Let’s go flying! 1973
They had tried to keep the event discreet, but engineering of this size was hard to hide. In the present political environment, you could choose your own metaphor: Ripples needed to be avoided, horses not scared, and foxes most certainly kept from pigeons. That said, the Public Affairs Office had sent out a press pack to some local rags and industry press. So maybe not everyone had got the memo.
The test article had arrived from Michoud on a barge just like they used to, and now was firmly secured to the ground. Its bulk was almost hidden by the test stand, with the red USA just about visible on its flank. The air was pregnant with anticipation.
A special viewing gallery had been set up, just over a mile away. Representatives from Boeing, Rocketdyne and a handful of invited guests stood in the shade, sipping sweet tea. Even beneath cloud, the mercury on this Mississippi morning was touching 85.
The pre-test procedures moved quickly until just after 12 noon when a shrill klaxon rang out. It was followed by a momentary, but deafening, silence. And then:
Ignition.
The five engines roared into life, spilling bright light and boiling the gallons of water protecting the test stand into thick white steam that billowed across the landscape.
Saturn spoke again.
In the gallery, one man already had his arms above his head, punching the air, a boyish grin across his face. “Let’s go flying!” whooped Alan Shepherd, Chief of the Astronaut Office.
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