Early morning view on
November 9,
1967 of Pad A, Launch Complex 39,
Kennedy Space Center, showing
Apollo 4Saturn V (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) prior to launch later that day. This was the first launch of the Saturn V.
Note: The official NASA description of the photograph is incorrect, and the image is a composite with the
full moon in the background added later. On the morning of
November 9,
1967 the
moon was at
first quarter. The flame trench at Pad 39A was oriented along the north-south axis and the rocket was south of the Launch Umbilical Tower. This means this photograph was taken facing southwest, so for the lighting to be correct it had to have been taken at sunset, not sunrise, unless the original image has been "flipped" horizontally for the sake of artistic composition.
Additionally, by pre-dawn on November 9th, the rocket was fully fueled for a 7:00 AM EST launch, and would at that point have been wreathed in venting cryogenic gases, whereas none are visible in this photo.
The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the
Soviet/
Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain.
The
SOHO (ESA & NASA) joint project implies that all materials created by its probe are copyrighted and require permission for commercial non-educational use.
[2]
Official
NASA description of the image: <blockquote> Early morning view on
November 9,
1967 of Pad A, Launch Complex 39,
Kennedy Space Center, showing
Apollo 4Saturn V (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) prior to launch later that day. Th
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