Throwback Thursday – Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Atlas-Centaur AC-5 Failure Launch in 1965
While working at the Kennedy Space Center I came across this gem of a Photo of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse in 1965. After reading the caption I had to do some investigation of the Launch of an Atlas-Centaur from Launch Complex 36-A on March 2nd, 1965.
PHOTO CAPTION: Cape Kennedy, Florida: 8:23 a.m. EST, March 2, 1965, the fifth experiment Atlas/Centaur launch vehicle lifted off the pad and the main stage prematurely cut off causing the vehicle to fall back on the pad and explode.Date: 03/02/65.
What the photo does not show is the explosion of the vehicle in the center of the photo, due to the brightness of the explosion of the rocket just seconds after liftoff.
After some searching on the internet it was easy to find information and videos of the Atlas-Centaur exploding soon after liftoff. I have also included a few video links at the end of this post. I believe this explosion has been seen in several movies and NASA reels of rocket mishaps.
Atlas-Centaur AC-5 Launch Pad Explosion
In 1965, a significant Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral involved the Atlas-Centaur AC-5, which launched from Complex 36A on March 2nd. This launch, however, ended in failure when the Atlas booster engines lost thrust shortly after liftoff, causing the vehicle to fall back onto the pad and explode.
The on-pad explosion was described as the largest seen at Cape Canaveral, according to Wikipedia. It prompted NASA to expedite work on the nearby Launch Complex 36B, which was partially built.
As you see from the map below the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is very close to Launch Complex 36.
We will finish with a couple videos of the launch pad mishap.
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".