john f. kennedy space center america's spaceport

8/6/2019 John F. Kennedy Space Center America's Spaceport

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AMERICA'S

I John F.Space CenterN A T I O N A L A E R O N A U T I C S A N D S P A C E A D M I N I S T R A T IO N

KM HISTORY DOCUPity ofAiabama ResearclQF Science 6 echnolc _

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"The story of man's achievement thrmgh30ut history hasbeen the story of his victory over the forces of nature. Inthat continuing story, our generation has been given the op-portunity to write the grandest chapter of them all. It i s onour schedule, in oar plm, and in our determination to putmen 092 the moon before 2370."

President Lyndon B. Johnsonsept.n, 966


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WE LCOME...Welcome to the John F.

Kennedy Space Center, NASA.This i s the major launch

, . base from which manned and un-' manned spacecraft explore the

.& . environment beyond the Earth'satmosphere, reaching out to theMoon, the Sun and the planets.

Thousands of dedicated en-gineers, scientists, techniciansand support personnel, membersof an integrated Government-Industry team, have createdthese facil ities . The Center'ssuperb launch team has achievedmany "firsts" in man's conquestof space. These accomplish-ments represent an importantphase of the Nation's effort toachieve and maintain preemi-nence in space research andexploration.I trust you will share ourpride in the unique environmentof the launch center and the his -toric work being c arried on here.

Kurt H. Debus, DirectorJohn F. Kennedy Space Center,NASA


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MISSIONJohn F. Kennedy Space Center i s the major

NASA launch organization for manned and un:manned space missions.As the lead center within NASA for th e devel-

opment of launch philosophy, procedures, technol-ogy and facilit ies, Kennedy Space Center launchesApollo space vehicles; unmanned lunar, plane-tary and interplanetary spacecraft; and scien-tif ic, meteorological and communications satel-l i tes.

Th e mission encompasses planning and direct-i g:

Preflight PreparationsVehicle IntegrationTest and Checkout of Launch Vehicles,Spacecraft and Foci l i esCoordination of Range RequirementsCountdown and Launch Operations

Supporting t h is primary mission are a host oftechnical and administrative activit ies. These in-clude design engineering; testing, assembly andcheckout of launch vehicles and spacecraft; launchoperations; and purchasing and contracting.

The national Spaceport i s the site from whichAmerican astronauts w i l l be launched on lunar ex-ploration missions before the end of th e decade.

Th e A ir Force Eastern Test Range, part of th eAi r Force Systems Command, operates and main-tains th e largest missi le proving ground i n the freeworld, one that spans 10,000 miles. Th e TestRange's mission i s to provide launch f a c i l i t ie sand support services for launching missiles andspacecraft, and gather useful data from th e flights.The Range supports NASA-sponsored launches forthe peaceful exploration of space.


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Th e National Aeronautics andSpace Administration was establishedOctober 1, 1958. Th is was 12 monthsafter the launch of Sputnik 1, the f i rs tman-made Earth satellite, and ninemonths after the launch o f Explorer 1,th e f i rs t United States satellite.

The maior focus of NASA's launchoperations has centered on Cape Ken-nedy, formerly Cape Canaveral, Florida.The antecedents of these act iv i t iesdate back to the years fol lowing WorldWar II when the War Department select-ed the si te as a test ing area for long-range guided missiles. Th is sp i t o fland iutt ing into the Atlant ic Oceanwos selected because of the chain ofislands stretching southeastward toAscension Island which could accom-modate tracking stations to measureth e f l igh t of research and developmentvehicles. Th e site was formally ap-proved July 8, 1947.

Soon afterward, Congress autho-rized the acquisit ion and constructionof th e At lant ic Miss i le Range, now theEastern Test Range. As a Departmentof Defense facility, the range was as-signed to the Air Force for manage-ment. Subsequently, the range wasextended to the Indian Ocean, a dis-tance of more than 10,000 miles. Th eArmy and Navy have also ut i l ized th erange fac i l i t ies in the development of

rocket-powered weapons systems.As the NASA program go t under-way, the Cape became the headquartersof the Launch Operations Center, laterrenamed the John F. Kennedy SpaceCenter, NASA.

In late 1964, the Kennedy SpaceCenter was relocated on adiacent Mer-r i t t Island. The site occupies some88,000 acres. Here, foci i t ies havebeen installed to accommodate enor-mously powerful space vehicles tocarry man to the Moon and back, andto undertake even more challengingmissions i n the vast reaches of theuniverse.

By noteworthy coincidence, th eSpaceport has an unusual heritage.Numerous Indian burial mounds andmiddens (refuse piles) have been dis-covered on NASA property. Research-ers have removed artifacts dating backto the time of Christ. Elsewhere, par-t icularly along the beaches, traceshave been found of early Spanishact ivi ty.Dr. Charles Fairbanks of the Uni-versity of Florida has pointed out:'This was one of the areas whereWestern civi l izat ion came to the NewWorld, and now i t i s the area fromwhich our civi l izat ion w i l l go forth toother worlds."


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LAUNCHVEHICLES

The United States space programdepends on the $abi l i ty o f scientistsand engineers to provide the meansfor propel l ing useful pay loads intoEarth orbit and into the farther reachesof space. For th is task, launch vehi-c les of varying sizes and capabi l i t iesare necessary.

The f l ight path chosen for a pay-load determines what performance i srequired of th e particular launch vehi-cle. Obviously, i t would be impracticalto use our most powerful launch vehi-cle, the Saturn V, to orbit a small,l ightweight group of scient i f ic satel-l ites, or to r isk fai lure of a mission byplacing too much weight on a launchvehicle of any size.

Fo r these reasons, NASA has de-veloped a family of re l iable launch


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vehicles of different sizes, shapes andcapabil it ies. Th e objective has beento develop the smallest number of vehi-cles consistent wi t h th e f u l l scope ofthe space program.

Launch vehicles employed forspace missions i n the recent pastevolved principally from basic militarysystems developed and tested duringthe previous decade. Technologicalexchange between military and scien-t i f i c projects continues to benefit th enational space program.

Th e f i r s t United States satel l i tewas orbited by an Army-developedJupiter-C missile. Delta, the work-horse of NASA's unmanned spacecraftprogram, employs components devel-oped by th e A i r Force and Navy. Modi-

f ied Army/Air Force developed Red-stone and At las boosters were ut i l izedfor the Mercury program, this country'si n i t i a l manned space f l ight effort. Th eGemini launch vehicle was a modifiedA ir Force Titan II booster. Centaur,the world's f i r s t space launch vehicleto be powered by l iquid hydrogen fuel,and the highly successful Ranger andMariner space probes were boosted intospace by modified A ir Force At lasvehicles.

The Saturn family of heavy launchvehicles, which was developed byNASA expressly for the peaceful ex-ploration of space, evolved from tech-nology acquired during th e Army'searly Redstone, Jupiter and Juno mis-s i l e development programs.

SATURN I A PO L LO / U P R A T ED SATURN


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MANNEDSPACE FLIGHTFor thousands of years man has

dreamed of the day when he would ex-plore the vast universe that surroundshis tiny planet. This aspiration hasstemmed from his fundamental thirstfor knowledge and his readiness toaccept the challenge of the unknown.

When O rv il le Wright made the fi rs tpowered flight in 1903 at a speed of31 mile s per hour, the signific ance ofhi s achievement was barely recognized.Yet, in l it tl e more than half a centuryfollowing that historic event at KittyHawk, man' has succeeded i n orb itingthe Earth at speeds measured in thou-sands of mile s per hour. Now, he i sliterally reaching for the Moon as thefirst stop on the way to exploration ofthe solar system and the infinitereaches of interstellar space beyond.

The achievements i n space sincethe first satellites were launched have

paled to insign ifica nce when comparedwith future proiects. Only in the ligh tof what he has already accomplishedcan man look ahead with the almostcertain knowledge that he eventuallywill realize his age-old dream of ex-plor ing the universe.

Viewed in terms o f time and dis-tance, the challenge of space explora-tio n seems insurmountable. Yet, areview of the technological accomplish-ments of the 20th century indicatesthat what appears as impossib le i smerely difficult.

The exploration of space is fol-lowing the pattern by which flightwithin the atmosphere was mastered.Each new development provides aplatform from which to take the nextstep, and each step i s an increment ofscie ntifi c knowledge and technologicalskill.


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MERCCJRY

Project Mercury, the first of themanned space flight programs, wasorganized October 5, 1958, and suc-cessfully executed in less than fiveyears.

The primary objectives of ProiectMercury were:To place a manned spacecraftin orbital flight around theEarth.To investigate man's perfor-mance capabilitie s and his abil-ity to function in the environ-ment of space.To recover, safely, both manand spacecraft.

Proje ct Mercury demonstrated thatthe high-gravity forces of launch andreentry, and weightlessness in orb it foras much as 34 hours, did not impairman's ability to control a spacecraft.I t proved that man not on ly augments-the automated spacecraft controls, butalso can conduct scientific observa-tions and experiments.

Moreover, Pro jec t Mercury proved

that man can respond to and record theunexpected, a faculty beyond the capa-bility of a machine which can be pro-grammed only to deal with what isknown or expected. In addition, theMercury flights confirmed that man canconsume food and beverages and per-form other normal functions wh ile in aweightless environment. Finally ,Mercury laid a sound foundation forthe technology of manned space flight.

The Mercury spacecraft, a one-man,bell-shaped vehicle, 9.5 feet high and6 feet across at its reentry heat shieldbase, weighed approximately 4,000pounds at liftoff and 2,400 pounds atrecovery.

The launch vehicle for the Mercurysuborbital missions was a modifiedRedstone rocket generating 78,000pounds of thrust at liftoff. A modifiedAtlas rocket whose three engines pro-duced 367,000 pounds thrust was em-ployed for Mercury orbital flights.Complexes 56 and 14 at Cape Kennedywere u ti liz ed for the Mercury missions.


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GEMINI

&mini was %he Lntermdiate steptawutd ~ h i c n r i n g manpad lwsw land#ing, bridgina theafIigjht xp4ilcncek w e m tke S ~ W T - ~ Q ~mqmissions a n d h e ang durdflm mirsionsof Apollo.

Major obitctives achieved duringthe p r ~ r a mncluded d*mons+ration thatman can perform effectively during ex-tended periods i n spoce, both withinand outside the p~oiectiva nviron.men+of a spacecraft, development crf r m -dezwus and doeking techniques, andparfelttan of controlled rsenTry andlanding procedures.The Gemini progrm provided fhefirst American demons ratim of arbita lrendezvous - a skill which must bedevdeped to land Amsriean exploxerson the Meon and is camduct the ad-wnced ventures of the future.

The welaan Gemini spaeemafrwas also a bll-shaped vehicle; how-ever, i t was almost twice as heavy, SQperceht larger and contained 50 per-

cccn? more valume than the Mercurysaw&crafit.

The tatsneh vehicle empleyed i nthe C m i n i prepram was the modifiedAi r Force Titan tl rocket which devd-oped a thrust of 430,000 pounds atliftoff. The o v ~ ~ l tength af theGmttni-Titan ll spa&@ ehicle was 109h t , Gemini flights wwe launchedfrom Complex 19 at Cope Kennedyelr,

The t a r p t vahicls fos thq Geminir.(tndezvuur ond docking misr ims wasB d i f i e d Agena-D vehicle with (J fw-wad moun~ed arget docking adapter,which provldedtb connecting point farmwting wjth the &mini srraaecrdt.

The Agena-a, with a multiple re-stwt capability, had a rated thrust o fappmxim&aly 16,W pcrunds. i t was'launched an an Atlas Standard LaunchVehicle which generates about 390,000pounds of thrust. Gemini Aflas/Agenat a r p t vehiefrs had an avarall lengthof 104 fret. They were lounched fromComplex 14 at Cape Kennedy.


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Apollo is the largest and mostcomplex of the manned spoce flightprograms. It s goal i s to land Americanastronauts on the Moon and return themsafely to Earth.

The astronauts wi l l travel to theMoon in the three-man Apollo space-craft. Weighing 45 tons, the spacecraftconsists of three sections -a commandmodule, a service module and a lunarmodule.The command module may-be l ik-ened to the crew compartmentof a com-mercial je t airliner. It i s designed sothat thrse men can eat, sleep and workin it without wearing pressure suits.Of the three modules, only the commandmodule w i l l return to Earth. Thus, it i sconstructed to withstand the tremendousdeceleration forces and intense heatingcaused by reentry into the Earth'satmosphere,

The service module contains sup-plies, fuel and a rocket engine sothe astronauts can maneuver theircraft into and out of lunar orbit andalter their course and speed in space.

The lunar module i s designed tocarry two men from lunar orbit to theMoon's surface for exploration andand then back into lunar orbit for ren-dezvous with the command and service

. modules. After the crew transfersback to the command module, the lunarmodule is jettisoned and left in lunarorbit.Providingthe muscle for theApollo

1 program i s the Saturn family of heavylaunch vehicles. The first of these tobe flight tested by the Kennedy SpaceCenter was the Saturn I. Developing1.5million pounds of thrust at liftoff,theSaturn Idemonstrated the feasibility

- . .i r . - + . - , . r dof clustered rocket boosters and quali-fied vehicle guidance and control sys-tems. It also tested the structure anddesign of the Apollo command andservice modules, physical compatibilityof the launch vehicle and spacecraftand iettisoning of the Apollo launchescape system. Additionally, Saturn Ivehicles orbited large Pegasus micro-meteoroid detection satellites to moni-tor the frequency of micrometeoroidsand to determine i f they would be ahazard to manned space flights.

Currently, uprated Saturn flightprograms are underway at KennedySpace Center. W i t h the greater powerof the uprated Saturn, a l l three mod-ules of the Apollo spacecraft arelaunched into Earth orbit. Initially,the flights are unmanned. Soon, up-rated Saturn vehicles wi l l launch threeastronauts on Earth orbital missionsup to 14 days in duration.

Lunar missions wi l l use the enor-mous power of the Saturn V launchvehicle. Together with the three mod-ules of the Apollo spacecraft, theSaturn V stands 364 feet, weighs about6 million pounds at launch and devel-ops 7.5 million pounds of thrust atliftoff.

Developmentof the Saturnvehiclesis the responsibility of the MarshallSpace Flight Center, Huntsville,Alabama. The Manned SpacecraftCenter, Houston, Texas, has respon-sibi l i ty for Apollo spacecraft develop-ment, training of the flight crews andconducting the flight missions. Assem-bly, checkout and launch of the Apollo-Saturn space vehicles are conductedat Cape Kennedy and at the Nation'sSpaceport by Kennedy Space Center.


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1

, ' 5 ' -

SATELLITESANDSPACE -.PROBES . . .


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Unmanned spacecraft are makingimportant contributions to man's know-ledge ahout the world in which he livesand the universe around him. Much ofthis knowledge i s derived from thegrowing family of scientific satellitesand space probes launched by KennedySpace Center.

Explorer satellites have mappedthe Earth's magnetic field and havepioneered in gaining new knowledge ofthe Earth's shape and mass distribu-tion. Explorer I, this country's f irstsatellitewhich was launched from CapeKennedy on January 31,1958, discover-ed that the Earthwas partially surround-ed by a belt of deadly radiation, sub-sequent1y named the Van Allen Radia-tion Region.

Other satellites have furnishedinformation on micrometeoroids,temper-atures in space, radiation and magneticfields, upper atmospheric conditions,solar activity and other phenomena.

Meteorological satellites haveachieved the most significant advancesin weather forecasting since the in-vention of the barometer over threecenturies ago. T IROS satellites, thefirst of a series of orbiting "weather-men," were launched from Cape Ken-nedy Complex 17 by Delta vehiclesbeginning in April 1960. These satel-lites returned well over a mill ion cloud-:over photographs of the Earth's sur-race.Starting in 1966, operationalueather satellites were launched forthe Environmental Science ServicesAdministration by Kennedy SpaceCenter personnel. Placed into polar3rbit from the Western Test Range inEal forn a, these satellites photographcloud cover and transmit pictures toweather stations akound the world.This type of fast, accurate weatherreporting coupled with long-range wea-ther prediction can be worth untoldmillions of dollars to agriculture,business and industry.

Communications satellites suchas Echo, Telstar, Relay, Syncom andEarly Bird, launched on Delta vehiclestrom Cape Kennedy's Complex 17, areshrinking the distances between conti-nents, and are leading to better under-

standing among the world's people.Exploration of the Moon's surface

and environment by unmanned spaceprobes i s essential to obtain data formanned lunar landings. This type ofinformation is also important in yield-ing clues to the origin of the Moon, thesolar system and perhaps even theuniverse.Rangers 7, 8 and 9 returned thou-sands of close-up pictures of the Moajbefore smashing into the lunar surfac+:On June 2, 1966, the Surveyor I space&craft, the first of a series of instrykmented soft-landers, settled gentlyonto the lunar surface and transmittedthousands of detailed photographsba*to Earth. Other Surveyor soft-landersare making detailed examinations ofthe Moon's physical phenomena andsurface composition. These spacecraftare launched by Atladcentaur vehiclesfrom Cape Kennedy Complex 36.

Lunar Orbiter spacecraft, circlingthe Moon in low orbit, have photo-graphed with amazing clarity wideareas of the lunar landscape. Launchedfrom Complex 13 at Cape Kennedy, theLunar Orbiter missions have providedsignificant data on potential landingsites for Apollo astronauts.

Investigations of other planets ofthe solar system are conducted byunmanned Mariner spacecraft. On De-cember 14, 1962, Mariner 2 became thefirst spacecraft to scan another planetat close range as i t passed within21,600 miles of Venus. Mariner 4,after an eight-month iourney, passedwithin 6,000 miles of Mars on July 14, .1965. Instrument observation of theplahet yielded invaluable clues toscientists seeking clues to the possi-bi l i ty of l i fe on Mars. Mariner space-craft are launched by Atlas/Agena ve-hicles from Cape Kennedy Complexes12 and 13.

Goddard Space Flight Center man-ages NASA's unmanned scientific,,meteorological and communicationssatellite programs. Unmanned lunar, -planetary and interplanetary programsare managed by Je t Propulsion Labo-ratory. Launch operations for theseprograms are conducted by the KennedySpace Center.


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LAUNCH COMPLEX 39 . ..Launch Complex 39, the nation's

f i ~ s t perational spaceport, ranks asone of history's great engineeringachievements. Developed and operatedby the Kennedy Space Center, the im-mense facility is designed to accom-modate the massive Apollo/Saturn Vspace vehicle which will carry Ameri-can astronauts to the Moon.

Complex39 reflects a new approachto launch operations. In contrast to thelaunch facilities presently utilized atCape Kennedy, Complex 39 permits ahigh launch rate, economy of operation

and superior fle xibi lit y. Th is new ap-proach, known as the 'mobile concept,"provides for assembly and checkout ofthe Apollo/Saturn V vehi cle in the con-tro lled environment of a building, i t ssubsequent transfer to a distant launchsiteand launch with a minimum of timeon the launch ad.

The maior components of Complex39 include: the Vehic le AssemblyBuilding, where the space vehic le i sassembled and tested; the LaunchControl Center, which houses display,monitoring and cont rol equipment for


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checkout and launch operations; theMobile Launcher, upon which the spacevehicle is erected for checkout, trans-fer and launch and which provides in-ternal access to the vehicle and space-craft during testing; the Transporter,which transfers the space vehicle andMobile Launcher to the launch site;the Crawlerway, a specially preparedroadway over which the Transportertravels to deliver the Apollo/Saturn Vto the launch site; the Mobile ServiceStructure, which provides external ac-cess to the vehicle and spacecraft atthe launch site; and the launch site,from which the space vehicle is launch-ed on Earth orbital and lunar missions.

The Vehicle Assembly Buildingprovides a startling contrast to the lowMerritt Island landscape. Covering 8acres of ground, the Vehicle AssemblyBuilding conslsts of two major workingareas: a 525-foot-high high bay areaand a 210-foot-high low bay area.

The- high bay contains four vehicleassembly and checkout bays, each cap-able of accomrnodoting a fully ossem-bled, heavy-class space vehicle. Thelow bay contains eight preparationand p heck out cells for the upper stagesof the SacturnV vehicle.

Vehicle stages are shipped by bargefrom fabricatian centers to a turning ba-sin near the Vehicle Assembly Bui ding,off-loaded onto special carriers andtransported to the building. The firststage i s towed to the high bay area anderected on the Mobile Launcher. Fourholddown-support arms on the MobileLauncher platform secure the boosterin place. Work are positionedaround the booster for inspection andtesting. Concurrently, upper stages ofthe Saturn V are delivered to the lowbay cells, inspected, and tested.

When testing of the individwalstages i s completed, the upper stagesare prepared for matingand moved to thehigh bay area. A l l components of thespace vehicle, including the Apollospacecraft, ore assembled verticallyin the high bay area. The ful ly assem-bled space vehicle then undergoes

final integrated checkout and simulatedflight tests.Located adjacent to the Vehicle

Assembly Building and connected tothe high bay area by an enclosedbridge i s the Launch Control Center.A l l phases of launch operations atComplex 39 are controlled from thisfour-story concrete structure.

The first floor of the Launch Con-trol Center contains offices, a dispen-sary and a cafeteria. The second flooris allocated to telemetry, measuring andcheckout systems for use during stageand vehicle assembly in the VehicleAssembly Building, and for launch oper-ations at the launch site.

Four fir ing rooms occupy the thirdfloor - one for each high bay in theVehicle Assembly Building. Theserooms contain control, monitoring anddisplay equipmentreqwiredfw automaticvehicle checkout and launch. Each fir-ing room is supported by a computerroom, which is a key element in theautomatic checkoutand launch sequence.

The Mobile Launcher, the key tolaunch operations at Cemplex39, actual-ly erforms a dual function. It servesas an assembly within theVehicle Assembly Building and as alaunch ~ la t fo rm nd umbilical tower atthe launch site located several milesaway.

The Mobile Launcher i s a 446-foot-high structure with a base platformmeasuring 25 feet high, 160 feet longand 135 feet wide. I t weighs 10.6 mil-lion pounds. Whether in the VehicleAssembly Building, at the launch site,


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or in ts parking area, theM~bi leaunch-er ir positioned on six 22-foot-highsteel pedestals.

Nine swing arms extend from theMobile Launcher's tower. The three as-tronauts wi ll enter the Apol o space-craftvia the top swing arm. These armsare dei~igrrrrd o swing rapidly awayfrom the vehicle during launch, Besidescarrying vital umbilical lines - prapel-lant, pneumatic, electrical, data link -to the space vehicle, the swing apmsalso permit a catwalk access to thevehicle during tfaa final ~ h a s e f count-down.The ApolloAaturn V i s p s i t i me don the Mobile Launcher and secured byf a r suppart and holddown arms. A tthe pad these arms hold the vehicladuring thrust buildup of ths engines. A45-square-foot spcning in the k s e plot-form permitspassage of engine exhaustsat ignition. Three Mebile Launchershave been corrsttuctrd at Complex 39.A tracked vehicle hnewn as theTrclnsporfer moves thc 36-stsry Apol lo/Saturn V space vehicle and MobileLauncher horn the Vehicle AssemblyBuilding to the launch site. Two Trans-

porters are stutioned a t Camplex 39."Ihe Transporter i s similar to ma-chines used in strip mining operations.Weighingapp~aximately mi llanponds,i t i s 131 feet long and 114M ?&.It s height is adjustabls froa aQ to 26feet. The vehicle moveson.h r ~ltlLle-tracked crawlers, e s h 10 %a& high and40 feet long. Each shwe & ~ m l ctrack weighs atrout a tat. ffrwa WQ $?shws on each h a c k B F F ~l ~ t 1 1 f 8tracks on the c n t h A t a l s .

Two main Civet d i m 1 engines pro-vide 5,500 hnrsepwe-r. T* aher die-sels gsnerah 2,t 30 h w ~ p ~ w e rarIevk-ling, iackhg, rtew~tlsg, Il@ng,verrtiloting and sfsctrsnia syat%ns.Aurilimty plmimature pmvide power tothe Mabila L WWR G ~h arried bythe Trurrhparter.Fn optaatian, the Jranspwter s l psunder the Mabile Lwncher while insidethe Vehicle Assembly Building, I ts 16hydraulic i a ~ k sulsctheMobila Launch-er, with the spaee vehicle aboard, fromsupport pdestals, The leaded Trano-porter then backs out of the VehicleAssembly Building and transfers the11.5-million-pound-load 3.5 mil& te he


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launch site.The Transporter has a speed of 1

mile per hour when fwlly loaded andtwice that when unloaded. I t can nego-tiate curves of 500 feet mean radius.A leveling system provides the capa-bil i ty to maintain the entire load inlevel position during *he transfer oper-ation.

The combined weight of the Trans-porter, the Mobile Launcher m d theApollo/Saturn V exceeds 17 mill ion~ounds t the time of transfer from theVehicle Assembly Building to thelaunch site. To accommodate fhis load,a specially constructed Crawlerway wasprepared.

The Crawlerway extends from theVehicle Assembly Building to thelaunch site, and consists of twa 40-foot-wide lanes separated by a SO-foot-wide median strip. The overallwidth of the roadway i s 130 feet orabout equal to an eight-lane parkway.

Unsuitable material was removedfrom the roadbed before beginning con-struction of the Crawlerway. The areathan was compacted with hydraulic f i l land selected materials, topped withcrushed graded l rnerock, pavedw ith as-phalt, sealed and covered with gravel,forming a roadbed approximately 7 feetthick. From eight to twelve thousandpounds-pet-square-foot in surface pros-sures are exerted on the Crawlerway;this i s equivalent to a stress of 40 iet-

liners landing at the same time on arunway.

The Mobile Service Structure is a402-foot-high tower which weighs 12mi lli on pounds. The structure containsfive service platforms that provide cir-cular access to the space vehicle forfin al servicing at the launch site. Thetwo lower platforms can be adiusted upand down the vehicle, while the threeupper platforms have a fixed elevation.

L ik e the Mobile Launcher, the Mo-bi le Service Structure is transported tothe launch site by the Transporter. I tis removed from the pad a few hoursprior to launch and returned to it s park-ing area.

Two launch sites are located atComplex 39, three and one-half milesfrom the Vehicle Assembly Building.Each site is an eight-sided polygonmeasuring 3,000 feet across.

The maior elements of the launchii tes include the launch pads; storagetanks for li qu id oxygen, liquid hydrogenand RP-1 propellants; gas compressorfacilities; and associated umbilica lconnection lines necessary for launch-ing the space vehicle.

The launch pad itself is a rein-forced concrete hardsite measuring 390feet by 325 feet. Top elevation of thepad is 48 feet above sea level, suff i-cient distance for the rocket's enginenozzles to rest above a 700,000-poundflame deflector.


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INDUSTRIAL AREAThe lndustrial Area of the Kennedy

Space Center i s located 5 miles southof Launch Complex 39. The area wasplanned so that a l l functions no t re-quired at the launch complexes could begrouped for ease of administration andeff icient operations. Here, the admin-istrators, scientists, engineers andtechnicians plan and accomplish manyof the detailed operations associatedwith prelaunch testing and preparingspace vehicles for a mission.

The Headquarters building i s theadmin strative center for spaceportoperations. Dr. Kurt H. Debus, Directorof the Kennedy Space Center, and hisimmediate staff maintain off ices on th etop floors. Procurement, program man-agement, legal and other support func-t ions occupy lower floors.

The largest structure in the Indus-trial Area i s the Manned Spacecraft Op-erations building. This faci l i ty i s usedfor modification, assembly and non-hazardous checkout of Apollo space-craft. It also provides astronaut quar-ters and medical facil i t ies, spacecraftautomatic testingstations and complete

supporting laboratories.Following systems testing and

Apollo service module static firing,Apol lo spacecraft are delivered to thisbuilding for integrated systems testing.Here, individual spacecraft modulesundergo acceptance testing and inte-grated systems and alt itude chambertesting. Two 50-foot alt itude chambersenvironmentally test Apol o spacecraftin conditions simulating alt itudes up to250,000 feet. Space-suited astronautsparticipate in these simulated f l ighttests.

The Information Systems faci l i tyi s the hub of thespaceport's instrumen-tation and data processing operations.It provides instrumentation to receive,monitor, process, display and recordinformation received from the spacevehicle during test, launch and flight.

The lndustrial Area contains spe-cial laboratories and test ing faci l i t iesfor the hazardous checkout operationsassociated with spacecraft pyrotechnicdevices and toxic f luids.

Among the other maior faci l i t ieslocated i n the lndustrial Area are:


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Flight Crew Training Building -th is foci l ty provides an environ-ment where astronauts and flightcontrollers - under the directionof Manned Spacecraft Centerpersonnel - can practice formanned Apollo space missions.actual Apollo spacecratt andcreates nearly complete realismfor simulated missions. Forabout three weeks prior to a mis-sion, astronauts go through make-believe flights and cope withpurposely contrived emergencysituations.L i f e Support Test - th is fac i l i tyi s used for high-pressure testingand liquid oxygen supply testingof environmental control systems.FluidTestSupport - hi s fac i l i tyi s a single-story structure hous-ing laboratories, shops and ser-vice areas to support the entiretest area. Cr i t ica l componentlest ing of spacecraft f lu id test[systems are conducted in thelaboratories which maintain spe-c ia l clean-room conditions.Hypergolic Test - this fac i l i tyi s used to test and check ou tstabilization and attitude controlsystems, orbital maneuvering sys-tems and reentry control systemsfor spacecraft. Hypergotic f lu idsut i l ized in these systems areespecially hazardous since theyignite upon contact with eachother.Cryogenic Test - th is faci l i tyi s used for checking the cryo-genic systems of spacecraft.Cryogenic fluids are supercooled.An example would be l iquid hy-drogen which must be maintaineda t a temperature of 423 degreesbelow zero.Pyrotechnic Installation - th isten-story-high faci l i ty i s usedto insta l l spacecraft pyrotechnic

devices and to statically weighand balance the spacecraft in i tsmission configuration to deter-mine i ts center of gravity. Thefaci l i ty i s also used for opticalalignments of cri t ical componentsof the guidance and navigationsystems, as well as accelerationtests on dynamic fixtures.Ordnance Storage - his faci l i typrovides remote, safe storage forsolid fuel motors, pyrotechnicdevices and aligned launch es-cape towers.RF Systems ~ e s t h is faci l i tyi s used to adiust, test and checkout spacecraft rendezvous appa-ratus and procedures in a simu-lated free space condition. Trans-mitt ing antenna height, elevation,squint and azimuth angles andtransmitter frequency are remotelycontrolled from an operator's con-sole.

Additional support structures in theIndustrial Area include cafeteria, ware-houses, f ire station, security offices,ut i l i t ies and occupational health fa-c i l i ies.


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CAPEKENNEDY FACILITIES

Stretching northward along the Atlantic Ocean are the famous launch complexes oCape Kennedy. The Cape i s managed by th e U. S. Ai r Force for theDepartment of Defense and designated as Station 1 of the Eastern Test Range which reaches 10,000 mileto the Indian Ocean. The U. S. Army, Navy and Air Forc e have used the Cape's f ac i liti es for mi ssi le development programs. Since the advent of the nationa l space pr ogram in 1958, however, the area has also been ut il iz ed by NASA as a launch s'ite fospace vehicles. In the foreground are the two pads of Launch Complex 36 from whicSurveyor spacecra ft are launched toward the Moon.


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Ten manned space missions were launchedComplex 19 during the highly successfu!

program. Here, the Gemini 12 vehicle,final f l ight in the program, i s readied for

At the right i s the erector which i si n servicing the space vehicle. Prior

launch, the erector i s lowered to the ground.umbilical tower on the left carries electri -communications and propellant lines to the

lt remains attached to the vehicle unt i l

A t Launch Complex 34, one of two Saturnlaunch sites on Cape Kennedy, the 300-foot-

service structure encloses an uprated Saturnlaunch vehicle. Unlike the erector used atComplex 19, th is structure moves back from thelaunch ready vehicle on rails. At nearby Com-plex 37, another Saturn launch site, a similar

serves two launch pads that are con-nected by rails. From these sites, astronautswi l l be launched on Earth orbital missions i n- . -three - man Apollo spacecraft.

1 ,

,.

This view of Launch Complex 37 shows thestructure in an open position with anrated Saturn launch, vehicle on the pad. To

launch crews access to the rocket, thestructure closer around the Saturn. The

which can be seen i n the photograph,work levels at various stages of the con-

This unmanned Saturn, AS- 203, waslaunched July 5 1W6. The mis-was an orbital flight to examine the effects

weightlessness on the liquid hydrogen fuel ofsecond stage. For this reason, i t was

with a nose cone instead of an Apollo

Blockhouse personnel of the Kennedy SpaceGovernment- industry launch team fol-

l i f tof f of uprated Saturn AS-20-3 on tele-monitors inside Complex 37 launch con-

center. Seated at a console and pointingcenter) i s Dr. Kurt H. Debus, Director of

Kennedy Space Center. Manning the peri -directly behind Dr. Debus i s the MarshallFlight Center Director, Dr. Wernher von

The launch control center i s located1,200 feet from the launch pad.of heavy reinforced concrete, the

- story, dome - shaped structure can withstandpressures of 2 188 pounds per square inch.


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THE HUMAN ELEMENT


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The John F. Kennedy SpaceCenter i s many things. It is the t re-mendous power of space veh ic lescarrying precious cargoes of men andequipment; i t i s scie ntif i c progress inaction; i t i s material and hardware-some minu te and deli cate , some hugeand powerful-in various stages ofbeing born and growing up; i t i s a l lthese . . . and more. The John F.Kennedy Space Center i s also people.

From New York City; Nashville,Tennessee; Dallas, Texas; San Jose,California-virtual ly from all over theUnit ed States-these people, represent-ing all racial and ethnic backgroundsand professions and sk ills , have beenmolded into one of the greatest teamsever assembled for a peacetime en-deavor.

More than 24,000 strong and repre-senting the best launch talent ingovernment and industry, this teamdevotes its skil ls and talents to theUnit ed States' goal o f space pre-eminence. Addi tiona lly , thousands ofAir Force Eastern Test Range per-sonnel and Air Force-associ ated con-

tractor personnel are providing vitalrange and mission support to NASAact ivi t ies.

Because the continuing progressof the space program i s dependentupon the total, coordinated efforts ofmany people, no task i s inconsequen-tial, no job tri vi al and no indi vidua lunimportant. Each success hinges onthe premise that the people involvedwill do the best iob they know how todo at al l times.

The entire space program i s variedand complex, as are the sk il ls requiredto successfully accomplish the iob.Welders, ra dio technicians, doctors ofmedicine, engineers, scientists, me-chanics, tinsmiths, writers, photo-graphers, tr uck drivers, policem en-al l these and more are employed. Th isi s but a fragment of the whole.

As each day expands the scopeand technology of space activities, theneed for people who can cope with andcontribute to the growth of the spaceprogram also expands. Peo ple are themost important asset of the program.


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PRIVATE INDUSTRY


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FACTS& FIGURESMANPOWERFederal Service PersonnelSupport Contractor PersonnelStage Contractor PersonnelCorps of Engineers Personnel(C of E)Construction WorkersNASA and NASA RelatedManpower-July 1, 1967

BUDGETResearch and Develop-ment o f Ground-SupportEquipment and Instru-mentation $339,800,000Construction of Faci l -i t i es $ 37,876,000Administrative Opera-t ions $ 93,620,000Total Budget Estimate(Fisca l Year 1967) $47 1,296,000

GOVERNMENT- NDUSTRY TEAMAT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

C O N T R A C T O R S C O N T R A C T O R S


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8

PUBLIC BUS TOURSDaily bus tours of the Kennedy Space Center

and Cape Kennedy ar e avai lable to th e public.Tours originate near the Center's Gate 3 , adjacentto U. S. Hwy. 1.

The tour route includes the industrial an dlaunch areas of th e Kennedy Space Center andCape Kennedy Air Force Stat ion, with s tops forphotography an d a vi s i t to the Vehicle AssemblyBuilding.

Nominal fees ar e charged for th e tour.Tour information and reservat ions may be

obtained by writing NASA Tours , Pos t OfficeBox 2 1 2 2 2 , Kennedy Space Center , Florida 32899.

john f. kennedy space center america's spaceport

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