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Comment on SES-8 – Falcon 9 GEO Transfer Mission

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Just curious, what is the purpose of the 4 towers around the launchpad?

Lightning rods

Trivia: Apollo 12 was struck by lightning, twice, after leaving the pad.

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/appel/ask-academy/issues/vol...

This knocked out command module electrical systems, and it took some damned fast thinking from ECOM (electrical and environmental systems) who recalled an earlier incident and gave the instruction "SCE to AUX", resetting electrical systems.

Actual launch: http://fixyt.com/watch?v=eWQIryll8y8

Dramatization: http://fixyt.com/watch?v=TMYNy3JsHTE

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