Setting the stage
Situated along the shores of Cape Canaveral on Florida’s Space Coast sits Launch Complex 34, constructed in the late 1950s for NASA’s early rocket tests for the Apollo program. Launch Complex 34 hosted several uncrewed test flights of the Saturn I and Saturn IB rockets, the predecessors to the much larger and Moon-capable Saturn V rocket that ultimately sent Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the Moon in 1969.
Launch Complex 34 was chosen to launch the first crewed mission of the Apollo program, with the goal of testing the Command and Service Module in orbit. A pre-launch rehearsal at this very launch pad would ultimately take the lives of three astronauts, prompting a major redesign of the Apollo spacecraft.
Construction & early flights
According to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum’s archives, Launch Complex 34 began construction in June 1959, with work being completed two years later in 1961.
The blockhouse, a reinforced concrete bunker housing launch control consoles and their operators, was constructed about 1,000 feet from the launch pad. This allowed for the connection of cables directly to the launch pad itself as well as safe visual observation by the launch controllers.
Alongside the blockhouse, the launch pedestal was constructed to support the rocket on the launch pad. This 27-foot-tall square concrete structure supported eight hold-down arms which would release the rocket after engine ignition.
Two 150-ton flame diverters were constructed and installed along moving tracks, allowing for redundancy and clearance from the launch mount for any maintenance work.
Situated next to the launch pedestal, the Umbilical Tower provided the rocket with its fuel of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, electrical connections and a crew access arm.
Located along a moving track, the Mobile Service Tower (MST) was used to hoist and stack the rocket and provided enclosures for technicians to work around the vehicle. Once launch preparations were complete, the MST was rolled back to clear the launch pad.
Six uncrewed test flights were launched from 1961 to 1966, testing the Saturn I and Saturn IB rockets in order to test hardware and launch capabilities for the later Saturn V rocket. All tests were successfully completed and paved the way for the first crewed launch on the Saturn IB.
The Apollo 1 tragedy
NASA announced the first manned mission of the Apollo program in 1966, a low Earth orbital test designated Apollo-Saturn 204, or AS-204. This was to be flown by Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward “Ed” White and Roger Chaffee.
Planned to launch on February 21, 1967, this flight never made it off the launch pad. A month prior, on January 27, during a pre-launch rehearsal, a fire broke out in the capsule, killing all three men.
This tragedy brought the Apollo program to a halt, and an investigation into the root cause of the fire went underway. It took NASA just over two months to find that an electrical short circuit ignited in the pure oxygen environment of the capsule, rapidly spreading with the highly flammable materials inside the command module, including the space suits.
A pressure seal in the three-part hatch system prevented the astronauts from opening the hatch due to the high pressure environment sealing it shut. The astronauts inside were not able to escape and ultimately died due to the toxic gases that filled the capsule.
The hazards of the CSM were addressed, and ultimately, the hatch, alongside other systems, was redesigned and implemented into the new variant of the Apollo CSM. Their mission was later redesignated from AS-204 to Apollo 1 to honor their sacrifice.
An article by John Uri, manager of the History Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, states, “Although the capsule remains in its storage facility, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the accident in 2017, NASA decided to display the spacecraft’s three-piece hatch at KSC’s Apollo/Saturn V Center, where it can be seen today.”
The Apollo 1 crew standing in front of the Mobile Service Tower prior to the accident in 1967. L-R (Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee).
NASA
An aerial view of Launch Complex 34 during construction in 1961.
NASA
The ruins left behind
The final flight at Launch Complex 34 took place on October 11, 1968, named Apollo 7. The crew included Walter “Wally” Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham.
After this, the Apollo program shifted to Launch Complex 39 at the nearby Kennedy Space Center for the Saturn V Moon rocket, and LC-34 no longer served a purpose. The blockhouse, launch pedestal and two flame diverters stay abandoned in place, now serving as a memorial to the crew of Apollo 1.
In a document published by the Historic American Engineering Record, written by Trish Slovinac, it states, “The Complex was mothballed in November 1971, and the Mobile Service Structure and Umbilical Tower were razed in April 1972 due to excessive rust and deterioration. LC 34 was officially abandoned in October 1973 with most of the facilities transferred back to the Air Force’s control in November 1973.”
A small plant situated in a rain puddle is reflected in front of the launch pedestal at Launch Complex 34 on a gloomy evening.
As of today, this site is visitable to any badge-holding employee to reflect on the early space program and the sacrifices made by the Apollo 1 crew in pursuit of space exploration.
Per Aspera, Ad Astra.