Three and Half Miles From History: Watching the Launch of Apollo 11

Three and Half Miles From History: Watching the Launch of Apollo 11

Apollo 11 Launch, July 16, 1969
View from the Press Site aside the Launch Control Center
Photo: Dan Beaumont Space Museum
Apollo 11 Launch, July 16, 1969
View from the Press Site aside the Launch Control Center
Photo: Dan Beaumont Space Museum

Fifty-five years ago today, I saw Apollo 11 as she lifted off from Cape Kennedy and on her way to the moon. There are still a lot of us that were present that morning here on the Space Coast, and like a lot of those folks, the memory is as vivid today as it was in July, 1969.

SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

KSC's Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN
KSC’s Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule following a booster failure on July 11, 2024. Falcon 9 boosters have been grounded by the FAA pending investigation. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN

The Commercial Crew Program – All About Redundancy

SpaceX’s second-stage failure on their venerable Falcon 9 booster Thursday demonstrates exactly why NASA wants dissimilar redundancy for crewed flights. The idea is simple: if one launch provider is grounded for a technical issue or a launch failure investigation, the other can take up the slack. The duopoly of crewed launch providers is meant to assure the nation of continuous access to orbit while launching from American soil.