Apollo Launch Control
A labor of love
As a child of the Apollo era, one of my earliest fantasies was to man the switches at a console control during a rocket launch.
In those days, I never could have dreamed that 40 years later, I would own some of the actual NASA control panels.
The Kennedy Space Center Launch Control Center (LCC) contains four Firing Rooms, from which Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle missions have been launched since 1967.
This site documents my research into the Firing Rooms and their equipment. It illustrates some of the surviving control panels and shows where and how they were used during launches.
Badges: Access badges from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle
Collector’s guide: Collecting and restoring the equipment
Control panels: Photos and functions
Resources on this site
NEWS FLASH!
I have two books being published in summer 2015 by Springer-Praxis in their Space Exploration series.
Rocket Ranch: The Nuts and Bolts of the Apollo Moon Program at Kennedy Space Center (available August 2015)
Countdown to a Moon Launch: Preparing Apollo for Its Historic Journey (available September 2015)
Click here for more information on this project!
The LCC: Maps and context photos
An exploration of the Launch Control Center and Firing Room Equipment at Kennedy Space Center
About me: About the website moderator
Spotter’s guide: Identifying and locating equipment in the Firing Room