Raccoon and Sound Suppression System at Kennedy Space Center
Channel: Angela Brett
Date: 2011-02-23

Here is a raccoon I saw during my tour of Kennedy Space Center, and also the water tower for the sound suppression system (there's a full transcript explaining that below.) It's the first racoon I'd ever seen. We also saw crocodiles, pelicans, spoonbills, a bald eagle's nest, and some people saw dolphins. As the tour guide said, 'Merritt Island, national wildlife refuge, nature and technology!'

The sound suppression system he's talking about is really interesting, so I'll post a transcript of what he said before that (I recorded audio with my iPhone.)

I'm sure most of you have probably noticed the water tower by now. T-16 seconds, before lift-off, they begin the flow of 300 000 gallons of fresh water from the water tower. We have an additional 100 000 gallons in pipes around the pad, so a total of 400 000 gallons can be used. They use the water to flood the flame trench. 

As we cross the tracks, ahead of the bus, I'd like you to look off to the left. To the right of the water tower you will notice a section of the hard stand that's been cut out. A large opening. That's the opening to the flame trench. 42 feet deep, 58 feet wide, 450 feet long. Longer than a football field. Big trench, concrete refractory brick. That's why the pad surface is elevated: to accommodate the flame trench. The [inaudible?] the trench flooded with water. 

And then, prior to solid rocket booster ignition, on the back side of the mobile launcher platform, we have six 12-foot-high nozzles. The nozzles have been nicknamed 'rain birds'. They'll turn the rain birds on, and the rain birds will start spraying the top of the grey platform with water. We use all that water in the trench and on top of the platform as a sound suppression system. The idea... what have we got, a raccoon? Oh wow, I haven't seen a raccoon out here in a long time. Remember, Merritt Island, national wildlife refuge, nature and technology! 

But anyway, the idea is to absorb that acoustical energy. The sound waves lose energy upon hitting the water, and the sound echos off the launch pad with less energy. Sound suppression system. So, the next time you're watching a space shuttle launch on TV, and you happen to notice the water pouring down, that's what's happening: they're getting the sound suppression system ready to go.  Space shuttle lifting off is one of the loudest sounds humankind has ever created. TV does not do it justice. Without that water, powerful sound waves of the space shuttle main engines and twin solid rocket boosters would echo off the launch pad with enough energy to bounce back, strike, and damage the vehicle. You don't just hear a shuttle launch with your ears, you hear it with your whole body. First you see it, then you hear it, then you feel it. Peak flow rate of that water is about 900 000 gallons a minute about 9 seconds after launch.