4 ms·

Towers Toppled at Historic Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 17

22 points by okket 8y ago

bobwaycott 8y ago
Question: Why are these things blown up (imploded) instead of dismantled? Is it really that much easier to just collect debris vs systematically tearing a thing down?
- slededit 8y ago
  Short answer: Yes When a large structure is assembled there is a detailed engineering plan for its construction. Because you are in a catch-22 situation of parts structurally supporting each other. Designing a structure for disassembly would place further constraints on its design and cost more. Further many fasteners are not designed for disassembly such as rivets and glues. And even if a structure were designed to be dismantled, it would get compressed and otherwise destroyed at the junkyard anyways.
- duskwuff 8y ago
  Consider a tree. What's easier? 1. Send a team of guys up to climb the tree, cut off a piece at a time, and rope it all down. 2. Fell the tree and cut it up on the ground. The same principles apply to a metal structure.
  - TomK32 8y ago
    European aristocracy had the means to transport old grown trees during the winter months to prep up their new castles and parks. nowadays it's a boring machine: https://totalenvironmentinc.com/assets/images/portfolio/MatureOakPlanting/TreeMovingCHKLive%20(2).JPG https://totalenvironmentinc.com/assets/images/portfolio/Matu...
NeedMoreTea 8y ago
Give it some years and people will be wondering why they couldn't preserve the tower as part of the history of the dawn of the Space Age.
- mieseratte 8y ago
  > Give it some years and people will be wondering why they couldn't preserve the tower as part of the history of the dawn of the Space Age. I'm already wondering why... I grew up in SC, about a five hour drive away, and visited the Kennedy Space Center many times over the years. I loved touring the facilities more than I did going to the theme parks, and despite being a typical sarcastic teenager I was always inspired and awed but what we as humans were able to accomplish. True feats of scientific and engineering greatness. Last month I got to visit the Johnson Space Center, and it reignited that awe and passion for engineering and definitely made me wonder what I'm doing with my life, building software to help make the rich richer...
  - Theodores 8y ago
    They still have piles of the stuff on the ground, why don't you write to them and ask for a small piece for your mantelpiece? Maybe persuade them to auction off a few pieces with proceeds going to an appropriate museum/charity? I would say that a valve or any bit of tubing from one of those towers would make a very interesting conversation piece and would give the inspiration needed for pet moon shots. Stick it next to a chunk of Berlin Wall and you have got the Cold War covered. If you don't ask then you don't get.
- bryananderson 8y ago
  While the Delta II rocket launched some memorable payloads, such as the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the rocket itself was not particularly important in the history of space exploration, nor does it date to the dawn of the Space Age. Cape Canaveral has hosted dozens of launch towers, and rather than keep them all and never use any of the pads again, they are attempting to find exciting new uses for them. This one, for example, will be used by a company called Moon Express to test lunar lander technology. The best days of the Space Age are ahead of us, not behind!
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    Well the article does open with the dawn of the Space Age phrase as the very first sentence, and concludes that the towers are sixty years old. That would go back far further than just Delta II, right through the Apollo era, to Mercury and Gemini. That is what triggered thoughts of preservation and potential historic significance rather than demolition. Exciting new uses at a leased subcontractor can never be another first of the era.
ArtWomb 8y ago
Congrats to the 45th Space Wing on the successful demo ;) Some of the best and brightest folks you will ever have the opportunity to work with. Just a quick note to say we are GO on planning the Space Coast Hacker House project. A live and work facility for talented engineers and digital nomads. Or anyone interested in short stints in support of the New Space economy. Location to be determined in proximity to Cape Canaveral, Florida and Kennedy Space Center. The house will prove an ideal location for live broadcasting rocket launches, hosting events with pioneers of human space flight, and hacking late into the night on the next innovations in cosmic exploration. Currently we are in development on our own self-hosted crowd raise platform. As well as creating custom merchandise to be sold on the site. But we are coalescing activities around the "SpaceH" identity. And hope to distribute the link by Sep 1 ;)

22 points by okket 8y ago

Question: Why are these things blown up (imploded) instead of dismantled? Is it really that much easier to just collect debris vs systematically tearing a thing down?

slededit 8y ago
Short answer: Yes When a large structure is assembled there is a detailed engineering plan for its construction. Because you are in a catch-22 situation of parts structurally supporting each other. Designing a structure for disassembly would place further constraints on its design and cost more. Further many fasteners are not designed for disassembly such as rivets and glues. And even if a structure were designed to be dismantled, it would get compressed and otherwise destroyed at the junkyard anyways.
duskwuff 8y ago
Consider a tree. What's easier? 1. Send a team of guys up to climb the tree, cut off a piece at a time, and rope it all down. 2. Fell the tree and cut it up on the ground. The same principles apply to a metal structure.
- TomK32 8y ago
  European aristocracy had the means to transport old grown trees during the winter months to prep up their new castles and parks. nowadays it's a boring machine: https://totalenvironmentinc.com/assets/images/portfolio/MatureOakPlanting/TreeMovingCHKLive%20(2).JPG https://totalenvironmentinc.com/assets/images/portfolio/Matu...

NeedMoreTea 8y ago

Give it some years and people will be wondering why they couldn't preserve the tower as part of the history of the dawn of the Space Age.

mieseratte 8y ago
> Give it some years and people will be wondering why they couldn't preserve the tower as part of the history of the dawn of the Space Age. I'm already wondering why... I grew up in SC, about a five hour drive away, and visited the Kennedy Space Center many times over the years. I loved touring the facilities more than I did going to the theme parks, and despite being a typical sarcastic teenager I was always inspired and awed but what we as humans were able to accomplish. True feats of scientific and engineering greatness. Last month I got to visit the Johnson Space Center, and it reignited that awe and passion for engineering and definitely made me wonder what I'm doing with my life, building software to help make the rich richer...
- Theodores 8y ago
  They still have piles of the stuff on the ground, why don't you write to them and ask for a small piece for your mantelpiece? Maybe persuade them to auction off a few pieces with proceeds going to an appropriate museum/charity? I would say that a valve or any bit of tubing from one of those towers would make a very interesting conversation piece and would give the inspiration needed for pet moon shots. Stick it next to a chunk of Berlin Wall and you have got the Cold War covered. If you don't ask then you don't get.
bryananderson 8y ago
While the Delta II rocket launched some memorable payloads, such as the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the rocket itself was not particularly important in the history of space exploration, nor does it date to the dawn of the Space Age. Cape Canaveral has hosted dozens of launch towers, and rather than keep them all and never use any of the pads again, they are attempting to find exciting new uses for them. This one, for example, will be used by a company called Moon Express to test lunar lander technology. The best days of the Space Age are ahead of us, not behind!
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  Well the article does open with the dawn of the Space Age phrase as the very first sentence, and concludes that the towers are sixty years old. That would go back far further than just Delta II, right through the Apollo era, to Mercury and Gemini. That is what triggered thoughts of preservation and potential historic significance rather than demolition. Exciting new uses at a leased subcontractor can never be another first of the era.

ArtWomb 8y ago

Congrats to the 45th Space Wing on the successful demo ;) Some of the best and brightest folks you will ever have the opportunity to work with. Just a quick note to say we are GO on planning the Space Coast Hacker House project. A live and work facility for talented engineers and digital nomads. Or anyone interested in short stints in support of the New Space economy. Location to be determined in proximity to Cape Canaveral, Florida and Kennedy Space Center. The house will prove an ideal location for live broadcasting rocket launches, hosting events with pioneers of human space flight, and hacking late into the night on the next innovations in cosmic exploration. Currently we are in development on our own self-hosted crowd raise platform. As well as creating custom merchandise to be sold on the site. But we are coalescing activities around the "SpaceH" identity. And hope to distribute the link by Sep 1 ;)