Kennedy Space Center

Titusville, Florida: Since the inception of the space program, Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida has played an important part of the world’s exploration of space. From the Gemini, Mercury and Apollo missions of yesterday to the Space Shuttle missions of today, Kennedy Space Center has been the starting point for the country’s endeavors into the heavens.

The 219 square mile facility and adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is the launch base for much of NASA’s operations. From here the complex provides launch and landing complexes, support and research operations for the US Space Program.

The Cape Canaveral side of the property is where the unmanned rockets are launched. The base is operated by the United States Air Force 45th Space Wing. Many of the early milestones of space flight took place right here on the Cape. The first satellite, first astronaut and the first unmanned lunar landing were all launched from here. This was home to the Mercury and Gemini missions as well as flights of the Redstone, Polaris, Atlas and Titan rockets. In addition to the many milestones experienced on the Cape, it is also the site of one of the dark days of space travels. On January 27, 1967 Apollo 1 caught fire on Launch Complex 34. The blaze combined with the lack of safety features lead to the death of all three astronauts on board. The launch pad remains a memorial to the three; Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Today the site is home to four active launch pads used for unmanned space missions of the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets.

On the other side of the NASA Causeway is the Kennedy Space Center side of the property. The KSC is broken down into the Industrial Complex, the Launch Complex and the Visitor’s Center. From here, NASA provides launch and landing operations for the space shuttle program.

The Industrial Area is the support area of the complex. Here you will find the following support complexes:

• NASA headquarters: provides offices for NASA employees as well as home for the agency’s director.
• Operations and Checkout Facility: was originally built to support the Apollo program in testing the capsules. The building still contains the astronaut crew quarters where the flight crew will spend their last few days prior to a launch preparing for their mission as well as the effects of the 90 minute orbit. The facility will be returning back to full operation with the Constellation Project as NASA looks to return to the capsule style space vehicle.
• International Space Station Center: workspace and processing area for components of the International Space Station. This building contains a large clean room used for final processing of the components prior to loading them into the shuttle.
• Central Instrumentation Facility: contains the central information processing facility for all NASA operations. This is where the information from missions is processed and computers readied for future missions.

North of the Industrial Area is the Launch Complex. Launch Complex 39 is the operations center for the space shuttle program as well as the Apollo moon missions. The complex consists of several sites:

• Launch Complex 39A: active launch pad used for space shuttle missions.
• Launch Complex 39B: removed from service in 2007, the pad is in the process of being disassembled and rebuilt to accommodate the Constellation Project.
• Vehicle Assembly Building: the massive 525 foot tall building is where the space shuttle is up righted and attached to fuel cell and solid rocket boosters. It is then placed on the crawler and makes its way to the launch pad.
• Orbiter Processing Facility; these three buildings act a garage for the space shuttles. Here the shuttles are inspected, repaired and readied for future flights.
• Launch Control Complex; oversees the launch sequence of the shuttle. The staff monitors all aspects of the launch from the Firing Room and maintains control of the shuttle until it clears the launch tower and then operations are turned over to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.
• Shuttle Landing Facility; one of the largest runways in the world at 15,000 feet, the landing facility is the primary landing site for the space shuttle missions. Should the site not be accessible for landing, the shuttle may land in California and then be transported to KSC on the back of a modified aircraft. When it arrives at the landing facility, it is demated from the aircraft at this location.

The final major component to the Kennedy Space Center is its Visitor’s Complex. The complex sees over a million visitors a year and gives them an insight to the space program. The complex offers several exhibits as well as bus tours of the complex. Some of the exhibits on display are:

• The Rocket Garden
• Imax Theater
• Shuttle Launch Experience
• Space Station Center
• Apollo-Saturn V Center
• Astronaut Encounter
• Astronaut Memorial

The Kennedy Space Center is constantly evolving to accommodate the needs of the space program. The center is being to undergo its latest transformation. The space shuttle program will be retiring the shuttle fleet in 2010. As of January 2009, there are only five remaining missions for the space shuttle. Once the fleet is retired, work will begin on Project Constellation. The project will see the return of spaceflight in rockets and capsules with the hopes of returning to the moon and beyond. The project risks being cancelled by President Obama but only time will tell if man can once again make history in space and if Kennedy Space Center is at the forefront of the mission.

For more photos, click the photo above or visit my Kennedy Space Center photo page.

Updated January 23, 2010