50 Years Ago: Apollo 11 Saturn V Moon Rocket Rolls Out to Launch Pad 39A - May 20, 1969: Photos

Saturn V SA-506, the rocket carrying NASA's Apollo 11 spacecraft, is rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building and down the 3.5 mile crawlerway to Launch Complex 39A on May 20, 1969 at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. Credit: NASA

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM – 20 May 2019

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL –  50 years ago today the mighty Saturn V moon rocket that propelled Apollo 11 on NASA’s history making first Moon landing journey was rolled out to Launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The historic trek to pad 39A took place as the Apollo 10 mission was already on its way to the Moon with a trio of NASA astronauts for the preparatory flight before the Apollo 11 trio would blastoff two months later on July 16, 1969.

The 363 foot tall (110 meter) Apollo 11 rocket stack, Launch Umbilical Tower and Mobile Launcher departed the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at 12:30 p.m. atop the crawler-transporter for the 3.5 mile journey to pad 39A while moving about one mile per hour.

The three stage rocket weighs 6,540,000 lb (2,970,000 kg).

Enjoy this gallery of NASA images showing the entire journey of the Saturn V from the VAB, trundling along the crawlerway and up the incline before finally reaching the top od pad 39A. 

The Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 11 shortly after leaving the VAB around 12:30 p.m. ET on its way to Launch Pad 39A on May 20, 1969 at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 trundles past the parked Mobile Service Structure. Credit: NASA

“Apollo 11 astronauts Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, and Command Module Pilot (CMP) Michael Collins were on hand to watch their rocket make its slow trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center,” according to a NASA description. 

“They were busy preparing for the mission by practicing for the first moonwalk and training for splashdown and recovery, including wearing Biological Isolation Garments to protect Earth from possible lunar microbes.” 

“The Mobile Quarantine Facility that housed them from splashdown until arrival at the Lunar Receiving Lab was delivered to the Manned Spacecraft Center, now the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Lunar Module (LM) completed tests to certify it for the loads it would encounter during the Moon landing.”

The Saturn V moves at one mile per hour down the crawlerway toward pad 39A. Credit: NASA

Carrying the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket and mobile launcher, the crawler inches its way along the three-and-a-half-mile journey to Launch Pad 39A. The 363-foot-high space vehicle launched Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. on the first manned lunar landing mission on July 16, 1969.  Credit: NASA 

Ground-level view of the 363-ft. tall Apollo 11 Saturn V on the crawlerway. Credit:

The Apollo 11 Saturn V approaches the incline to pad 39A. Credit: NASA

The Apollo 11 Saturn V nears the end of its trip to the launchpad.  Credit: NASA

This year marks the 50^th anniversary since Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969 along with Buzz Aldrin. 

The last time American astronauts walked on the Moon was back in Dec. 1972 during NASA’s Apollo 17 moon landing mission. No human has ventured back since. 

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” declared Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong, uttering his famous first words from Tranquility Base after stepping off the ladder of the Lunar Module named Eagle. 

NASA is finally returning to the Moon under the newly named Project Artemis. 

NASA seeks to accomplish an American lunar landing in just 5 years by 2024 at the lunar south pole with “the first woman and the next man.”

President Trump has made returning humans to the moon sooner a highlight of his Administration by supporting NASA and signing ‘Space Policy Directive One’ in December 2017 which states - “the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.”  

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.

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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

May 22-24: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings.  Learn more about the upcoming/recent NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-17 launch to ISS, Falcon Heavy, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more

Apollo 11 astronauts (left to right) Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin pose in front of their
Saturn V rocket at Launch Pad 39A. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 patch