Eli5: why do space rockets have all the cables still connected during the first seconds of lift off?
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If you’re geeky about this stuff, “Countdown to a Moon Launch” is a must-have. Goes through Apollo from component arrival at the cape through testing and launch, and pad repair and cleanup. Germane to this discussion is the launch sequence and how the vehicle was connected to the last second, and they had physical things like lanyards (ropes essentially) as backups to remove the connections (rocket goes high enough, the rope tugs a release mechanism – primitive but smart). On the countdown you can hear things like “Vehicle on internal power” and “guidance is internal” that all deal with the vehicle becoming ready to be autonomous, to lose all its physical connection to the earth. Anyway, “Countdown” is my favorite Apollo book by a mile, but I’m geeky for that awesome 60’s hardware. Rivets, baby, rivets!
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