could pin it down. I guide tours for Boy and Girl Scouts on the Cosmosphere's merit badge programs. We always gather in the white room and I explain what happened there, and that this was the last place where the astronauts stood on earth. I demonstrate how they swung into the capsule, assisted by others. I tell some stories about Guenter Wendt (who I've had the privilege to meet several times,what a treasure; read his book if you haven't), and point out his autograph as "Pad Leader." I relay the respect the astronauts have for him and his no nonsense approach. I use the story of this "unknown" as an example of teamwork, and how space exploration as a whole is a team of many indispensable parts, not just the astronauts. I note there is plenty of room for all. I end by pointing to Sam or Sue and telling them that "probably" Neil Armstrong, or Jim Lovell or Pete Conrad stood just where you are before leaving Earth. You should see their eyes, and their jaws drop. My favorite reaction from a Girl Scout, a simple but awe inspired "cool." |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3539
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 01-24-2006 08:56 PM
Can someone show a photo of the Kansas Cosmosphere's White Room? There were only three that were used on the LUTs at Complex 39 and only one from Complex 34 that sits in a junkyard not too far from where I live that I was involved with. The White Room that was attached to LUT-1 is currently on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as it has been for many years. It was used for Apollo 4, 8, 11, all manned Skylabs, and ASTP. There is another LUT/White Room, in storage, here at Kennedy Space Center. I would think another, a third, LUT/White Room is the one being referred to on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere. Is this correct? Besides the LUTs, of course, there were White Room (WR) compartments used for Project Mercury (2) and Project Gemini (1). The Gemini/White Room, that was atop Complex 19's erector gantry, recently completed a full renovation that is now residing at the Cape-side Air Force Space Museum. Complex 5's original White Room that was used by America's first man-in-space shots was acquired by a scrap company not too far from here in the early 1970s. I am guessing that the same fate of Pad 14's Mercury-Atlas White Room was destroyed or scrapped as well (I think in 1976 without rechecking). That should only leave four White Rooms intact that American astronauts utilized during NASA's Golden Age or era of Manned Spaceflight! Any other comments? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 49499
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 01-24-2006 09:33 PM
This is not the best picture, but here is a shot of the white room I took during my first trip to the Cosmosphere: |
Rick Boos
Member Posts: 851
From: Celina, Ohio
Registered: Feb 2000
|
posted 01-29-2006 01:34 PM
When I worked on Tom Hanks' "Earth To The Moon" project, they brought in one of the used white rooms that had been sitting in the boneyard at the Cape. It was in poor condition, the paint was chalky white, hoses dangling, in general rough condition. They repainted it and attached it to the fake swing arm that was used in the Apollo 13 movie and used it in the filming of the Apollo 1 fire episode. Where it went after the filming I have know idea. BUT, I was told it was the white room that was at the boneyard at the Cape with the dismantled LUT. Also, don't forget, there were two white rooms for pad #34. The small swing arm white room, and the gantry white room. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 49499
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 02-18-2009 12:57 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
The White Room that was attached to LUT-1 is currently on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as it has been for many years.
According to a recent post at NASASpaceflight.com, the white room on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is no longer the one that was attached to LUT-1. The WR on display in the KSC Visitors Center Rocket Garden is indeed from Pad 37 and was never used to fly any crew. It is attached to Service Arm #9 from LUT #1 -- which was the last thing both Armstrong & Aldrin walked down before then walking on the moon. I believe it was switched out after the Lunar program finished because of its historical significance. I *think* it was replaced with the WR from LC-34 because that had been used to fly Saturn-1B's previously. The Apollo 11-used white room is on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere, as pictured earlier in this thread. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3539
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 02-18-2009 03:25 PM
Most interesting and still, to me after so many years, more confusion as ever! Charlie Bell's acquired white room that he purchased from the government was from Pad 34 in 1973. It was used by many early Apollo crews, including Apollos 1 and 7, as he reported long ago. That particular white room, at one time, was going to be restored privately by myself and others -- however -- that was not to be (and such is another story). To the best of my knowledge, it still resides in a junkyard nearby by home. In regards to the "other" white room units from the LUTs, let me continue to research the topic even further as there are possibly some new sources that hopefully will be able to shed more light on their history and recent locations. |
Obviousman
Member Posts: 438
From: NSW, Australia
Registered: May 2005
|
posted 02-20-2009 01:59 AM
KSC White Room and LUT in January 2003: |
capcomespace
Member Posts: 29
From: france
Registered: Mar 2009
|
posted 03-01-2009 03:49 AM
quote:
Originally posted by User997:
Anyone have the history of the White Room that is on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere?
The white room display at Cosmosphere was a top LUT-1 "milkstool" and was used only for Skylab and ASTP mission. It was numbered "4" on this face.This room was switched from LUT-2 Apollo after Apollo 12 mission. The original white room LUT 1 Apollo has be out after Apollo 11, stored and maybe displayed at Kennedy Space Center in 1977. The original white room has been manufactured for Pad 34 and LUT Apollo 1 and 2. The first "design" was used for Apollo 1, Apollo 500F operation, Apollo 4 and 6 before to be modified or scrapped. The second design used a new hood on platform extension and safety update (camera, fan). This white room was used for Apollo 7 at Pad 34 and numbered "2" on this face. The white room used for Apollo 8 and 11 was numbered "3," the white room used for Apollo 9, 12 and 14 was numbered "4" and the white room used for Apollo 10, 13, 15, 16 and 17 was numbered "5." From Apollo 12 and 13, a canister is added on the white room back to protect the extensible platform when it not extended. The white room at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex doesn't have this canister, while the white room at Cosmosphere has it. I don't think that any white room had been manufactured for Pad 37. Jim McDade has seen a white room in the woods in Huntsville, maybe that white room was used for Pad 34, maybe it is white room "2." Missing is the location of the third white room (#5 LUT-3). |
dtemple
Member Posts: 757
From: Longview, Texas, USA
Registered: Apr 2000
|
posted 03-24-2009 10:51 PM
The WR on display in the KSC Visitors Center Rocket Garden is indeed from Pad 37 and was never used to fly any crew. I looked at photos of Saturn I rockets on Pad 37B and there is no white room attached to the gantry. The mobile service structure was used to enclose the rocket so there was no white room on it either. Evidently the plaque is incorrect. |
Atlantis
Member Posts: 111
From: Cullman, AL
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 07-06-2010 10:31 PM
I believe the white room that Jim McDade saw has been restored and is now on display in the Davidson Center. I saw it while driving past it tonight. |
jasonelam
Member Posts: 694
From: Monticello, KY USA
Registered: Mar 2007
|
posted 07-07-2010 09:24 AM
quote:
Originally posted by capcomespace:
The white room used for Apollo 8 and 11 was numbered "3," the white room used for Apollo 9, 12 and 14 was numbered "4" and the white room used for Apollo 10, 13, 15, 16 and 17 was numbered "5."
Why were there different white rooms for different missions? Seems interesting that different ones where used on some flights vs others. |
mikej
Member Posts: 483
From: Germantown, WI USA
Registered: Jan 2004
|
posted 07-08-2010 08:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Atlantis:
I believe the white room that Jim McDade saw has been restored and is now on display in the Davidson Center. I saw it while driving past it tonight.
Yes, the work crew was finishing up the white room's installation when I was there on Friday and Saturday (July 2 and 3).I have pictures of several of the white rooms on my website, heroicrelics.org: |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3681
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 06-15-2013 07:55 AM
quote:
Originally posted by jasonelam:
Why were there different white rooms for different missions?
Because there were three different Mobile Launchers. - ML-1 / white room 3 - Apollo 8, 11
- ML-2 / white room 4 - Apollo 9, 12, 14
- ML-3 / white room 5 - Apollo 10, 13, 15, 16, 17
|
LM-12
Member Posts: 3681
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 07-25-2014 07:21 AM
You can see White Room #4 on the ground in this photo taken during the disassembly of ML-1 in 1983. As mentioned earlier, White Room #4 was removed from ML-2 after Apollo 14. It was then placed on ML-1 for Skylab 2, 3, 4 and ASTP.  |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 330
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 10-23-2022 08:10 AM
Does anyone know, did the White Room at the end of the gantry arm sway much in the wind during use? |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1746
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
|
posted 10-23-2022 12:04 PM
The White Room at the end of the umbilical arm had clamps to the LES truss to prevent movement between it and the spacecraft.Shuttle whiteroom didn't have the equivalent and would sway. |
dtemple
Member Posts: 757
From: Longview, Texas, USA
Registered: Apr 2000
|
posted 11-18-2022 05:30 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
...it still resides in a junkyard nearby by home.
Can this junkyard be viewed using Google Earth/Google maps?
|
advertisement