Cape Canaveral Air Force StationThe Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing , headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range...
Launch Complex 34 (
LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island,
Cape CanaveralCape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of that state's Atlantic coast 45 minutes East of Orlando by car. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it sits due east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana...
,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. LC-34 and its twin to the north, LC-37, were used by
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
as part of the
Apollo ProgramNASA's Apollo Program landed the first humans on Earth's moon. US President John F. Kennedy announced his support for a manned moon landing on May 25, 1961, as part of a special address to a joint session of Congress:...
, to launch Saturn I and
IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
rocketA rocket or rocket vehicle is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust by the reaction of the rocket to the ejection of a jet of fast moving fluid exhaust from a rocket engine. Chemical rockets create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant...
s.
Notably, it was the site of the
Apollo 1Apollo 1 is the official name that was retroactively assigned to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket...
fire, which claimed the lives of
astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s
Gus GrissomVirgil Ivan Grissom, more widely known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot. He was the second American to fly in space...
,
Ed WhiteEdward Higgins White, II was an engineer, United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. On June 3 1965, he became the first American to conduct a spacewalk...
, and
Roger ChaffeeRoger Bruce Chaffee was an engineer, Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and a NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. Chaffee was killed along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a training exercise and pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at the Kennedy Space Center...
, on January 27, 1967.
Work began on LC-34 in 1960, and it was formally dedicated on June 5, 1961.
Cape Canaveral Air Force StationThe Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing , headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range...
Launch Complex 34 (
LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island,
Cape CanaveralCape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of that state's Atlantic coast 45 minutes East of Orlando by car. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it sits due east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana...
,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. LC-34 and its twin to the north, LC-37, were used by
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
as part of the
Apollo ProgramNASA's Apollo Program landed the first humans on Earth's moon. US President John F. Kennedy announced his support for a manned moon landing on May 25, 1961, as part of a special address to a joint session of Congress:...
, to launch Saturn I and
IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
rocketA rocket or rocket vehicle is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust by the reaction of the rocket to the ejection of a jet of fast moving fluid exhaust from a rocket engine. Chemical rockets create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant...
s.
Notably, it was the site of the
Apollo 1Apollo 1 is the official name that was retroactively assigned to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket...
fire, which claimed the lives of
astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s
Gus GrissomVirgil Ivan Grissom, more widely known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot. He was the second American to fly in space...
,
Ed WhiteEdward Higgins White, II was an engineer, United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. On June 3 1965, he became the first American to conduct a spacewalk...
, and
Roger ChaffeeRoger Bruce Chaffee was an engineer, Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and a NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. Chaffee was killed along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a training exercise and pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at the Kennedy Space Center...
, on January 27, 1967.
Construction
Work began on LC-34 in 1960, and it was formally dedicated on June 5, 1961. The complex consisted of a launch platform, umbilical tower, mobile service tower, fueling facilities, and a
blockhouseIn military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It is intended to serve as a defensive strongpoint against any enemy which does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
. Two steel flame deflectors were mounted on rails to allow placement beneath the launch platform. The service tower was likewise mounted on rails, and it was towed to a position 185 meters west of the pad before launch. At 95 meters high, it was the tallest structure at LC-34.
The blockhouse, located 320 meters from the pad, was modeled after the domed reinforced concrete structure at
LC-20Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 20 , previously Launch Complex 20 , is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. SLC-20 is located at the northern terminus of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Road, between Space Launch Complex 19 andSpace Launch Complex...
. During a launch, it could accommodate 130 people as well test and instrumentation equipment. Periscopes afforded views outside of the windowless facility.
Saturn I series
LC-34 saw its first launch on October 27, 1961. The first Saturn I, Block I, mission
SA-1SA-1 was the first flight of a Saturn I launch vehicle and was part of the Apollo program.-Objectives:This was the first flight of the Saturn I booster, the first in the Saturn family, and a huge increase in size and power over anything launched before it...
, lofted a dummy upper stage on a suborbital trajectory into the Atlantic. The subsequent three Saturn I launches took place at LC-34, ending with
SA-4SA-4 was the fourth launch of a Saturn I launch vehicle and the last of the initial test phase of the first stage. It was part of the Apollo Program.-Objectives:SA-4 was the last flight to test only the S-I first stage of the Saturn I rocket...
on March 28, 1963. The six ensuing Saturn I, Block II launches were conducted at
LC-37Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 37 , previously Launch Complex 37 , is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Construction began in 1959 and the site was accepted by NASA to support the Saturn I program in 1963. The complex consists of two launch pads...
.
Saturn IB series
LC-34 was extensively modified to support
Saturn IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
launches, which began in February 1966. New anchor points were built to fasten the service structure in place during high winds. Access arms on the umbilical tower were rebuilt to match the larger rocket. At the 67-meter level, the swing arm was outfitted with a white room to permit access to the command module at the top of a rocket.
Two Saturn IBs (
AS-201AS-201 was the first flight of the Saturn IB launch vehicle.-Objectives:This was not only the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket but the first real flight of a production Command and Service Module . It was a Block I version though, whereas all manned missions after the ill-fated Apollo 1 would...
and
AS-202AS-202 was a sub-orbital test flight of the Saturn IB and Command and Service Module. It is sometimes informally called Apollo 3.-Objectives:...
) were successfully launched from LC-34 before the
fireApollo 1 is the official name that was retroactively assigned to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket...
brought Apollo activities at the spaceport to an abrupt halt. After the fire, extinguishing equipment were installed at the top of the umbilical tower, and a slide wire was set up to provide astronauts a quick escape in the event of an emergency.
The first manned Apollo launch –
Apollo 7Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. It was an eleven-day Earth-orbital mission, the first manned launch of the Saturn IB launch vehicle, and the first three-person American space mission. The crew consisted of Mission Commander Walter M. Schirra, Command...
on October 11, 1968 – was the last time LC-34 was used. NASA considered reactivating both LC-34 and
LC-37Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 37 , previously Launch Complex 37 , is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Construction began in 1959 and the site was accepted by NASA to support the Saturn I program in 1963. The complex consists of two launch pads...
for the
Apollo Applications ProgramThe Apollo Applications Program was established by NASA headquarters in 1968 to develop science-based manned space missions using surplus material from the Apollo program...
, but instead
LC-39BLaunch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations...
was modified to launch Saturn IBs.
Launch Complex 34 today
After the decommissioning of LC-34, the umbilical tower and service structure were razed, leaving only the launch platform standing at the center of the pad. It serves as a memorial to the crew of Apollo 1. A dedicatory plaque affixed to the structure bears the inscription:
LAUNCH COMPLEX 34
Friday, 27 January 1967
1831 Hours
Dedicated to the living memory of the crew of the Apollo 1:
U.S.A.F. Lt. Colonel Virgil I. Grissom
U.S.A.F. Lt. Colonel Edward H. White, II
U.S.N. Lt. Commander Roger B. Chaffee
They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind's final frontier. Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived.
Another plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE SO OTHERS COULD REACH FOR THE STARS
AD ASTRA PER ASPERAPer aspera ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "through hardships to the stars" and is the motto of many organizations. It may also refer to:* Per Aspera Ad Astra , a 1981 Soviet science fiction film* Per Aspera Ad Astra...
(A ROUGH ROAD LEADS TO THE STARS)
GOD SPEED TO THE CREW OF APOLLO 1
Also surviving at the LC-34 site are the two flame deflectors and the blockhouse.
Launch history
This is a complete list of all launches made from LC-34.
| Date |
Time
(GMT) |
Launch VehicleIn spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
|
Mission |
Payload |
Remarks |
| October 27, 1961 |
15:06 |
Saturn I |
SA-1SA-1 was the first flight of a Saturn I launch vehicle and was part of the Apollo program.-Objectives:This was the first flight of the Saturn I booster, the first in the Saturn family, and a huge increase in size and power over anything launched before it...
|
(none) |
First use of LC-34, First flight of Saturn I. |
| April 25, 1962 |
14:00 |
Saturn I |
SA-2 SA-2 was the second flight Saturn I launch vehicle, the first flight of Project Highwater and was part of the Apollo Program.-Objectives:The objectives of SA-2 were much the same as those of SA-1. But in addition to testing the rockets structurally and the new engines, SA-2 was designed for Project...
|
HighwaterProject Highwater was included as part of the test flights of NASA's Saturn I launch vehicle , and two flights were successfully launched into a sub-orbital trajectory from Cape Canaveral, Florida...
|
Self-destruct detonated after completion of mission to test effects of water at high altitudes on communications. |
| November 16, 1962 |
17:45 |
Saturn I |
SA-3SA-3 was the third flight Saturn I launch vehicle, the second flight of Project Highwater and was part of the Apollo Program.-Objectives:...
|
HighwaterProject Highwater was included as part of the test flights of NASA's Saturn I launch vehicle , and two flights were successfully launched into a sub-orbital trajectory from Cape Canaveral, Florida...
|
Self-destruct detonated after completion of mission to test effects of water at high altitudes on communications. |
| March 28, 1963 |
20:11 |
Saturn I |
SA-4SA-4 was the fourth launch of a Saturn I launch vehicle and the last of the initial test phase of the first stage. It was part of the Apollo Program.-Objectives:SA-4 was the last flight to test only the S-I first stage of the Saturn I rocket...
|
(none) |
|
| February 26, 1966 |
15:06 |
Saturn IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
|
AS-201AS-201 was the first flight of the Saturn IB launch vehicle.-Objectives:This was not only the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket but the first real flight of a production Command and Service Module . It was a Block I version though, whereas all manned missions after the ill-fated Apollo 1 would...
|
Apollo CSM |
First flight of Saturn IB and Apollo Spacecraft The Apollo spacecraft was designed as part of the Apollo Program, by the United States in the early 1960s to land men on the moon by 1970 and return them safely to earth. This goal was set forth by President Kennedy after the first flight of the Mercury Space Program...
|
| August 25, 1966 |
17:15 |
Saturn IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
|
AS-202AS-202 was a sub-orbital test flight of the Saturn IB and Command and Service Module. It is sometimes informally called Apollo 3.-Objectives:...
|
Apollo CSM |
|
| October 11, 1968 |
15:02 |
Saturn IBThe Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...
|
Apollo 7Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. It was an eleven-day Earth-orbital mission, the first manned launch of the Saturn IB launch vehicle, and the first three-person American space mission. The crew consisted of Mission Commander Walter M. Schirra, Command...
|
Manned Apollo CSM |
First manned Apollo flight, last use of LC-34 |
See also
- List of spaceflights by year
- List of Merritt Island launch sites
- Merritt Island
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing , headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range...
- Project Apollo
NASA's Apollo Program landed the first humans on Earth's moon. US President John F. Kennedy announced his support for a manned moon landing on May 25, 1961, as part of a special address to a joint session of Congress:...
- Saturn I
The Saturn I was the United States' first dedicated "space launcher," a rocket designed specifically to launch loads into Earth's orbit. Most of the rocket's power came from a "clustered" lower stage consisting of tanks taken from older rocket designs and strapped together to make a single larger...
- Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage, the S-IVB. Unlike the earlier Saturn I, the IB had enough throw weight to launch the Apollo Command/Service Module or Lunar Module into Earth orbit, which made it invaluable for testing the...