The 30 Minute Rule begins April 23 at 7:00 PM EDT. An Initial Bid Must Be Placed By April 23 at 6:00 PM EDT To Participate After 6:00 PM EDT
Historic control panel for Swing Arm 9, the uppermost arm of the Apollo Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT) at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B—the launch site for Apollo 10, the Skylab missions, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project—which provided crew access from the tower’s White Room directly to the hatch of the Apollo spacecraft atop the Saturn V rocket.
The panel, measuring 19˝ x 17.5˝ x 3˝ and marked “Command Module” along the bottom, features 33 toggle switches, seven upper analog gauges, and numerous status indicator windows, small illuminated panels used to display system conditions. Below the gauges are affixed “Operational Check” NASA KSC labels, while the upper left of the panel bears several inspection stickers, including one marked “69-25” and a partial Boeing inspection label. The reverse retains its original wire harnesses, terminal blocks, and connectors, with the right frame edge stamped “GE 63E90991461” beneath a stylized “A” logo incorporating the number “008.” In fine condition.
From this console, launch pad technicians controlled the extension and retraction of the crew access arm, which carried the White Room—the small environmental chamber where astronauts entered the Command Module at the top of the Saturn V rocket. The panel’s switches enabled operators to move the arm, engage or release mechanical locks and latches, and operate associated platforms and valves, while its gauges and indicator windows displayed hydraulic pressure, nitrogen system pressure, arm position, and the status of critical mechanisms. Together, these controls ensured the access arm remained securely connected during astronaut boarding and could be safely retracted and latched back against the tower shortly before liftoff.
This control panel represents a rare surviving piece of the ground support infrastructure that enabled the launch of America’s Apollo missions to the Moon. Installed within the Launch Umbilical Tower at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B, it controlled Swing Arm 9, the crew access arm that formed the final physical connection between astronauts and the Saturn V rocket before liftoff. The arm supported the White Room, a small, environmentally controlled chamber where astronauts performed final checks and entered the Command Module atop the rocket. Through this panel, launch pad technicians controlled the extension, locking, and retraction of the arm, ensuring the access system remained securely attached during boarding and could be safely withdrawn moments before launch.
Launch Complex 39B hosted several pivotal missions during the late Apollo era, including Apollo 10 (1969)—the full ‘dress rehearsal’ for the first lunar landing—the Skylab missions (1973–1974) that established the United States’ first space station, and the Space Race-ending Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (1975), the first joint U.S.-Soviet human spaceflight and a symbolic milestone in Cold War cooperation. During these historic launches, the crew access arm and its control systems—operated through panels such as this—played a crucial role in the final stages of launch preparation.
