Saturn V Launch Views - Apollo 12 (AS-507) High Speed Cam 480p

[Zoomer30]

In retrospect, we would be MUCH better off now in regards to our space program if the USSR had not been there. We had to beat them to the Moon and all that.

Space Race = Do it fast = cost does not matter = end up with a system that works but is not sustainable = lose ground after the "race" is won.

We could have made a much better, more logical progression if we had not just HAD to keep JFKs pledge about doing it before the end of the decade and beating the Russians.

[hunterhalo2]

Well we wouldn't have done it at all if it wasn't for the race, we probably wouldn't have half the aerospace engineering skills or the technology. I see your point, but you gotta point a gun at politicians for them to see any value of space exploration, and well the Russians did.

[FractAlkemist]

40 years ago we were walking on the moon. And we've been flying the same outdated space truck since the early 80's. Now we have to rent Chinese and Russian rockets to launch a freakin sattelite! Empire in decline?! Will Obama fix this too?

[sbentjies]

No, he can't even fix healthcare let alone fix the space program

[SirGwain80]

As AS-507 a.k.a Apollo 12 lifted off and cleared the pad, it flew through an electrically charged cloud. Because of the differences of polarity between the vehicle and the cloud, the lightning was discharged from the exhaust trail 800 feet long all the way down to the launch umbilibcal tower on the pad. One strike happened at approx. 36 seconds, and then another one a few seconds later. Pad cameras recorded the lightning strikes.

[michchap]

Thank you for posting this video. The Saturn V rocket was a marvel of technology and management. This video does a great job of illustrating the power of this massive moon rocket.

[Piccinels]

If I remember well, in this liftoff there had been a problem with a lightning that struk the Saturn V. Isn't it?

[thepet3r]

Yep, Apollo 12 was struck by lightning at launch, which gave some scary telemetry readouts before EECOM John Aaron called the crew and Bean hit the SCE to AUX switch --> All better!