Iconic Countdown Clock At The Kennedy Space Center Removed After 45 Years!

The famous countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida has been in service for over 45 years. On November 19, it was lit up for one last time after which it was dismantled and taken out of service. The iconic clock, seen by millions across the globe during almost all of the launches that have taken place at the Kennedy Space Center is widely considered to be the among the world’s most watched clocks. Located close to the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center, it ranks in second place only to London’s Big Ben, reports WESH News.

The reason for the decision to remove the clock was taken after it became very impractical to maintain the clock. Based on a design that was from the 1960’s, the clock still used light bulbs to power each of the “pixels” you see on it. Of late it had become difficult to maintain it because of lack of free availability of parts to keep it going. NASA had to make its own parts just for the clock thereby adding to the expense.

“Maintaining the clock was becoming problematic,” NASA Press spokesman Allard Beutel told a Universe Today reporter.

Add to the fact that over four decades of varying weather conditions have also taken its toll on the old machine, it was about time that the old countdown clock went in to the annals of history.

According to a NASA press release, the Kennedy Space Center clock stood 6 feet (70 inches) tall, 26 feet (315 inches) wide and 3 feet deep. It sat on a triangular concrete and aluminum base. Each of the digits is nearly 4 feet high and 2 feet wide. A total of 349 40-watt bulbs were used to keep all the pixels lighted. It was first used in the Apollo 12 moon landing mission in November 1969 and has been witness to all 130 plus space shuttle launches. The countdown clock was last used just two months ago during the launch of the SpaceX CRS-4 launch to the ISS in September.

For those who worry about the lack of a countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center, here is some news to cheer you up. The old clock will be replaced by a new LED powered clock that is easier to maintain and would also be capable of displaying fancy graphics. It would be similar to the ones seen at sports arenas. The new clock is likely to be installed before the inaugural launch of the new Orion crew capsule on Dec. 4, 2014.

“The new clock will not only be a timepiece, but be more versatile with what we can show on the digital display,” a NASA spokesperson confirmed.

The old clock will not be completely dismantled and would be moved to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) where it would be kept on display for public viewing.

[Image Wikimedia Commons]