The purposes of this handbook are to present the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Timing and Countdown Systems Operations Plan, to provide a description of the systems in use, to familiarize personnel engaged in space vehicle checkout and launch operations with available KSC timing and countdown services and to show how these services may be obtained.
The Organization of a Countdown was developed over 8 years of missiles and space systems testing at the Douglas Aircraft Company, Sacramento test Center. The experience on which this study was based includes the Thor development and acceptance testing, Titan I second stage engine development testing, Development of liquid hydrogen handling techniques, Saturn S-IV and S-IVB development and acceptance testing. The intent of this paper is to examine the static test countdown organization and discuss the need for a systematic method to organize a countdown.
