Kennedy Space Center

On May 18, 1969, at 11:49AM ET, Apollo 10 launched from LC-39B at Cape Kennedy. It was the second mission to the moon (Apollo 8 being the first), the fifth launch of a Saturn V, and the first Saturn V launched from Pad LC-39B — the same pad that now supports SLS / Artemis.

It was quite a busy day for everyone at Kennedy Space Center, and my Dad, Armand Boyer, on duty that day as the “Pad Chief” was one of them. He was responsible for fire and safety activities at the launch pad, but his job for the day didn’t end with the rocket launching. The aftermath of the rocket leaving the pad was incredible in its own right.

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With Saharan Desert dust in the sky, SpaceX launched Falcon 9 to orbit shortly after dawn on May 18, 2022 from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was originally scheduled for 6:20AM local time, or shortly before dawn here, but it was delayed for nearly forty minutes for a 06:59AM ET liftoff.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink 4-18 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on May 18, 2022.
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer
(click to enlarge)
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Quite a number of my family members have worked in the space program at various points in their careers, and for some of them, it was their career. I’ve known for a long time that my late Mom had a relatively brief stint out at Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral Air Force Station working as a nurse for TWA, who was contracted to provide medical services for the facility, but it’s rare to find any pictures of her working there.

I found one today in a pile of my Dad’s papers. I was looking for a report he had written about the state of Pad LC-39B after Apollo 10 launched, and came across this photo. My mother is the one on the right.

“STAND BY RESCUE UNITS AWAITING STATIC FIRING OF S/C #3 AT CRYO. BLDG.
L-R:: Mr. A. Mair, Mr. Harold Moore, Mr. Thain, Miss Penelon, Mrs. Dismukes, MILA”

Photo: NASA: 104-KSC-65C-880 / 1-15-65

At the time, she was still married (and soon to be divorced) from my biological father, hence the name Dismukes.

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And then there were two. After SpaceX launched Starlink 4-14 on April 21, 2022, there were “only” two rockets standing on top of their launch pads on the Space Coast.

Artemis-1 won’t launch this time around, instead, it will return to the VAB sometime around April 26, 2022 for repairs to a faulty valve as well as other processing. While it is gone, repairs and upgrades will be made to the ground support equipment on Launch Complex 39-B, and hopefully when the rocket is rolled back out, its Wet Dress Rehearsal will run more smoothly.

Artemis-1 in Monochrome
There’s something about a black and white photo that makes the details pop out nicely, so I used a #29 Wratten (red) filter to take this photograph of Artemis from Beach Road on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore on April 23, 2022.
(click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer

Crew-4 is scheduled to launch in the pre-dawn hours on April 27th, 2022. It will head to the International Space Station and deliver four NASA astronauts there to being a six-month stint onboard.

SpaceX Crew 4 (l) and Artemis-1 (r)
As seen from the boardwalk on Area 1 at Playalinda Beach, late in the afternoon on April 23, 2022.
(click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer
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I’ve been seeing some discussion about the potential for a new launch pad to be built at Kennedy Space Center — LC-49. This has been on the site’s master plan in one form or the other dating all the way back to the 1960’s, and the potential of it actually being built has risen lately due to SpaceX’s Starship due to come online in the next 6-12 months.

“One potential new vertical launch area, Launch Pad 49, could be sited to the north of Pad 39B.  This location avoids overflight issues with Pad 39B and minimizes conflict with the Canaveral National Seashore, giving potential non-NASA entities a flexible set of operational options.  In addition, Pad 49 could use Beach Road as an access road, allowing for more autonomous operations and the option to operate outside of KSC’s secured area.”

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Seen from ~15 miles away, a Falcon 9 carries four astronauts towards orbit on April 8, 2022.

SpaceX Axiom-1 Launch 04-08-2022
Shortly after passing through Max-Q — the time when the atmospheric loading is stressing the spacecraft the most — Falcon 9 leaves a contrail as it carries the four astronauts aboard the Capsule Endeavour towards orbit.

Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer / Creative Commons-Attribution license

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Artemis-1 Sitting on LC-39B, April 7, 2022
(Click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer / Creative Commons-Attribution license

Seen on April 7, Artemis-1 awaits further testing after The SpaceX Axiom-1 mission launches NET April 8th. The day was filled with intermittent rainstorms as a cold front approached and later passed through the Space Coast. As a result, the air was filled with a fine mist, something not atypical on the edge of the shoreline, and that’s where the launchpads are.

Artemis-1 Sitting on LC-39B, April 7, 2022
(Click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer / Creative Commons-Attribution license
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Axiom-1, an all-private mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch tomorrow, April 8, 2022 at 11:17am EDT. Four people will head up to ISS aboard the Crew Dragon sitting on top of the Falcon 9 booster.

A cold front is passing through the Space Coast today, and it’s been raining on and off as the cooler air pushes towards us. Forecasts are calling for a 90% chance of acceptable weather at launch time.

SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon / Axiom 1 Sits on LC-39A, April 7, 2022
(Click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer / Creative Commons-Attribution license
SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon / Axiom 1 Sits on LC-39A, April 7, 2022
(Click to enlarge)
Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer / Creative Commons-Attribution license
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LC39A, Kennedy Space Center, April 1, 2022
(click to enlarge full size. Photo ©2022 Charles Boyer)

The lights were on as SpaceX began work on preparing Launch Complex 39-A ready for its next crewed mission. Axiom-1 is a private mission to ISS-NL and is set to launch NET April 6, 2022.

On the left, a crane rises over the construction site SpaceX has opened to build a launch pad for Starship, its super-heavy booster currently under development.

Seen April 1, 2022.

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