Cape Canaveral Lighthouse – Throwback Thursday – October 25, 1995 – Space Shuttle Columbia.
Space Shuttle Columbia soars into the cloud-washed sky above Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. After six scrubs from the original Sept. 25 launch date, liftoff occurred Oct. 20 at 9:53 a.m. EDT. The crew of seven comprises Commander Ken Bowersox, Pilot Kent Rominger, Mission Specialists Kathy Thornton (Payload Commander), Catherine Coleman and Michael Lopez-Alegria, plus Payload Specialists Fred Leslie and Albert Sacco. The 72nd Shuttle mission, STS-73 marks the second flight of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory. Research is being conducted in five areas: fluid physics, materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, and commercial space processing.
The lighthouse, undergoing refurbishment and upgrade, is shown with a network of nylon lines ready for canvas panels to be attached. The canvas shroud will protect the surrounding area during sand-blasting of the lead-based paint.
A couple quick facts about the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse:
- Erected in 1868, the Lighthouse is 151 feet tall.
- The Lighthouse is topped with a 1st Order Fresnel lens.
- Due to storm surge in 1871, the Lighthouse was moved inland in 1893 and 1894 to its current location.
- In 1939 the Coast Guard took ownership.
- In 2000 stewardship was transferred to the 45th Space Wing, Patrick Air Force Base.
About the Author and Photographer: Alden Pitard has over 40 years experience working in the Aerospace Industry at Cape Canaveral, The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Boeing locations throughout the country. He has supported the Space Shuttle Program, International Space Station, 787 Dreamliner and most recently the Artemis Program. During his time at "The Cape" he photographed a majority of the Launch Sites at KSC and Cape Canaveral. As the Space Shuttle program was coming to a close in 2011, the author decided to bike to all the Launch Complexes he could and capture the Space Center and Cape Canaveral as it was - thus "Biking through Space Ruins".