My god, the whole building's shaking here!
3,531 views · Published 14 December 2013 · 2:59 · Indexed 19 October 2026
Channel: Bram Groeneveld · 2013 · Science & Technology
Eight seconds before liftoff, the five F-1 engines ignited, sending tremendous amounts of noise across Kennedy Space Center. To protect from a possible explosion, the launch pads at LC-39 were located more than three miles from the Vertical Assembly Building; still, the sound pressure was much stronger than expected and buffeted the VAB, Launch Control Center and press buildings. Ceiling tiles fell around news reporter Walter Cronkite, covering the launch for CBS News. Cronkite later admitted he was "overwhelmed" by the power of the rocket and the emotion of the moment that reduced his descriptions to one of the most intense TV coverings of the century.
