Launch Complex 39

An aerial view of Launch Complex 39
Launch Site	Kennedy Space Center
Location	N 28°36'30.23" W 80°36'15.64"
Short name	LC-39
Operator	NASA
Total launches	133
Launch pads	2
Minimum/Maximum orbital inclination	28° - 57°
LC-39A Launch History
Status	Active
Launches	76
First launch	Apollo 4, 9 November 1967
Last launch	STS-107, 16 January 2003
Associated rockets	Saturn V Saturn INT-21 Space Shuttle (current) Ares V (future)
LC-39B Launch History
Status	Standby
Launches	58
First launch	Apollo 10, 18 May 1969
Last launch	STS-116, 10 December 2006, 01:47 GMT
Associated rockets	Saturn V Saturn IB Space Shuttle Ares I (future)

Launch Complex 39 is a large site and a collection of facilities at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA, originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA will again modify LC-39 starting in 2007 to accommodate Project Constellation. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1200, 991 KB) Summary An aerial view of the Launch Complex 39. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the NASA space vehicle launch facility (spaceport) at Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island in Florida, United States. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit and is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of the reference (usually planets equator or the ecliptic), stated in degrees. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The STS-107 crewmembers strike a ‘flying’ pose for their traditional in-flight crew portrait in the SPACEHAB aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... This article is about the rocket. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... The Ares V (formerly known at the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. ... Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program, and the first (and only manned Saturn V) mission to launch from pad 39B. The mission included the second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module in lunar orbit. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... STS-116 was a flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station (ISS). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... For alternate meanings of GMT, see GMT (disambiguation). ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which was the first manned launch vehicle that was not directly derived from an ICBM (though its tanks were derived from the Jupiter and Redstone tanks, and its first stage engines were Navaho derived). ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... This article is about the Ares I launch vehicle. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ... Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961 – 1975. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Project Constellation is NASAs current plan for space exploration. ...

History

Launch Complex Plan - 1963

Prior to the construction of the complex, State Road A1A ran east of the complex. Along this rural ocean road was United States Coast Guard Station Chester Shoals. Image File history File links Lc39_plan_1963. ... Image File history File links Lc39_plan_1963. ... State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ...

The initial design of the launch complex contained 5 pads that were evenly spaced 8700 feet apart to avoid damage in the event of a pad explosion. 3 were scheduled for construction (shown), 2 reserved for future use (1 shown). The numbering of the pads at the time was from north to south, with the northern most being LC39A, and the southern being LC39C. LC39A was never built, and LC39C became LC39A in 1963. With today's numbering, LC39C would be north of LC39B. LC39D (visible as an outline on the plan to the left) would have been due west of LC39C. LC39E (not shown) would be due north of the mid-distance between LC39C and LC39D, with LC39E forming the top of a triangle, and equidistant from LC39C and LC39D. Today, the crawler way stub that would lead to these pads is located 1 mile west of LC39A, and 1.5 south of LC39B. TerraServer Image The accompanying map also shows the unbuilt Nuclear Assembly Building (NAB).

The pads were previously used for launches of the Saturn V rocket for the Project Apollo moon missions. The original structure of the pads were remodeled for the needs of the shuttle, first starting with LC39A after the last Saturn V launch, which carried Skylab, in 1973, and in 1977 for LC39B after the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. LC39 during the Apollo era were just launchpads - the umbilical/service towers were attached to the launch platform--the only modification made was the so-called "milkstool" which allowed the Saturn IB rocket (for all manned Skylab missions, the unlaunched Skylab Rescue, and ASTP) to use the Saturn V launch tower. For the Shuttle, the pad has a fixed tower (leftover from the Apollo-Saturn era) and a rotating service platform, used to protect the Shuttle Orbiter and to install vertically-handled payloads into the payload bay. For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961 – 1975. ... Skylab was the first space station the United States launched into orbit. ... The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the U.S. and Soviet space programs. ... The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which was the first manned launch vehicle that was not directly derived from an ICBM (though its tanks were derived from the Jupiter and Redstone tanks, and its first stage engines were Navaho derived). ... During the second crewed Skylab mission a rescue flight was assembled as a backup contingency. ...

The first flight of the Saturn V (on the unmanned Apollo 4 flight) rising from LC-39A.

Launch of the final Saturn IB rocket from LC-39B on July 17, 1975 carrying the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Command Module into orbit.

The first use of LC39 came in 1967 with the first Saturn V launch, carrying the unmanned Apollo 4 spacecraft. The second unmanned launch, Apollo 6, also used LC39A. With the exception of Apollo 10, which used LC39B (due to the "all-up" testing resulting in a 2-month turnaround period), all manned Apollo-Saturn V launches, commencing with Apollo 8, used LC39A. After the launch of Skylab in 1974, using the Saturn INT-21 rocket (a two-stage variation of the Saturn V rocket originally intended for the Apollo Applications Program, LC39A was reconfigured for the Space Shuttle and was used for the first Shuttle launch (STS-1, using the Columbia in 1981. After Apollo 10, LC39B was kept as a backup launch facility in the case of the destruction of LC39A, but saw service for all three Skylab missions, the ASTP flight, as well as unlaunched Skylab Rescue flight. After ASTP, LC39B underwent the same reconfiguration as LC39A, but due to necessary modifications (mainly to allow the facility to service a modified Centaur-G upper stage), along with budgetary restraints, it was not ready until 1986, and the first Shuttle launch to use it was the ill-fated STS 51-L flight – the Challenger Disaster (Interestingly, LC39A was the launch pad for the first (STS-1) and last mission (STS-107) of Columbia). Download high resolution version (798x1024, 158 KB)Launch of Apollo 4 http://www. ... Download high resolution version (798x1024, 158 KB)Launch of Apollo 4 http://www. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Image File history File links ASTBLaunch. ... Image File history File links ASTBLaunch. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the U.S. and Soviet space programs. ... Apollo 4 was the first unmanned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Apollo 6, launched in April 1968, was the Apollo programs second and last unmanned test flight of its Saturn V launch vehicle. ... Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program, and the first (and only manned Saturn V) mission to launch from pad 39B. The mission included the second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module in lunar orbit. ... Apollo 8 was the second manned mission of the Apollo space program, in which Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to orbit around the Moon. ... Skylab was the first space station the United States launched into orbit. ... This article is about the rocket. ... The Apollo Applications Program (AAP) was established by NASA headquarters in 1968 to develop science based manned space missions using surplus material from the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. ... The first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, launched April 12, 1981, returned April 14. ... Space Shuttle Columbia (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASAs orbital fleet. ... Model of Centaur with Surveyor as payload. ... STS-51-L was the 25th launch of a Space Shuttle and the tenth launch of the Challenger. ... STS-51-L was the 25th launch of a Space Shuttle and the tenth launch of the Challenger. ... The STS-107 crewmembers strike a ‘flying’ pose for their traditional in-flight crew portrait in the SPACEHAB aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. ...

Space shuttle usage

Space Shuttle Discovery in full launch configuration at Launch Pad 39B.

This fish-eye view shows water flooding the launcher platform as Discovery lifts off Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-116 in December 2006. According to NASA plans, this would be the final launch by a space shuttle from this platform.

In order for the shuttle to reach orbit, it must have enough thrust to leave the pull of gravity from the earth. The thrust is provided by a combination of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs). The SRBs are full of solid propellant, hence their name. The SSMEs use a combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LOX) from the External Tank (ET), as the shuttle does not have fuel tanks for the SSMEs. Months before launch, the 3 main components of the "stack" are brought together in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). All of the components are placed on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). The SRBs arrive in segments via rail car from their manufacturing facility in Utah, the ET arrives from its manufacturing facility in Louisiana by barge and the space shuttle waits in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). The SRBs are first stacked and then the ET is mounted between them. Then using a massive crane, the Shuttle is lowered and connected to the ET. When entire stack integration is complete it is moved by the Crawler-Transporter 3-4 miles to the pad over eight hours. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixels Full resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixels Full resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 2. ... Space Shuttle Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of three remaining spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with Atlantis and Endeavour. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 599 pixels Full resolution (2218 × 3000 pixel, file size: 534 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 599 pixels Full resolution (2218 × 3000 pixel, file size: 534 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex... STS-116 was a flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station (ISS). ... The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) is the rocket that provides 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. ... Space Shuttle Main Engine block The Space Shuttle orbiter has three main engines. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Liquid Oxygen In Test Tube Liquid oxygen (also LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace and submarine industry) is the liquid form of oxygen. ... Diagram of Space Shuttle External Tank showing internal structure The Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) contains the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer and supplies them under pressure to the three space shuttle main engines in the orbiter during lift-off and ascent. ... The vast Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center (2005). ... A Crawler-Transporter carries a MLP atop. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Space Shuttle Columbia at the entrance of the Orbiter Processing Facility The Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) is the hangar where NASAs Space Shuttle Orbiter undergoes maintenance between flights. ... Crawler-transporter #2 (Franz) in a December 2004 road test after track shoe replacement. ...

At the pad, the MLP is lowered onto several pedestals, and the Crawler-Transporter moves off the pad to a staging area a safe distance away. Each pad contains a two-piece access tower system, the Fixed Service Structure (FSS) and the Rotating Service Structure (RSS). The FSS permits access to the shuttle via a retractable arm and a "beanie cap" to capture vented LOX from a filled ET. The RSS contains a clean room, offers access to the orbiter's payload bay, protection from the elements and can protect the shuttle in winds up to 60 knots. Also at each pad are large cryogenic tanks that store the fuel liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LOX) fuel for the SSMEs. The highly explosive nature of these chemicals results in numerous safety measures at the Launch Complex. NASA has calculated that the minimum safe distance in the event of a fully fueled space shuttle stack is three miles for personnel, and 8700 feet between pads. To prevent massive damage to the shuttle and the boosters, 300,000 gallons of water are dumped onto the launch platform to buffer the sound during launch. Due to the immense heating of the water, a great amount of steam is produced during launch. Before tanking operations begin and all the way through lift off, non-essential personnel are cleared out of this hazard area. The Launch Control Center and VAB are almost exactly three miles away. A knot is a unit of speed abbreviated kt or kn. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Liquid Oxygen In Test Tube Liquid oxygen (also LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace and submarine industry) is the liquid form of oxygen. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... The Launch Control Center (LCC) is a four-story building that is the electronic brain of Launch Complex 39. ...

In the case of emergency, the launch complex has an emergency elevator system for quick shuttle personnel evacuation. Leaving the shuttle, the crew proceeds to an emergency elevator which drops the crew to the ground at speeds up to 60 miles per hour (mph). This is a basket on a cable which drops at a steep angle away from the site. From there, the crew board, and drive, a modified M113 Armored Personnel Carrier to a triangular helicopter pad located a couple hundred feet from the platform and fly away from the complex to safety. It should be noted that as NASA safety rules require all non-crew members to be well away from the pad; the crew must do all this for themselves. The M113 is an armored personnel carrier family of vehicles in use with the US military and many other nations. ...

Future usage

The aerial view of the area around Launch Complex 39B with Discovery shuttle at center.

With the planned retirement of the Shuttle in 2010, NASA will modify the two launch pads to accommodate the manned Ares I (formerly the Crew Launch Vehicle – CLV) and the unmanned Ares V (formerly the Cargo Launch Vehicle – CaLV) in support of Project Constellation. Prior to the announcement that Ares would use LC-39, officials in Florida were concerned by the possibility that the Space Shuttle's successor project may not have launched from Kennedy Space Center. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1995, 909 KB) Summary An aerial view of Launch Pad 39B and surrounding area at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, showing the Space Shuttle Discovery at center. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1995, 909 KB) Summary An aerial view of Launch Pad 39B and surrounding area at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, showing the Space Shuttle Discovery at center. ... This article is about the Ares I launch vehicle. ... The Ares V (formerly known at the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. ... Project Constellation is NASAs current plan for space exploration. ...

LC-39B (Post-Shuttle)

With the need to keep a Shuttle launch schedule, along with the need to start testing of the new Ares I rocket, NASA deactivated LC-39B on January 1, 2007, thus making the nighttime launch of STS-116, which occurred on December 9, 2006 the last regularly scheduled mission. After the turnover of the pad from Shuttle operations to Constellation operations, the pad is kept in reserve for the upcoming STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. This is due in part to it not being possible to launch a STS-3xx-series rescue mission from LC-39A at the same time, and that the assigned orbiter Atlantis, would not be in the same inclination as that of the International Space Station. Between STS-116 and STS-125, LC-39B will undergo the beginnings of its conversion to the Ares I facility with the building of three to four new tall lightning masts similar in use on the Atlas V and Delta IV launch pads at Cape Canaveral. The main period of renovation, however, will occur after STS-125. During this phase, the RSS will be removed and a Shuttle MLP will be used to launch in conjunction with the Ares I-1 flight, which will utilize a four-segment solid rocket first stage with a dummy fifth segment and boilerplate second stage. During the conversion period, NASA will, in keeping with the simplicity called for by the ESAS report, strip LC-39B of its FSS, rendering the Apollo-like "clean pad" design for the first time since 1977, and, at the same time will build two new MLPs that will support both the Ares I and its launch umbilical tower, but yet will allow NASA to continue using the existing Crawler-Transporters. The new tower, similar in appearance to the Saturn V tower, will only have two "swing" arms; one for the crew (along with an attached "clean room") and one for the Orion Service Module. A pair of collect "chocks," similar in function to the existing chocks used on the Shuttle Orbiter, will be used to both fuel, drain, and vent the LH₂ and LOX for the Ares I second stage (the Shuttle chocks only fill and drain, with separate vent arms being used). In addition, a new "roller coaster" escape system, replacing the existing slide wire system, will connect the launch tower with a new fortified bunker located 1000 meters from the pad; a necessity in the case of a launch pad emergency. By the time the entire Ares I stack is finished being tested (in 2012), with both the solid-fueled first stage and liquid-fueled second stage, LC-39B will have all traces of Space Shuttle hardware removed, and LC-39B will become a "clean" pad for the first time since 1977. The LH₂, LOX, and water tanks will be the only structures left over from the Shuttle era. The pad would later undergo additional modifications, mainly in addition storage capacity, to be used as a spare Ares V launch facility in the case of the destruction of nearby LC-39A. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... STS-116 was a flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station (ISS). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... STS-125 is a planned space shuttle mission expected to use the Space Shuttle Atlantis. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... Space shuttle missions designated STS-3xx (officially called Launch On Need missions) are rescue missions which would be mounted to rescue the crew of a Space Shuttle if their vehicle was damaged and deemed unable to make a successful reentry. ... Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of the fleet of space shuttles belonging to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ... “ISS” redirects here. ... This article is about the Ares I launch vehicle. ... Atlas V is a launch vehicle formerly built by Lockheed Martin and now built by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance in Decatur, Alabama. ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) The Delta IV family of rockets are EELVs (evolved expendable launch vehicles) built by Boeing IDS. They come in five versions: medium, medium+ (4,2), medium+ (5,2), medium+ (5,4), and heavy. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) is the rocket that provides 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. ... The Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) is the official title of a large-scale, system level study conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Summer of 2005 in response to the American president George W. Bushs announcement on January 14, 2004 of his goal of...

LC-39A (Post-Shuttle)

Just like the first 24 shuttle flights, this pad will support the final shuttle operations starting with STS-117 and will undergo deactivation once the Shuttle is retired. Like that of LC-39B, LC-39A will have both the FSS and RSS removed to render the "clean" pad approach as required by the ESAS, but LC-39A will be used primarily as the launch pad for the Ares V rocket, and as such, will undergo additional modifications to accommodate extra LH2 and LOX storage at the site, along with the lightning masts similar to those used on LC-39B (although they may be built at the same time as those slated for LC-39B in order to save costs). Because of the in-line design of the Ares V, the three existing MLPs, which dates back to Apollo and modified to accomodate the Shuttle, will undergoe a major overhaul in order to accomodate the Ares V and its launch umbilical tower, which will have Apollo-like swing arms for the Earth Departure Stage and the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM). Due to their age and the need to support the immense weight of the Ares V and its tower (which will weigh more than the Saturn V system), the current Crawler-Transporters, in use since 1967, will be retired and replaced with two new state-of-the-art models that will also handle the Ares I and its MLP system. Although it would be primarily used for Ares V flights, LC-39A can also support launches of the Ares I in the remote chance LC-39B is damaged or destroyed in a launch pad accident. Computer rendering of the ISS after assembly flight STS-117 STS-117 is a Space Shuttle mission that will deliver the second starboard truss segment and energy systems to the International Space Station, the S3/S4 Truss and set of solar arrays. ... The Ares V (formerly known at the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. ... The Ares V (formerly known at the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. ... The Earth Departure Stage (EDS) is the name of the upper stage of the heavy-lift Ares V (CaLV) that will place the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) into low Earth orbit for Project Constellation. ... The LSAM launches its ascent stage to return the astronauts to Lunar Orbit. ...

Other changes

The VAB is currently undergoing modifications to accommodate the simultaneous assembly and checkout operations for both the Shuttle and for the Ares I. Eventually, the VAB will undergo further modifications to allow for the assembly of both an Ares I and Ares V when lunar missions commence after 2018. NASA will also build two new MLPs designed to handle the Ares I with the current Crawler-Transporters and will eventually replace the Apollo-era machines with new units when the Ares V comes on line.

Although planned, yet never built, and not mentioned in the ESAS report, NASA may build a LC-39C that may be used primarily to accomodate future Mars missions when more than one Ares V would be required to launch the Mars-bound spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. While the LC-39C would been seen as a future necessity for Mars missions, the addition of LC-39C would also guarantee NASA a needed "insurance policy" in the event in which either LC-39A or LC-39B would be destroyed – the destruction of either pad would allow NASA to continue Moon missions at the current rate, but yet would allow Mars missions to continue at a somewhat reduced rate.

Although floated by the media, but not mentioned in the ESAS report would also use two existing launch facilities at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) for the launching of the Ares I rocket. Initially built in the 1960's to accomodate both the Saturn I and later Saturn IB rockets, two existing pads, Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) and Launch Complex 37A have been floated for conversion by NASA into Ares I facilities, mainly for unmanned Ares I launches, but with modifications, could be used as manned launch facilities. The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... The Saturn I was Americas first large clustered rocket. ... The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which was the first manned launch vehicle that was not directly derived from an ICBM (though its tanks were derived from the Jupiter and Redstone tanks, and its first stage engines were Navaho derived). ... A Saturn I at Pad 34, ready for mission SA-3 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a launch site at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... The launch of GOES-N atop a Delta IV, from LC-37B Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37 (LC-37) is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. ...

LC-34, the most well-known Apollo-era launch facility other than LC-39, is the site of the tragic Apollo 1 fire in 1967 and the triumphant Apollo 7 mission that followed in October, 1968. Last used in 1968, NASA originally planned to use LC-34 for the three manned Skylab flights, but instead decided to modify the LC-39 facilities for those three flights, as well as the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz flight. Currently, only the launch pedestal remains and it has since became a memorial to the three-member Apollo 1 crew that was killed there in 1967, just 19 years before the Challenger Disaster. Apollo One is the official name given to the Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) spacecraft, destroyed by fire during a training exercise on January 27, 1967, at Pad 34 (Launch Complex 34 at Cape Canaveral - then known as Cape Kennedy) atop a Saturn IB rocket. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ... Skylab was the first space station the United States launched into orbit. ... For further information about Challengers mission and crew, see STS-51-L. The iconic image of Space Shuttle Challengers smoke plume after its breakup 73 seconds after launch. ...

LC-37A, on the other hand, was never used by NASA during the Apollo program; its sister LC-37B pad being used for the unmanned Apollo 203 and Apollo 5 flights before being deactivated and converted for use in the launching of the Delta IV EELV. Although NASA has not yet made a decision to use the Ares I as an unmanned satellite launcher (it is capable of placing medium-sized satellites into LEO), but, if such a decision is made, the assembly and launch operations at either pad will resemble the operations at the SLC 6 launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, in which all of the elements would be assembled at the pad itself, as opposed to LC-39 in which assembly occurs in one location and launching occurs at another. Apollo 5 was the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) The Delta IV family of rockets are EELVs (evolved expendable launch vehicles) built by Boeing IDS. They come in five versions: medium, medium+ (4,2), medium+ (5,2), medium+ (5,4), and heavy. ... Boeing Delta 4 Medium+ (4,2) lifts off from Space Launch Complex Six (SLC-6) at Vandenberg AFB, California (Official photo by Thom Baur for the Boeing Company) Vandenberg Air Force Base (IATA: VBG, ICAO: KVBG) is a United States military installation with a spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California...

Gallery

Launch Complex 39A Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 623 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Launch complex 39 ...

Launch Complex 39B with Discovery shuttle Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 613 KB) Launch Complex 39, pad B, shown on July 6, 2005. ...

See also

• John F. Kennedy Space Center
• List of Merritt Island launch sites

Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ... Merritt Islands two spaceports are shown side-by-side on this map. ...

External links

• KSC page on Launch Complex 39 Facilities

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 28.608397° -80.604345°
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia, Google Maps or Windows Live Local
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA

Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

v • d • e Space Shuttle program
Main articles	Space Shuttle · Space Shuttle program
Components	Orbiter · SRB · External Tank · SSME · OMS
Orbiters	Enterprise · Columbia · Challenger · Discovery · Atlantis · Endeavour
Launch sites	Kennedy Space Center LC-39 · Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-6
Developments	Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle · Shuttle-C · Ares I · Ares V
Testing	Pathfinder · MPTA · MPTA-ET
Other articles	Missions (cancelled) · Decision to build · Crews · Abort modes · Space shuttles in fiction · Crawler-transporter · Space Shuttle America (motion simulator ride)  · Shuttle Mockup Explorer

v • d • e  Project Constellation
	Main Article: Project Constellation
	Components: Orion | Ares I | Ares IV | Ares V | Earth Departure Stage | Lunar Surface Access Module | J-2X | RS-68
	Launch Sites: Kennedy Space Center LC-39
	Abort: Abort Modes | In-flight aborts and rescue options | Orion Abort Test Booster
	Misc: Vision for Space Exploration | Exploration Systems Architecture Study | Missions