Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) was a Launch Site at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The site was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches.
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[edit] History
Launch Complex 14 is most well known as the launch site for NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 flight, which made John H. Glenn the first American in orbit. It was also the launch site of the other Mercury-Atlas flights and various unmanned Atlas launches. Later, it was the site for Atlas-Agena launches, with the Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV), for Project Gemini.
Following decommissioning and abandonment as active launch site, Launch Complex 14 slowly fell into decay. Although a stop on the pre-11 September 2001 public bus tours of Cape Canaveral, the proximity of the site to the Atlantic Ocean created an ideal environment for the corrosion of metal components and the complex's red metal gantry structures were dismantled for safety purposes in the 1970s.
[edit] Restoration
In 1997, the 45th Space Wing embarked on a partial restoration of Launch Complex 14 under the aegis of the 45th Operations Support Squadron and its commander, Lt Col Dennis Hilley, USAF. Although extensive repairs were made by Boeing and Johnson Controls, with additional assistance from Lockheed Martin and Brown and Root, the restoration utilized no military construction (MILCON) or military operations & maintenance (O&M) funding and was effected strictly with military, DoD civilian and NASA volunteers. Several months later, the exterior and interior of the original Launch Complex 14 blockhouse and its nearby astronaut parking area had been restored, with the blockhouse converted into a conference facility for military, NASA and contractor use.
Present at the dedication in May 1998 were former Mercury astronauts Col L. Gordon Cooper, USAF Ret and CDR M. Scott Carpenter, USN Ret; Mrs. Betty Grissom, widow of Lt Col Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, USAF; and 1950s/1960s comedian Bill Dana, best known for his José Jiménez character, especially, the reluctant " José the Astronaut" performed on The Steve Allen Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The character of José Jiménez caught on amongst the seven Mercury astronauts and Dana became good friends with all seven astronauts. "Okay, José, you're on your way!" Deke Slayton quipped as Alan Shepard's famous first flight launched, in reference to the astronaut parody. For his role as José the Astronaut, Dana was officially made an honorary Mercury astronaut.
Among other Mercury astronauts, former U.S. Senator (and Col USMC Ret) John H. Glenn, Jr. could not attend the dedication due to preparations for his then-pending Space Shuttle flight and CAPT Walter M. Schirra, USN Ret could not attend due to a scheduling conflict. Former astronaut Donald K. Slayton had died in 1993, while RADM Alan B. Shepard, USN Ret extended his regrets that he could not attend the dedication due to illness. Largely unknown at the time was that RADM Shepard was suffering from terminal leukaemia, and he died shortly after the dedication.
In addition to the total interior renovation, the blockhouse contains historical documents, photos and memorabilia from Project Mercury, as well as photos of the blockhouse area before, during and after the restoration. Future improvements to the pad itself are also planned as time and contributory funding permits.
The entrance road to Launch Complex 14 is marked by several memorials and signs commemorating Project Mercury and the four of six manned missions launched there. This includes a large metal sculpture of the Project Mercury symbol, under which is buried a time capsule containing various technical documents of the Mercury space program. The time capsule is scheduled to be open in the year 2464, 500 years after the official conclusion of the program. With its withdrawal from operational status, a memorial marker in granite was also placed at the beginning of the concrete ramp that leads to Launch Complex 14's actual launch pad and two outdoor kiosks were erected to contain historical photos.
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[edit] See also
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- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 is at coordinates Coordinates:
