Deep underneath the historic launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center are a couple rooms very few know about. A lost relic of the Apollo program that now serves as something like a time capsule. These rooms, known as the Rubber and Blast Rooms, were built as a way to escape a potential explosion of a Saturn V moon rocket. I was extremely lucky to finally be granted access to room while on an assignment with SpaceflightNow. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the adventure.
Thanks everyone! It was a lot of fun to photograph. I would love to have the opportunity to go back and have a little more time to shoot in the future.
I sent your blog link to a friend of mine who is obsessed with the space programme and he had never heard of the Rubber Room, and was very interested. So am I for that matter! Nice find :-)
I had never heard of the rubber room. Wonder how they figured there would be that much time? An explosion, would happen too fast for any life saving procedure.
Great look back into history, Walter. You are doing a great job.
Thanks guys! Happy that I could share the experience and information! I hope to do some more exploring soon of other lesser known parts of the space center. I certainly have plenty of time with the next launch not happening until 2017 or later sadly...
Walter has gained a well deserved reputation for his coverage of the final flights of the shuttles. I was happy to have worked alongside him during some of those last launches.
I have received so much cool feedback from this shoot. Gizmodo and several other websites reposted my blog and I even received an e-mail from an Apollo astronauts son whose dad had taken him on a tour of the rooms when he was a kid. It's special to be able to photograph this type of stuff and the feedback makes it just that much more special. Thanks for looking!
