Monday, July 20, 2009

The Moon

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing, and I've felt inspired to share my own personal experience with the space program as a result. This all started a few years back when I still lived in FL and heard about an abandoned rocket engine factory out in the middle of the Everglades. It turns out that Aerojet General had built the factory in the 1960's to develop, build, and test solid rocket boosters for a proposed version of the Saturn rocket. They were successful in building a series of 260" diameter test engines and firing them. The last of the 3 engines would produce some 2,670,000 kgf thrust, making it the most powerful rocket engine ever fired in the history of the planet. In spite of the tests, Aerojet lost the NASA contract to one of their competitors and eventually sold the facility and land back to the State of FL.

It's been since left to be reclaimed by nature and this is how I found it a few years ago, pictured is the main assembly building, one of the support buildings, and a submerged road that we had to traverse (to take a more discrete route to the facility):









The main facility itself is a giant playground of 10 buildings and on it's own is a pretty amazing find, but there is quite a surprise another 3 miles down the road. As I mentioned before, this facility was not just a factory, but it was also testing grounds for what would be the largest rocket engine in the world. We rode bikes down to the main test site and discovered a large airplane hangar like building, it was a seemingly empty building on a huge paved area. Metal plates formed a circle on the ground maybe 40 feet in diameter in the middle of the building. Apparently, as I was walking around on these rusty metal plates and looking around a peice of rust broke off one of the gratings below my feet and fell through a gap. I didn't realize what had happened until I heard the echo from what sounded like a gigantic void below my feet. I immediately got down on the floor and shone a light down to see what the hell had made such a strange noise. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. There was a gigantic hole in the ground below me, deeper than anything I'd seen in my entire life. Being from South FL I'm not really used to seeing much elevation or anything dug very deep in the ground, we're just about at sea level. Regardless of what I believed, there it was, a giant cement lined hole in the ground, and sitting in the middle of it was an equally huge white cylinder with the words NASA 260 SL-2 printed right on the side of it. H O L Y S H I T. There was a fucking rocket engine sitting right there beneath my feet, in the deepest goddamn hole I'd ever seen, in the middle of a fucking SWAMP. I knew at that moment that I would have to go down there see this thing for myself. I didn't know how, but I was going to do it. How could you not? It's not very often that an ordinary citizen ever gets to be this close to a rocket engine, especially an experimental prototype for a lunar launch.

We searched the entire cover of the silo for any possible weaknesses and tried to come up with ideas for how to proceed. It was determined that we would need climbing gear, as I wasn't able to see any way down to the platform below without it. Was there even breathable air down there? This was a low lying area in a swampy wetland. It seemed plausible that methane or other natural gases could collect in the silo. Would we pass out at the bottom? Would the platform still be stable enough to stand on? Not having the equipment or knowledge necessary for this sort of thing, I started contacting others who might be able to help and would be willing to come to FL for this.

After a few months of talking to people and thinking about this WAY too much, we finally mounted an expedition. Myself, Junkyard (the man with the climbing knowledge) from WI, and my good bud Mayhem got on our bikes and rode all the way out to the test site. After quite a bit of work to find a way in, Junkyard started rigging up the rope system. This would be my first time ever rappelling and ascending a rope of any kind. He gave me a crash course on the surface and I practiced a few times off of the second story of the building how to get down and switch into the ascent rig to come back up. I was feeling pretty good about it. In fact, I was feeling so good about it that I insisted that I be the first one down. After all, I had found the damned thing and done all the planning for this.This turned out to be a not so good idea.

We got in at the first level and found ourselves on a platform maybe 10 feet below the surface. There was a staircase that went down, but unfortunately it was about 20 feet away from the platform we were on and as such was not reachable. We would have to rappel all the way down, a good 90ft I would guess. Roughly halfway down the entire length of the silo to the platform the rocket engine was sitting on. After tying in, setting up the video camera, and Junkyard checkin everything over, I began my descent.

All was going pretty smoothly, it was a nice slow and controlled descent. I spun around in the darkness, my headlamp lighting up the side of the engine every time I turned past it. It was beautiful. After about 30 feet I could no longer make out much of anything Junkyard or Mayhem said due to the ridiculous amount of echo in the silo. Now I'm more than halfway there, slowly making my way down. Suddenly, I feel something catch in my braking hand. I pull the rope into a stop position and realize that there is a kink in the rope. "Uhhh guys, there's a kink in the rope." I say to the guys above, hoping for some guidance. I'm still a good 30 feet above the platform. "You gotta shake it out" Junkyard says. I shake it as much as I can, struggling with it for a few minutes, nothing changes. It's still there. I'm terrified that if I let it go, it'll get stuck in my descender and then I'll be completely trapped. It feels like a pile of rocks just dropped in my stomach. I yell up that I still can't get it out. Junkyard then tells me that I'll have to clip into the ascent rig, raise myself a few feet, and then get the kink out. That wasn't part of my little lesson before. I'd put the ascent rig together on the surface, standing on the ground. Now he's telling me that I'd have to do it while hanging on a rope in the dark, with only one free hand. They are also the only ascenders we have, so if I happen to drop it while I'm doing this, I won't be able to get back out of the hole at all. Needless to say I am pretty terrified at this point.

In a desperate, last resort before trying the ascent rig, I let go of my guide hand on the top end of the rope and kick my feet up so that I'm almost completely upside down. I reach back with that now freed hand and grab the rope below where the kink is. I pull up on it and feed rope into the kink, giving it a bit more room to untwist itself, and... it works! I drop the rest of the 30 feet pretty quickly and am incredibly relieved to be standing on solid ground again. I spend the next 20 or 30 minutes taking pictures, touching the rocket, and generally being happy about being there.

After that, there was a pretty grueling ascent ahead of me. Junkyard's rig was not quite set up correctly for the length of my arms, so it was not nearly as efficient as it should be. It was honestly one of the hardest physical things I've ever done. I stopped frequently to take breaks, but not too long, for I knew that every minute I spent on that rope was a risk I was taking and at this point I just wanted to be done with it. I finally eeked out my last bit of strength to pull myself up onto the platform and re-joined Junkyard and Mayhem. Within about 30 seconds of planting feet on the platform, I totally went into shock. I felt like I was gonna puke/pass out, my vision shrunk down into a blue tunnel, my hearing became muffled. It was incredibly intense, I think it was just from the combination of the kink incident and the tough climb, I was just overwhelmed. After sitting for a few minutes and catching my breath, things returned to normal and I emerged victorious from the silo. The cool night air never felt better after being down in that hole for the past hour or so. Junkyard took his turn going down and it was pretty much without incident, Mayhem decided not to go after my ordeal as he was just as inexperienced as I was and not as comfortable with heights. Sure, it's not quite going to the moon, but for me, this is probably about as close as I will ever get.

Epilogue: Here are a few assorted historical images I pulled from various sources as well as a couple of photos of a model from the main facility that were previously unpublished. You can actually make out the hangar type building in the 3rd shot. The building was apparently mounted on airplane wheels and was able to be moved across the huge paved area for firing tests and then could be pull back over to cover it. The building is now completely anchored to the ground and no longer mobile.

If you want to read some more about the rocket engine itself and the history of the facility, check out: http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/mwade/engines/aj2602.htm

16 comments:

  1. I was born and raised in Miami as well. I've been here a few times already and I am still amazed when I see it. Do you know if that rocket is still there? I was also wondering what other abandon sites do you know in Miami?

    ReplyDelete
  2. it is there i went with some friends we found it on accident we were trying to camp for fun like man vs wild stuff were all marines and we found it ..its still there

    ReplyDelete
  3. Was there no longer access to the stairs, or did you just not trust using them? When I went there with some friends, we were able to get in right above the stairwell, and I walked all the way down to the waterline.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The entrance we used put us on the elevator platform that doesn't connect to the stairs. We would have had to do a pendulum to get across to them and considering the angle of our rigging, that would have been a real bad idea. Also the stairs were untested at this point as I believe we were the first people inside there in a while.

    ReplyDelete
  5. heading there this weekend! any tips?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How can I find the location? Ive been searching for it and I can't find it.

      Delete
  6. O! I see a beauty naked Angel on the stairs in penultimate picture :) Niiice :D
    sandor139

    ReplyDelete
  7. dude u are a UE legend for this one... Heard the stories, saw Melody's doc, but the way you described the adventure in this blog wins for sure. just plain sick...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Is there a way to see this on Google maps/earth?

    ReplyDelete
  9. There is, but I'd rather not post it here. The surrounding buildings are starting to get pretty badly tagged up and trashed. I'd prefer to keep it kinda quiet for the sake of the place.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I also stumbled into the Aerojet facility in the '80s. Although none of the mixing or maintenance buildings were active, the test shed still had power then. There were about twenty above-ground swimming pools assembled just north of the building. I have no idea what they were there for. Several months later I flew over the site and saw that the pools were still there and their water was clear, obviously still maintained.

    I'm curious if you found water at the bottom of the silo; when I dropped a test stone, I'm certain I heard a splash but I had no light with me at the time. What a discovery finding that motor must have been!

    ReplyDelete
  11. so amazing! i am so glad to know this even exists.

    ReplyDelete
  12. These are the best current pictures of the rocket that I've seen posted anywhere Shane, and quite possibly the last.

    We were granted access to shoot a music video there last week 8/13/11. For anyone looking to go out there & look around... the rocket silo building has now been completely barricaded. I wanted to see it for myself but unless you have a bulldozer your not getting in. I'm sure they've done this to keep someone from eventually getting killed in the silo. Other building doors have been blocked with concrete barricades or a couple thousand pounds of rock. There isn't much left in any of the buildings, mostly bare walls & small debris. Also note that they are doing some type of extensive canal work along the road going in there. There are currently lots of workers along the way into this abandoned complex, plus multiple gates. Even though we had permission & the insurance to be there we still had work crew people come up to us to see what we were doing out there. If those obstacles don't get you the insects will...

    ReplyDelete
  13. What an incredible place. I am working on a documentary about Aerojet Dade. If anyone has any early footage or photo's, please let me know. jim@mevoimage.com

    I put together a 7 minute piece of b-roll footage that will be part of the full documentary.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mCPW0CrNc

    Enjoy!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was just there and the buildings are really messed up and tagged up like crazy.still a very cool place to go and look around. Only thing I was kinda disappointed in is we couldn't fine the rocket silo was at which is a bummer but definitely I cool place. If you decide to go be prepared to walk up 12 miles to look at the I think 9 building still standing best to bring a bike

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mr. Perez are you still around?? I was hoping to follow you on social media here in 2023. I am a FL local and have been down to the site a few times- I’m a bit obsessive about this place to be quite honest. I was hoping to communicate with you about any further pictures or information you have from your time down at Aerojet prior to everything being dismantled and the silo covered. It’s very hard to find any information about Aerojet Dade, I can’t even seem to find access to the documentary “Aerojet Dade- An Unfinished Journey” which really appears to be the only source of information of the formation of Aerojet down in the Everglades during the 60s. I’ve watched your segment of Urban Explorers countless times again being you seem to have the only footage prior to the metal shed being dismantled. Hoping I could somehow get in contact with you and learn even more about the amazing history of Aerojet. Hoping you’ll see this comment and reply- worst case I’ll try to reach out via your contact although with AIM and MySpace being listed wasn’t sure if those were still active or accurate. Thank you for your time.
    -@DefianceFishing_

    ReplyDelete