In below images they’re red for Mercury (both on the Redstone and Atlas boosters). But the Apollo ones are white. Why were the Launch Escape Systems of Apollo white?
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3$\begingroup$ The red (actually "International Orange") tower would have been for visibility; the real question is why Apollo's was white. $\endgroup$– Russell BorogoveCommented Mar 7, 2023 at 22:39
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$\begingroup$ @RussellBorogove This question suggests the tower was painted for visibility instead of the stack, but doesn't say why. $\endgroup$– CadenceCommented Mar 8, 2023 at 6:27
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$\begingroup$ @Cadence the answers to that question are suspect, to say the least. $\endgroup$– Organic MarbleCommented Mar 8, 2023 at 15:48
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1$\begingroup$ I wondered if for Mercury and Gemini, there might be a point in time where the rocket was on the pad without its service tower, but that doesn't seem likely. $\endgroup$– Russell BorogoveCommented Mar 8, 2023 at 15:56
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1$\begingroup$ Just by quick look, it seems that the LES for Mercury was taller than the support tower, so makes sense to paint high-vis. Apollo launches seem to have the support tower taller than the LES. $\endgroup$– A McKelvyCommented Mar 8, 2023 at 20:51
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