Halfway to Anywhere 262
fifteen varieties of endangered species watching rocket
launches from the front row.^291
Close to the launch site, there’s a control room where
SpaceX supervises the launch of the rocket. SpaceX decided
to build the control room outside of the main gates to
make it easier for civilian customers to follow their cargo’s
journey to space. This control room shouldn’t be confused
with the mission control room inside of the SpaceX factory
where the rocket after the launch is monitored.^333
In a square around the launch pad, there are four large
lightning towers protecting the rocket from lighting strikes.
Next to the launch site there’s a sphere holding 100 000
tonnes of liquid oxygen. SpaceX bought the old sphere from
a scrap yard for a dollar over scrap.^298
The Falcon 9 is assembled horizontally, so there’s no
need for a vertical assembly building like the huge building
seen in Cape Canaveral from miles away. The vertical
assembly building used by NASA could fit four raised
Saturn V rockets, and was so large that rain clouds formed
below the ceiling on humid days. When the 30 tonnes
heavy Falcon 9 rocket is prepared before launch, it lies
on large dollies attached to a rail making it moveable by
just four people. The rocket can also rotate around its axis,
like when a chicken is barbequed, to make it easier for the
SpaceXers to access all parts. When the rocket is ready to
fly, two large cranes lift the rocket up to the transporter-
erector vehicle. This vehicle carries the rocket to the launch
site where it’s raised to a vertical position.^334
In the same way as we need both commercial and