![]() In this mammoth facility, the shuttle orbiter is joined with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. It dominates the Kennedy skyline and is visible across Florida's Space Coast. With its 8-acre footprint, the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, is one of the largest buildings in the world. Each bay provides access to every square inch of the spacecraft for the technicians who prepare it for flight. The 3-bay Orbiter Processing Facility is where the space shuttle orbiters spend most of their time. Launch Complex 39 is made up of a collection of facilities custom-designed for preparing, launching and landing the space shuttle. ![]() For every one of NASA's human spaceflights, that place is Kennedy Space Center.Ĭomplex and challenging space missions begin here, amid this primitive Florida landscape, where eagles soar and alligators roam. It requires a prime location, massive facilities, just the right tools and equipment and of course, a stellar work force. Preparing any vehicle for a thundering ride into space is no easy task. Let's find out what makes America's Spaceport so unique. But first there's no better place on Earth to get a space shuttle ready to fly than right here at Kennedy Space Center. During the 15-day mission, a well-trained astronaut crew will install several pieces of key hardware and conduct four spacewalks outside the station. We're counting down to the scheduled launch of space shuttle Endeavour on its STS-126 mission and I'm here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to take you behind the scenes.Įndeavour is embarking on NASA's 27th flight to the International Space Station, orbiting more than 200 miles above us. ![]() I'm your host, Damon Talley of NASA's Digital Learning Network. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |