With the advent of the first large space vehicle, the SATURN, the ground support equipment and launch facility designer is faced with the necessity of conceiving and building an unprecedented launch system concurrent with the vehicle development. The paper intends to present a comprehensive picture of the problems involved and how they are solved. It follows the SATURN through the various modes of operation such as transportation over land and water, checkout, handling and erection, propellant loading, and describes the facilities at the launch site.
The functions, authority, management relationships, and responsibilities of the Launch Vehicle Ground Support Equipment Project Office are described. Functions and examples of non-stage procured Launch Vehicle Ground Support Equipment (LVGSE) are described and illustrated.
Included are a copy of page 7 of the December 1963 publication of Pan Am (GMRD) Clipper magazine and a letter from Pan American World Airways to David Christensen. The magazine article briefly describes the gantry that surrounded Saturn-V and Pan American's Saturn complex Supervisor, Brooks Watson.