Posted on 06/20/2016 9:20:55 AM PDT by Purdue77
It’s good to hear we actually still have a space program, anyway.
#8 It is amazing they got that whole building into space!
I am assuming a giant rubber band between the 2 towers on either side and under the payload and whoosh! off it went!
#10 I stand corrected.......
Those two big towers (that look like transmitter towers) are really lightning rods. All of the launch pads at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center have them now to prevent lightning strikes to the rockets.
In the 1960’s a U.S. Jupiter IRBM mobile missile, with a thermonuclear warhead fitted, was struck by lightning while standing, outside, on alert in Italy. Luckily neither the warhead or it’s high explosive trigger, surrounding the nuclear pit, went off.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.