A salute to a true American Hero – Captain James A Lovell. And a trip back to Space Launch Complex 19 where it all began!

One of my favorite places to visit was Launch Complex 19 – and I was fortunate enough to bike all over Cape Canaveral and visit old launch sites on my mountain bike near the end of the Space Shuttle Program.

At the entrance to Space Launch Complex 19 is a sign (scoreboard) listing all the manned Gemini Flights. And Captain Jim Lovell was a member of two of those flights: Gemini 7 and Gemini 12. I was also lucky enough to live in Cocoa Beach and witness all of his flights.

Gemini 7 (VII)

Gemini 7 (VII) launched on December 4th, 1965 from Space Launch Complex 19 and was the fourth crewed Gemini flight.

The crew of Jim Lovell and Frank Borman spent nearly 14 days in space making a total of 206 orbits. Their spacecraft was the passive target for the first space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6 (VI). The high point of the mission came on the eleventh day with the rendezvous with Gemini 6A. The mission ended on December 18th, 1965.

Gemini 12 (XII)

Gemini 12 (XII) was the 10th and final crewed Gemini Flight and lifted off from Launch Complex 19 on November 11, 1966.

Captain Jim Lovell was the command Pilot and Edward “Buzz” Aldrin was the Pilot. The main purpose of the Gemini XII mission was to find and test new ways to work outside of a spacecraft safely and effectively. In preparation for Gemini XII new, improved restraints were added to the outside of the capsule, and a new technique—underwater training—was introduced, which would become a staple of future space-walk simulation.

Mission Objectives from NASA: Gemini 12 was designed to perform rendezvous and docking with the Agena target vehicle, to conduct three extravehicular activity operations, to conduct a tethered station-keeping exercise, to perform docked maneuvers using the Agena propulsion system to change orbit, and demonstrate an automatic reentry.

Biking through Space Ruins in 2011 – Space Launch Complex 19

As the end of the Shuttle Program was approaching I decided to try and ride to all the old Cape Canaveral Launch sites and take photos and document their conditions in 2011 and 2012. SpaceX was starting their launches and other Space Companies were starting to get into the Space game, such as Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin which was leasing Space Launch Complex 36 and SpaceX wanted to lease other complexes for a landing site.

I was able to bike to most of the Cape’s old launch sites and capture photographs of their condition during that time. Enjoy some photographs of Complex 19 around 2011. The Launch Pad and remainder of the erector were still intact and removed and demolished in 2013.