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a17_v_bw_o_AKP (ca. 1972/73, unnumbered NASA photo)

"We have a lift-off and it's lighting up the area, it's just like daylight here at Kennedy Space Center as the Saturn V is moving off the pad..."

 

Service Arm No. 8/Service Module (inflight) - nearest the camera - can be seen swinging away from the Saturn V SA-512 launch vehicle at ignition & release. The launch of Apollo 17 occurred at 12:33 a.m. EST, December 7, 1972.

If other NASA documentation of this particular view/perspective are to be believed (NEVER a good idea BTW), the LUT-mounted automatic camera that recorded this was mounted at the 360-foot level. Surprisingly, in this case, it may – against all odds – be correct.

 

Per the wonderful “APOLLO MANIACS” website:

 

“Arm No. 8: Service Module (inflight):

 

- Level 300-320: vehicle station 3721.552

- Provides air conditioning, exhaust, cooling, electrical, pneumatic interface. A pneumatic/mechanical lanyard system is used to pull in the umbilical connector. Furthermore, a mechanical system assists. It takes up to 9.0 seconds to disconnect the arm.”

 

At:

 

www.apollomaniacs.com/apollo/mobile_launcher_en.htm

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Uploaded on April 18, 2023