http://www.petitiononline.com/LUT/petition.html

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-020404a.html

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/space/stories/2004a/020704savethepad.htm

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=13643

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/science/space/17TOWE.html

"Near the horizon, a gleaming silver tower bathed in floodlights, stood the last of the Saturn Vs, for almost twenty years a national monument and place of pilgrimage." -- 2001, A Space Odyssey - Sir Arthur C. Clarke

February 17, 2004

Merritt Island, Florida

For Immediate Release

Information: Ross Tierney, ross.tierney@savethelut.org

Historic Moon Launch Tower Destruction Has Begun, But Hope Remains

On February 11, NASA was forced to accede to EPA requirements that work proceed with the disposal of the historic Apollo Launch Umbilical Tower LUT), now in storage at the Kennedy Space Center. The tower has been classified as "hazardous waste" due to its eroding paint surface. Workers have moved into the storage site and have commenced removal of smaller items in preparation for paint stripping that will decontaminate the tower. In a six-month process now begun, the tower will be cut up into beams, decontaminated, and hauled off as scrap metal. "In just thirteen days, we've been in contact with potential donors and investors and we have managed to raise public awareness about this historic structure. NASA has helped by holding off on planned destruction as long as they could. But EPA requirements meant that NASA could not hold up the disposal work any longer," said Ross Tierney of the Space Restoration Society. Disposal work began on February 12, but cutting of the main pieces will not begin until the end of the month. This leaves approximately two weeks to find a donor committed to preserving this important piece of space history. The LUT can still be saved if the right conditions are met, however as the work continues past that date, the result will be less and less of the intact tower remaining for pristine restoration. With over 5100 signatures on the "Save The LUT" petition by Tuesday, the Space Restoration Society is still seeking major donors who are willing to preserve for posterity this structure, once registered as a National Treasure and still heading the National Park Service's "26 Man in Space sites which are Nationally Significant." The society still hopes to save the historic tower from which Neil Armstrong and crew launched to the Moon. "This tower is History, and it belongs to our children," says Nancy Stewart, a Save The LUT petitioner. One possible savior for the tower has appeared already. "A Development company has approached us about a serious proposal for funding the LUT project completely and is considering incorporating it into a larger development," said Tierney. The Society hopes to have more information available soon. LUT 1 served as the backbone for several of the greatest achievements of humanity. If the LUT can be saved and restored it could come to be known in the new century as a place of education and inspiration, and as a destination for tourists to the Kennedy Space Center area. "From the Ground Up" is the Space Restoration Society's team motto, chosen from JFK's witty remarks when pinning NASA's Distinguished Service Medal on Alan B. Shepard, first American in space. But the team, which has banded together from around the world over recent months, was surprised to find that the fate of the proposed tower restoration was far more urgent than had been believed. "We are very grateful to NASA for their helpfulness in giving us a last review of the LUT preservation," said Ross Tierney. "Since government funds were never made available for such purposes, it falls upon us to call upon donors worldwide," he said. "We hope to still be able to save the tower."