I was eyewitness to all the Apollo launches from Apollo 7 through 17.
The two with the biggest crowds were Apollo 11 and 17. It was estimated that 1 million people came to Brevard. Don’t forget, this was more than 50 years ago and crowd counting was not as accurate as it is today. Also, our population in Brevard wasn’t as big as we are now.
At that time, approximately 200,000 people lived in Brevard.
Apollo 11: First men to walk on the moon
I was running the Orange Julius in Miracle City Mall in Titusville.
The Mall was the centerpiece of Titusville at that time. The launch was Tuesday, July 16, 1969. Crowds began coming several days before, but the Monday prior to launch, you could feel the crowds, the excitement, the anticipation of great history going to be made.
My folks had flown in from the Bahamas. We got up at 5 a.m. and went to the mall, opened the Orange Julius and had the biggest day in our history. The drink was a dime, the hotdog was a quarter and I had six people, including my folks working all day.
My Dad squeezed the orange juice until his hands cupped.
Around 9 a.m. the mall closed and we all went out to see the launch.
We stood in the Miracle City parking lot, right next to the north end of J.C. Penney. It was a hot July morning, and as far as you could see were people. The area across from the mall was a sand lot, so we had an encumbered view. We heard the countdown and off they went and history was made. My parents, wife and myself worked until 5 p.m., and then we went to a cocktail party in the Royal Oak neighborhood.
My Dad had a martini, then another and lo and behold, his fingers and hands straightened out and he was back to normal. Feeling exuberant. Four days later Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
Artemis II astronauts arrive at KSC ahead of NASA moon mission
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The crew of Artemis II (mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman) arrive at Kennedy Space Center, FL March 27, 2026 in advance of their launch on a mission to fly around the moon and back. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Apollo 17: the last of the Apollo missions
December 6-7, 1972.
The Apollo program had wound down, layoffs were in the thousands, and the final launch of Apollo was slated for the evening of December 6. But they had some problems so the launch was delayed several times.
I was the manager of the Walgreens in Miracle City Mall. We had closed the mall several times, only to be disappointed that the launch had been delayed and then re-opened the mall to throngs of space watchers.
Then NASA announced that the launch was going to be at 12:33 am on December 7. Once again, we closed the mall and went out to watch. It was a crystal clear night. Titusville was packed. People stood on the medians on U.S. 1, people on top of their cars, people celebrating the upcoming launch. It was very exciting.
I stood on the Indian River, right next to IHOP. The countdown began and then they lit the engines, and we heard a mighty explosion of light from 13 miles away.
And we could see the Saturn V rise into the night, casting a huge light over Titusville, Florida and parts of the southeast. And within 45 seconds, it was gone.
It was dark, and the program was over.
We reopened the mall and stayed until 3 a.m. Closed the mall and re-opened at 6 a.m. to huge crowds. Traffic was gridlock until about noon or so and then Titusville began to get back to normal.
From my 58 years in Titusville, I believe the Apollo 11 and 17 crowds were the biggest ever. Lets see what happens Wednesday. God speed Artemis. The excitement is building quickly.
Bob Socks lives in Cocoa, Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Eyewitness recalls Apollo 11, 17 launches from Florida, Artemis II next