Apollo 4 Launch - Flight Director Loop

Here is the Flight Director Loop for Apollo 4. Until 2024 this tape has been in the US National Archive and was only digitised a few days ago (it is February 17th 2024 as I write this). Nearly 60 years has passed since it was recorded.

Apollo 4 was an "all up" test of the Saturn V, launched November 9th 1967.

This video contains footage of the stacking of the Saturn V, the roll-out, NASA films of the time, photographs, film of the retrieval of the film pods and SIC booster pieces - A lot of what you are going to watch has never been seen until now.

Audio - the Flight Director Loop is the main audio here. There is very limited audio of the PAO loop for the mission. The last 3 minutes of the count are all that I can find in complete form. The audio for the PAO comes from 4 sources - NASA tape (which is very incomplete) NBC/CBS TV and radio broadcasts live on the day and the Smithsonian collection. You will be able to tell they are different sources but they have been mixed together to form as complete a record as I think currently exists.

Audio is a two track channel - headphones are advised

The Flight Director Loop is just an awesome listen!

My thanks go to Mike Fried who helped me secure the NA audio and the stacking and film recovery footage and to Johannes Kempanen whose help with the documentation surrounding the SII camera pods and SIC recovery were invaluable.
Ed Hengeveld supplied the photos

All film and photos courtesy NA and NASA
All audio courtesy NASA/CBS/NBC/Smithsonian
Orbiter and KSP simulators used for launch sequences

#There is a Patreon for anyone interested in supporting my channel - All donations go to enhancing future content - thanks in advance and it would be great to have you onboard. Patrons often receive pre-launch video access and media content
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=549799...