NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Vehicle Assembly Building

The Vehicle (originally Vertical) Assembly Building, or VAB, is a very large building located at 28.586° N 80.651° W in NASA's Kennedy Space Center, halfway between Jacksonville and Miami, and due east of Orlando on Merritt Island, on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is one of the world's largest buildings (by volume) at third place, the largest one-story building in the world^{[citation needed]}, and was the tallest building in Florida until 1974. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... STS-117 is the current Space Shuttle mission being flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis, which launched from pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center at 7:38:04 pm EDT (23:38:04 UTC) on June 8, 2007. ... Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. ... 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] kmÂ²) - Width 361 miles (582 km) - Length 447 miles (721 km) - % water 17. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of Florida. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ... Motto: Where Florida Begins Location in the state of Florida Coordinates: Country United States State Florida County Duval Government - Mayor John Peyton (R) Area - City 885 sq mi (2,264. ... Nickname: Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. ... Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... Merritt Island is a census designated place in Brevard County, on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of Florida. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... The West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ... 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] kmÂ²) - Width 361 miles (582 km) - Length 447 miles (721 km) - % water 17. ... This following is a List of largest buildings in the world by usable space (volume), mass and area. ...

It was originally built to vertically assemble the stages of the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo program. It is now used for housing external fuel tanks and flight hardware, and the location of Orbiter mating (stacking) with the solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank to make up a complete Space Transportation System, called the Space Shuttle for short. Once assembled, the Space Transportation System is moved on the Mobile Launcher Platform and Crawler-Transporter to Launch complex 39. This article is about the rocket. ... Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... A Crawler-Transporter carries a MLP atop. ... Crawler-transporter #2 (Franz) in a December 2004 road test after track shoe replacement. ... Launch Complex Plan - 1963 Launch Complex 39A Launch Complex 39B with Discovery shuttle Launch Complex 39 actually refers to LC39A and LC39B at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA, which are currently launch pads for the space shuttle. ...

The VAB is 525 ft (160 meters) tall, 716 ft (218 meters) long and 518 ft (158 meters) wide. It covers 8 acres (32,500 square meters) and encloses 129,428,000 cubic feet (3,664,883 m³) of space. A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... It has been suggested that Thousand Cubic Feet be merged into this article or section. ... To help compare different orders of magnitudes this page lists volumes between 1 million and 10 million ( to ) cubic metres. ...

One indicator of the building's scale is that each of the stars on the American flag painted on the building is 6 feet (1.8 m) across, the blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court, and the stripes are as wide as a standard road lane. The flag was added in 1976 as part of United States Bicentennial celebrations along with the star logo of the anniversary, which was later replaced by the NASA logo. The VAB's interior volume is so vast that it allegedly has its own weather system—"NASA employees report that rain clouds form below the ceiling on very humid days"[1]. The building implements four large air machines (four cylindrical structures west of the building) to keep moisture under control. Union Jack. ... The United States Bicentennial was celebrated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. ... The NASA meatball logo is the official NASA logo, created in 1959 when the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) metamorphosed into an agency that would advance both space and aeronautics: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ... Weather is a term that encompasses phenomena in the atmosphere of a planet. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Being in Florida, the building has been constructed to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms. The most extensive damage ever recorded occurred during Hurricane Frances in September 2004, when about 1,000 10 × 40 foot (3 × 12 m) aluminum panels were blown off the building, resulting in about 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m²) of new openings in the sides. This came only three weeks after Hurricane Charley caused significant but less serious damage, estimated to cost about $700,000. Damage caused by these hurricanes is still apparent going into 2006. It should be noted that some of these panels are punch-outs designed to detach from the VAB when a large pressure differential is created on the outside vs. the inside. This allows for equalization and helps protect the structural integrity of the building during rapid changes in pressure such as in tropical cyclones. This article is about weather phenomena. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... B C D E F G H I 10 J K L M N O Categories: | | | | | ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... A square foot is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 foot (unit of length) long. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... Lowest pressure 941 mbar (hPa) Damage $16 billion (2004 USD) $16. ...

Work began in early 2007 to restore the exterior paint on the immense facility. Special attention was paid to the enormous American flag and NASA "meatball" logo. The paint job will mend visible damage from the aforementioned hurricanes and years of weathering. The building has not been repainted since 1998.^[1]

It is expected that, starting in 2008-2009, it will start the transition for the assembly and processing of both the Space Shuttle and the Shuttle Derived Ares I crew launch vehicle for the upcoming Constellation Program. After the Shuttle's retirement in 2010, the VAB will become the assembly facility for both the Ares I and the unmanned heavy lift Ares V launcher for the return to the Moon in 2018. NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Comparison of the Saturn V, Space Shuttle and the two Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicles proposed to replace the Shuttle. ... This article is about the Ares I launch vehicle. ... Project Constellation is NASAs current plan for space exploration. ... The Ares V (formerly known at the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. ...

Additional images

References

External links

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Apollo program | Buildings and structures in Florida | Brevard County, Florida | NASA facilities | Registered Historic Places in Florida | Space Shuttle program Structurae is an on-line database containing works of structural and civil engineering of all kinds such as Bridges, High-rise buildings, towers, dams, etc. ... CNN or Cable News Network is a cable television network that was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner & Reese Schonfeld [1]. It is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System, owned by Time Warner. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1189x1264, 1101 KB)http://science. ... The Discovery orbiter returns to Earth following the STS-121 mission The Space Shuttle Orbiter is the orbital vehicle of the Space Shuttle. ... The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) is the rocket that provides 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. ... The Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building. ... Space Shuttle Main Engine cluster The Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) are the three main engines on the Space Shuttle orbiter. ... An OMS pod detached from a Shuttle for maintenance. ... The Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first Space Shuttle built for NASA. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of space operations; its purpose was to perform test flights in the atmosphere. ... Space Shuttle Columbia (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASAs orbital fleet. ... Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASAs second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service. ... 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. ... For the current mission, see STS-117 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). ... Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105), is the fifth and final operational NASA space shuttle to be built. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center (shown in white). ... 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. ... 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... First launch of a Boeing Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) from SLC-6 on June 27, 2006 (Official photo by Thom Baur for Boeing) Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6, nicknamed Slick Six) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was a launch pad and support area designed for the... Comparison of the Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Ares I, and Ares V. The Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle - or simply Shuttle-Derived Vehicle (SDV) - is a term describing one of a wide array of concepts that have been developed for creating space launch vehicles from the components, technology and/or infrastructure... An artists conception of a Shuttle-C launching at night. ... 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. ... The Space Shuttle Orbiter Pathfinder (honorary Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-098) is a Space Shuttle simulator made of steel and wood. ... Main Propulsion Test Article being lifted onto its test stand in 1977. ... The Main Propulsion Test Article ET was built by NASA to be used in conjuction with MPTA-098 for structural tests of the Space Shuttle prior to construction of flyable craft. ... This is a list of missions flown by space shuttles. ... It has been suggested that STS-61-H be merged into this article or section. ... Even before the Apollo moon landing in 1969, in October 1968 NASA began early studies of space shuttle designs. ... This is a list of persons who served aboard Space Shuttle crews, arranged in chronological order by mission. ... A Space Shuttle abort is an emergency procedure due to equipment failure on NASAs Space Shuttle, most commonly during ascent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Crawler-transporter #2 (Franz) in a December 2004 road test after track shoe replacement. ... Space Shuttle America viewed from Sky Trek Tower Space Shuttle America (also known as Space Shuttle America - The Next Century) is a motion simulator ride at Six Flags Great America that opened in 1994. ... The Space Shuttle Explorer is a full-scale replica of a Space Shuttle. ...