Launch of Apollo 17 (TV Feed and NASA Footage)

[TheToucantook]

I was sitting on the seawall on the other side of the river for this, about 10 miles away. I could see the sonic blast from this travel across the water to me in the light of the missile, but you felt it first through the ground. This lit the sky up from horizon to horizon like orange daylight and you could feel your innards rattle from the noise. I skipped whatever school was required to see every Saturn launch they did, as I figured it was better to witness history than study it. Good call

[megabrowndogs]

In 1972, I was 10 years old. My mom worked for NASA and got tickets to attend this launch. I was there! To this day it is one of the memories that I can still visualize in my mind. Seeing this video enabled me to relive this memory all overy again - thanks!

[xXDEICIDE216Xx]

They should rebuild and launch the saturn 5 so we can add todays modern hardware to it and also have some kickass HD filming.

[TheFUNkid108]

who dosnt likee nasa

[mercuryatlas1]

Love the on-board crew recordings: they really cheer me up, and they sound so heavy under high Gs, the first time I have heard that kind of thing. Came around here, I think, due to a Gemini 6 Atlas-Agena failure coverage video, c/o CBS News: been doing my best Walter Cronkheit voice all day. You are a great inspiration for YT membership names, too. Thanks again for your Apollolove. Out. Feet wet out here, too, one of rare SCalif rains.

[JMChladek]

"BTW, the cabin sealed" LOL. I think that was just something of a gallows humor reference to maybe they should have checked that earlier (making sure the cabin pressure was at about 5 psi, flight pressure). It is nice to hear Ron Evans being the wide eyed CMP on his first flight (Jack is chatting too, but not quite as much).

[ApolloWasReal]

@JMChladek I heard the same thing. I don't think it was quite gallows humor as they were in pressure suits that would have kept them alive had the cabin not sealed, giving them time to work the problem. But it would have been impossible to have a normal mission without a sealed cabin.

The chuckling might have been because he was supposed to make the call earlier but forgot.

[jetfreak4]

I'd like to be able to see if there is full news coverage of Apollo 17.

[KaTzaNdSTuFf]

Jack Schmitt. My favorite astronaut.

[monokhem]

@KaTzaNdSTuFf You must be a geologist.

[jetfreak4]

That flame is incredible...it must be at least ten miles long.

[1988DTS]

Stand by for Mode 1 Bravo!!

[ceredigio]

@1988DTS Why did they say that just on Apollo and not on Gemini? Was it an abort mode to do specifically with the Saturn launch vehicle?

[jetfreak4]

Is there any CBS or NBC footage that covers the entire launch?

[t5239857289578947594]

It's like watching an nuclear bomb explode.

[ceredigio]

@t5239857289578947594 I don't know if you've read 'Moonshot' by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton, but they describe the launch being visible from on top of Stone Mountain in Georgia and looking a nuclear bomb!

[jetfreak4]

I'm pretty sure that the loud noise around 6:45 was the rockets of the escape tower firing as it was jettisoned.

[Tyrannobeast]

Gene-O's one of the coolest Astronauts out there! I had the privilege of meeting him once.

I love hearing the Astronauts at staging, they're thrown forward and you can hear one of them going, "Mph- Jesus Christ!" That would be so much fun!

[ccblack1]

@ lunarmodule5 ... thanks for including the audio from the crew in this video. I agree with many other post here that it is tremendous.  I'm also curious as to what that joke at 7:13 was all about. Inside joke obviously, and the mention of it sure had the crew laughing. They sound like they were having a good time !

[lunarmodule5]

@ccblack1 You are welcome - glad you liked the video! I will try and do the same for the other apollo launches when I get time!

[ceredigio]

@lunarmodule5 The onboard recorder is one of two audio options in the launch section of the Apollo 17 DVDs from Spacecraft Films (the other option is the PAO loop).

[ceredigio]

@ccblack1 The onboard recorder is one of two audio options in the launch section of the Apollo 17 DVDs from Spacecraft Films (the other option is the PAO loop).

[jetfreak4]

Amazing what training can do. what I wouldn't give to be able to just enjoy being propelled by 7.6 million pounds of thrust into space at 7000 mph and adjusting by seeming 1G per second hehehe.

[PchanStitch]

3:15 Pure gold right there.

[gwengoadalso]

hats off!!

[ApolloWasReal]

The audio sounds like it's coming from the CM's tape recorder. We hear the astronauts talking to each other and Houston as they heard them over the radio. The uplink Quindar tones sound distorted and weak because their only intended function was to mute the uplink when the Capcom wasn't talking, so they were (partially, in this case) notched out at the uplink transmitter.

[lunarmodule5]

@ApolloWasReal - As I explained on the description......the audio is the countdown as would have been heard on the networks via NASA to T-0 then I have added in the on board voice recorder as I think it adds a new dimension to the launch sequence. Hope that helps!

[ApolloWasReal]

@lunarmodule5 Ah yes, I see now. Good job - I always enjoy those onboard recordings, the crew is much more relaxed and colorful when the whole world isn't listening!

[ceredigio]

@ApolloWasReal The onboard recorder is one of two audio options in the launch section of the Apollo 17 DVDs from Spacecraft Films (the other option is the PAO loop).

[osallent]

Gene Cernan sounded so excited, and I don't blame him, considering he was heading for the surface of the moon. You can hear the joy and excitement in his voice so well, specially when you compare the radio chatter here to other Apollo launches.

[ceredigio]

@osallent 'Gene Cernan sounded so excited, and I don't blame him, considering he was heading for the surface of the moon.' He'd already been very close to in in Apollo 10 of course, so the excitement was natural!

'specially when you compare the radio chatter here to other Apollo launches' Have you heard the onboard loop of Apollo 12? Even after the Saturn 5 was hit by lightning, Pete Conrad and co were laughing and joking about it all the way up to orbit!!

[Photoguy7482]

Man look at the sumbitch! LMFAO!!!

[Enigma049]

Thank you very much! I have viewed all of your posts and they all are exellent! I grew up watching thes broadcasts and forgot how good they are. It also reminds me how hard NASA worked to complete these missions, and the courage of our astronauts!

[armysaber]

Cernan, "Look at that sum bitch." One of my favorite astronauts.

[viking1960]

What I wouldn't give for the chance to fly to the Moon. It's Disneyland for grown -ups.

[UdallIn72]

@viking1960

You get to poop in a bag, too!

[DumbYankies]

I remember seeing a picture and reading years ago that this launch was watched by two guys who were like 105 and 107 years old and were born as slaves in the south. Has anyone else heard or seen this story? just wondering

[GaryW48]

@DumbYankies I remember that! NBC-TV had a reporter asking one of them about what he saw after launch, and he just could not believe it. I believe his name was Charlie Smith, if memory serves me correctly.

[altfactor]

@GaryW48 I think Smith was interviewed by Frank McGee and John Chancellor, who were co-anchors for the launch and at the Cape.

And I think McGee or Chancellor told Smith "Believe It! They're goin' to the moon!".

[ceredigio]

@altfactor According to 'A Man on The Moon' by Andy Chaikin, Charlie Smith looked across from the press mound at Pad 39 before lift off and said 'That's a rocket, but that aint nobody goin to no moon!' And after it was over, 'I see they goin somewhere, but that don't mean nothin'!'

[ceredigio]

@GaryW48 According to 'A Man on The Moon' by Andy Chaikin, Charlie Smith looked across from the press mound at Pad 39 before lift off and said 'That's a rocket, but that aint nobody goin to no moon!' And after it was over, 'I see they goin somewhere, but that don't mean nothin'!'

[ceredigio]

@DumbYankies According to 'A Man on The Moon' by Andy Chaikin, Charlie Smith looked across from the press mound at Pad 39 before lift off and said 'That's a rocket, but that aint nobody goin to no moon!' And after it was over, 'I see they goin somewhere, but that don't mean nothin'!'

[ceredigio]

Is the whole TV feed of the launch anywhere?

[lunarmodule5]

@ceredigioIt has to be somewhere. Have you asked Mark at SCF or been on the Collectspace forums?

[ceredigio]

@lunarmodule5 TV footage of the count up to the cutoff at T-30 sec is on the Apollo 17 SCF DVDs, but unfortunately no TV of the launch itself

[lunarmodule5]

@Starwing1272 Thanx for the comment SW! Great to hear they are in good humour and obviously enjoying the experience !

[Superedit]

I stayed up late to watch this...my folks were as entranced as I was. Well worth the wait - what a show!

[lunarmodule5]

@Superedit am sure jealous!

[TampaDrLove]

Amazing! 

[lunarmodule5]

@TampaDrLove Yup!

[Ferrariman601]

Ha, it's so cool to hear these guys just conversing casually as they're being hurled into space on top of 100,000,000+ horsepower. I guess it highlights just how good they were at what they did. I've got MASSIVE respect for these heroes.

[courtknee]

This is just... the coolest thing ever.

[lunarmodule5]

@courtknee Thanx for the comment !

[altfactor]

The first night launch ever of a manned space flight.

The launch was originally to have taken place shortly before 10 P.M. EST, but was delayed almost three hours.

Still, it was reportdely the second most-watched TV event of 1972, behind Super Bowl VI.

The countdown graphics look like those long used by NBC News.

[TampaDrLove]

@altfactor Saw this in person from SW Florida...it was amazing!

[lunarmodule5]

@TampaDrLove and I am very jealous lol

[DumbYankies]

@TampaDrLove I watched this in australia in primary school

[ceredigio]

@altfactor NBC also used to have an animated crew and spacecraft synched to the ascent and orbital insertion sequence that they switched to when the ground cameras lost track of the Saturn, you can see it on several other Utube vids. When Apollo 12 launched into stormclouds and was hit by lightning, NBC kept showing first a big mass of clouds, then views of the empty Pad 39, then finally switched to an animated flying Saturn V and then the animated crew!

[ceredigio]

@altfactor Apollo 12 must have been the only time the NBC animation sequence was seen just moments after lift off! (instead of when the tracking cameras lost the vehicle) I do not know if the animation can still be seen in its entirety, I am also not sure of its origin, whether it was taken from a NASA animation or whether the networks specially created it.

[lunarmodule5]

@coreyvaske28 - corey - there were 11 manned Apollo flights (Apollo 7 thru 17). Two flights (7 and 9) flew in earth orbit and nine flew to the moon. One flight (Apollo 7) was launched by Saturn 1B and the rest by the Saturn V. If the Skylab and ASTP flights are included then there were 15 flights (They all were launched using the Saturn !B). Hope that helps!

[ceredigio]

Is the KSC 'clean feed' of this launch anywhere?

[lunarmodule5]

@ceredigio I would love to find that coverage ceredigio!!

[ceredigio]

@lunarmodule5 If you have the Spacecraft Films Apollo 17 DVDs, there is TV footage of the launch on there, but not of the actual launch sequence itself, which is somewhat annoying!! The audio on there is of the air-to-ground and not the PAO loop, although not during the actual launch when you can switch between the PAO loop and the onboard recorder.

[lunarmodule5]

@ceredigio - Yeah I have the set and, like you, I was disapointed that a more fuller countdown sequence isn't on there (apart from Apollo 11 set the others are the same). I was hoping that by now the Apollo Journals would have the audio tagged to the transcripts but so far only limited audio has been added. There has been talk of a NASA siteconmtaining the full NASA audio archive....but its only a rumour...

[ceredigio]

@lunarmodule5 The Apollo 11 TV launch feed from that set is also available on YouTube. The Apollo 11 Flight Journal (not to be confused with the ALSJ) has an MP3 of the PAO loop of the launch. Wish all the other flight journals had!

[lunarmodule5]

@ceredigio - Thanx for the heads up on the AFJ site and the Apollo 11 audio...it seems they have added all the mission audio up to and including Lunar Orbit OPS so far. I have been wondering when they might put the audio on for the other flights..it would seem there is a while longer to wait. If NASA wanted I would volunteer to edit it and post it for them....any other takers? lol

[Jimd1701]

Just before the 6 minute mark, there's some great and funny unscripted words from the crew during staging. Thanks for the upload!

[lunarmodule5]

@Jimd1701 You are most welcome. Yeah, nice to know they are human after all isnt it! lol

[ceredigio]

@Jimd1701 Hmm think most of what they said privately to each other onboard was unscripted lol