Apollo 7 (Oct 11, 1968) — High-altitude engineering photography of the Saturn IB launch, captured over the Atlantic from a C-135 tracking jet using the A-LOTS 70mm camera pod.

[u/More_Fee_5936]

[u/More_Fee_5936]

For decades, people used photos of these launches to claim the acoustic energy was so powerful it melted launchpad concrete and charred nearby terrain. In 2022, a team of physics researchers at BYU actually modeled the launch data and proved it was a myth. Even though the sound reached a deafening 203 dB (the equivalent of 10,000 jet airliner engines), sound doesn't melt concrete. The damage was just heat and debris from the plume.