Launch Control Center

Legendary Countdown Preceded the First Moon Landing Mission

By Bob Granath | February 8, 2024

A countdown first was used as part of a rocket’s launch to the Moon in the 1929 science-fiction movie “Frau im Mond” (Woman in the Moon). Ironically, a countdown led to the voyage of Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin completing the first mission to actually land humans on the Moon 40 years later. The day Apollo 11 lifted off on its extraordinary flight, July 16, 1969, hundreds of millions on every continent around the world watched and listened on live television to what became the most famous countdown.

Women Taking Advantage of Diverse Opportunities at NASA

By Bob Granath | March 28, 2023

When retired Kennedy Space Center engineer and NASA astronaut Nicole Stott spoke to spaceport employees in 2015, she encouraged women at the center to take full advantage of expanding opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds. Women now are filling some of the most crucial roles in the agency’s Artemis Program. That effort is designed to establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities on the Moon and inspire the next generation of explorers.

Women Supporting Early Space Efforts Traveled a Difficult Road

By Bob Granath | March 21, 2023

When NASA’s Kennedy Space Center became operational in the summer of 1962, very few woman held jobs beyond secretarial or housekeeping positions. Today, they serve in leadership posts, engineering jobs and other key roles alongside their male counterparts. Retired spaceport engineer and NASA astronaut Nicole Stott spoke to employees at the Florida spaceport inspiring women to take full advantages of opportunities now offered.

Harris was More Than ‘Voice of NASA’ for First Shuttle Missions

By Bob Granath | February 17, 2023

Hugh Harris, a former director of Public Affairs at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, died Feb. 14, 2023 at the age of 90. He worked in increasingly responsible roles for the space agency from 1963 until his retirement in 1998. Harris was known as the “Voice of NASA” for early Space Shuttle missions, but his career covered much more.

This Time It’s for Real

By Bob Granath | August 17, 2022

On the evening of Aug. 16, 2022, the most powerful rocket ever built once again rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. But this time, it’s for real. The destination is the Moon.

Kennedy Space Center: Celebrating 60 Years of Launching the Future

By Bob Granath | July 20, 2022

In the decade after the first rocket lifted off into the skies above Cape Canaveral, the launch site became the focal point of America’s efforts to explore beyond Earth. To meet President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon, a expansive new site was needed. That location became NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a premier multi-user spaceport now commemorating its 60th anniversary.

NASA Takes Major Steps Toward Launching World’s Largest Rocket

By Bob Granath | January 19, 2021

NASA’s spacecraft designed to return astronauts to the Moon recently reached a major milestone in preparations for its first flight atop the world’s largest rocket, the Space Launch System. The Orion capsule for the agency’s Artemis I mission moved from the manufacturing and assembly stage to processing for flight. This is one of the latest steps forward for the program that will take the first woman and next man to the lunar surface.

NASA’s Artemis Moon Program Honored with Musical Production

By Bob Granath | March 16, 2020

In Greek mythology, Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo. Artemis now is the name of NASA’s program to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024. In honor of Women’s History Month, musician Lindsey Stirling performed her composition, “Artemis,” on the roof of the Launch Control Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.

Apollo 4 was First-Ever Launch from Kennedy Space Center

By Bob Granath | July 2, 2019

Near the end of 1967, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center experienced the roar of a rocket from Launch Complex 39 for the first time. The 363-foot-tall blasted off, shaking the ground and surrounding buildings.

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