1.
NASA
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower established NASA in 1958 with a distinctly civilian orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29,1958, disestablishing NASAs predecessor, the new agency became operational on October 1,1958. Since that time, most US space exploration efforts have led by NASA, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches. NASA shares data with various national and international such as from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite. Since 2011, NASA has been criticized for low cost efficiency, from 1946, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics had been experimenting with rocket planes such as the supersonic Bell X-1. In the early 1950s, there was challenge to launch a satellite for the International Geophysical Year. An effort for this was the American Project Vanguard, after the Soviet launch of the worlds first artificial satellite on October 4,1957, the attention of the United States turned toward its own fledgling space efforts. This led to an agreement that a new federal agency based on NACA was needed to conduct all non-military activity in space. The Advanced Research Projects Agency was created in February 1958 to develop technology for military application. On July 29,1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, a NASA seal was approved by President Eisenhower in 1959. Elements of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and the United States Naval Research Laboratory were incorporated into NASA, earlier research efforts within the US Air Force and many of ARPAs early space programs were also transferred to NASA. In December 1958, NASA gained control of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA has conducted many manned and unmanned spaceflight programs throughout its history. Some missions include both manned and unmanned aspects, such as the Galileo probe, which was deployed by astronauts in Earth orbit before being sent unmanned to Jupiter, the experimental rocket-powered aircraft programs started by NACA were extended by NASA as support for manned spaceflight. This was followed by a space capsule program, and in turn by a two-man capsule program. This goal was met in 1969 by the Apollo program, however, reduction of the perceived threat and changing political priorities almost immediately caused the termination of most of these plans. NASA turned its attention to an Apollo-derived temporary space laboratory, to date, NASA has launched a total of 166 manned space missions on rockets, and thirteen X-15 rocket flights above the USAF definition of spaceflight altitude,260,000 feet. The X-15 was an NACA experimental rocket-powered hypersonic research aircraft, developed in conjunction with the US Air Force, the design featured a slender fuselage with fairings along the side containing fuel and early computerized control systems
2.
Space Shuttle
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The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System, taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development, the first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights beginning in 1982. Five complete Shuttle systems were built and used on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011, the Shuttle fleets total mission time was 1322 days,19 hours,21 minutes and 23 seconds. Shuttle components included the Orbiter Vehicle, a pair of solid rocket boosters. The Shuttle was launched vertically, like a rocket, with the two SRBs operating in parallel with the OVs three main engines, which were fueled from the ET. The SRBs were jettisoned before the vehicle reached orbit, and the ET was jettisoned just before orbit insertion, at the conclusion of the mission, the orbiter fired its OMS to de-orbit and re-enter the atmosphere. The orbiter then glided as a spaceplane to a landing, usually at the Shuttle Landing Facility of KSC or Rogers Dry Lake in Edwards Air Force Base. After landing at Edwards, the orbiter was back to the KSC on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The first orbiter, Enterprise, was built in 1976 for use in Approach, four fully operational orbiters were initially built, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Of these, two were lost in accidents, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, with a total of fourteen astronauts killed. A fifth operational orbiter, Endeavour, was built in 1991 to replace Challenger, the Space Shuttle was retired from service upon the conclusion of Atlantiss final flight on July 21,2011. Nixons post-Apollo NASA budgeting withdrew support of all components except the Shuttle. The vehicle consisted of a spaceplane for orbit and re-entry, fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks. The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights beginning in 1982, all launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The system was retired from service in 2011 after 135 missions, the program ended after Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21,2011. Major missions included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes, conducting space science experiments, the first orbiter vehicle, named Enterprise, was built for the initial Approach and Landing Tests phase and lacked engines, heat shielding, and other equipment necessary for orbital flight. A total of five operational orbiters were built, and of these and it was used for orbital space missions by NASA, the US Department of Defense, the European Space Agency, Japan, and Germany. The United States funded Shuttle development and operations except for the Spacelab modules used on D1, sL-J was partially funded by Japan
3.
Space Shuttle Discovery
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Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the orbiters from NASAs Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5,1984, over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. Discovery became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by Columbia and Challenger. It embarked on its last mission, STS-133, on February 24,2011 and touched down for the time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9. Discovery performed both research and International Space Station assembly missions and it also carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour, Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope and conducted the second and third Hubble service missions. It also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites, project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 at the time, flew with Discovery on STS-95 in 1998, making him the oldest person to go into space. Had plans to launch United States Department of Defense payloads from Vandenberg Air Force Base gone ahead and its first West Coast mission, STS-62-A, was scheduled for 1986, but canceled in the aftermath of Challenger. Discovery was retired after completing its mission, STS133 on March 9,2011. The spacecraft is now on display in Virginia at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Discovery weighed 6,870 pounds less than Columbia when it was brought into service due to optimizations determined during the construction and testing of Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger. Beginning in late 1995, the orbiter underwent a nine-month Orbiter Maintenance Down Period in Palmdale and this included outfitting the vehicle with a 5th set of cryogenic tanks and an external airlock to support missions to the International Space Station. After STS-105, Discovery became the first of the fleet to undergo Orbiter Major Modification period at the Kennedy Space Center. Work began in September 2002 to prepare the vehicle for Return to Flight and this included scheduled upgrades and additional safety modifications. Discovery is 6 pounds heavier than Atlantis and 363 pounds heavier than Endeavour, Discovery was decommissioned on March 9,2011. Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonians display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, Discovery was transported to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17,2012, and was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy on April 19 where a welcome ceremony was held. Afterwards, at around 5,30 pm, Discovery was rolled to its final stop in the Udvar Hazy Center. By its last mission, Discovery had flown 149 million miles in 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, Discovery flew more flights than any other Orbiter Shuttle, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery flew all three return to flight missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters, STS-26 in 1988, STS-114 in 2005, Discovery flew the ante-penultimate mission of the Space Shuttle program, STS-133, having launched on February 24,2011
4.
Yury Usachov
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Yury Vladimirovich Usachov is a former cosmonaut who resides in Star City, Moscow. Usachov is a veteran of four spaceflights, including two long duration missions on board the Mir Space Station and another on board the International Space Station, during his career, he also conducted seven spacewalks before his retirement on April 5,2004. Married to Vera Sergeevna Usachova from the Kaliningrad and his mother, Anna Grigorevna Usachova resides in Donetsk. He has a brother, five years older, and a twin sister and he enjoys photography and video production. Usachov graduated from the Donetsk Public School in 1975, in 1985, he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute with an engineering diploma. Upon graduation from the Aviation Institute, he went to work for Energia, participating in working with EVA training, future construction in space, public relations. In 1989, he was appointed to the position of cosmonaut candidate at the Cosmonaut Training Center, from 1989 to 1992, he underwent a course of general space training. He was a member of the crew for the Mir-13,14 and 19 missions. From January 8,1994 to July 9,1994, he served as Board Engineer on Space Station Mir, Usachov made his first trip into space on January 8,1994. The Soyuz TM-18 spacecraft carrying Usachov with cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Valeri Polyakov lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10,05,34 UTC, Usachov served as the Flight Engineer. After two days of flight, Soyuz TM-18 docked at the Kvant-1 module of the Mir space station on January 10 at 11,15 UTC. The three cosmonauts became the 15th resident crew of the Mir, Usachov joined as a Flight Engineer. He was on board the Mir on January 14, when the departing Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft struck Kristall module two glancing blows during the customary inspection fly-around prior to the deorbit burn, after the incident, the EO-15 crew on Mir checked over Kristall and found no damage. During Usachovs stay three Progress spacecraft arrived at Mir, on 30 January, on March 24 and on May 24, Progress M-21, Progress M-22 and Progress M-23 spacecraft arrived at Mir. The Progress spacecraft delivered food, water, fuel, spare parts and equipment for the maintenance of Mirs systems and additional equipment for medical experiments. Usachov and Afanasyev uneventfully returned to Earth on board the Soyuz TM-18 descent module which landed 110 km north of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan at 10,32,35 GMT on July 9,1994, Usachov flew on the Mir space station for 182 days. From February 21 to September 2,1996, Usachov served as a Board Engineer of the Mir EO-21 expedition, the Soyuz TM-23 spacecraft carrying Usachov with cosmonaut Yuri Onufriyenko lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on February 21,1996 at 12,34,05 UTC. After two days of flight, the Soyuz spacecraft docked with the Mir space stations forward-facing port on February 23 at 14,20 UTC
5.
Susan Helms
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Susan Jane Helms is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut. She was the commander, 14th Air Force, and commander, Helms was a crew member on five Space Shuttle missions and was a resident of the International Space Station for over five months in 2001. While participating in ISS Expedition 2, she and Jim Voss conducted an 8-hour and 56 minute spacewalk, Helms officially retired from the United States Air Force in 2014. Helms was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but considers Portland, Oregon and she enjoys piano and other musical activities, jogging, traveling, reading, computers, and cooking. Her parents, Lieutenant Colonel Pat and Dori Helms, reside in Denver, Helms graduated from the U. S. Air Force Academy in 1980. She received her commission and was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in 1982, she became the lead engineer for F-15 weapons separation. In 1984, she was selected to graduate school. She received her degree from Stanford University in 1985 and was assigned as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the U. S. Air Force Academy, in 1987, she attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. She was managing the development of a CF-18 flight control system simulation for the Canadian Forces when selected for the astronaut program. After a 12-year NASA career that included 211 days in space and she then served as deputy director of operations for Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. Helms served on the Return To Flight task group after the Columbia accident and she was promoted to brigadier general in June 2006 and became commander of the 45th Space Wing on the same day of her promotion. Helms was promoted to general in August 2009. She served as the Director of Plans and Policy, U. S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base and she was directly responsible to the U. S. In 2013, Helms was nominated by President Barack Obama to become commander of the Air Force Space Command. As Helmss lawyer explained, Helms felt the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, selected by NASA in January 1990, Helms became an astronaut in July 1991. She flew on STS-54, STS-64, STS-78, STS-101 and served aboard the International Space Station as a member of the ISS Expedition 2 crew. A veteran of five flights, Helms logged 5,064 hours in space. The primary objective of this mission was the deployment of a $200-million NASA Tracking, the crew demonstrated the physics principles of everyday toys to an interactive audience of elementary school students across the United States
6.
William Shepherd
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Shepherd is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Shepherd was born on July 26,1949, to parents George R. Shepherd and Barbara Shepherd in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and he is married to Beth Stringham of Houston, Texas. He enjoys sailing, swimming, and working in his garage and he graduated from Arcadia High School, in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1967, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971. After successful completion of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 1972, he joined the community of Naval Special Warfare. He served with the Navys Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN, SEAL Teams ONE and TWO, then, in 1978, he obtained an Engineers degree in Ocean Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shepherd was selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1984, as the first-ever-military non-aviator for astronaut training, following his unsuccessful application for NASA Astronaut Group 9 in 1980. In 1986, his Navy SEAL training proved useful to NASA as he participated in salvage operations of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its destruction. Shepherd then served as a Mission Specialist on three Space Shuttle flights, mission STS-27 in 1988, mission STS-41 in 1990, which deployed the Ulysses probe, and mission STS-52 in 1992. From March 1993 to January 1996, he was assigned to the International Space Station program, serving as Program Manager, in November 1995 he was selected to command the first crew of the International Space Station. The mission was supposed to launch in 1997, but a series of Russian political, financial. Although sixteen nations would participate in the ISS program, Russia, STS-27, Atlantis Shepherd served with his crewmates on a mission which lasted 105 hours and carried Department of Defense payloads. STS-41, Discovery during 66 orbits of the Earth, the crew aboard the Orbiter successfully deployed the Ulysses, STS-52, Columbia was the 10-day mission deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite, and conducted U. S. microgravity payload experiments. In 1993, Shepherd was assigned to program management for the International Space Station, from October 31,2000 to March 21,2001, he and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergey Krikalev served as Expedition 1, the first crew stationed at the ISS. Shepherd has logged over 159 days in space, Shepherd was next assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, to assist with the development of new capabilities and programs for the SEAL and Special Boat programs. He retired from the U. S. Navy in January 2002, capt Shepherd also served as U. S. Special Operations Commands first Science Advisor from 2008–2011, shepherds official NASA biography Astronautix biography of William M. Shepherd Spacefacts biography of William M. Shepherd Shepherd at Spaceacts Shepherd at International Space Hall of Fame
7.
Yuri Gidzenko
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Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko is a Russian cosmonaut. He was a test cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Gidzenko has flown into space three times and has lived on board the Mir and International Space Stations. He has also conducted two career spacewalks, although he retired on July 15,2001, he continued his employment by a special contract until Soyuz TM-34 concluded. Since 2004 to May 2009, Gidzenko was the Director of the 3rd department within the TsPK, since May 2009 he serves as the Deputy Chief of Cosmonaut Training Center TsPK. Gidzenko was born on March 26,1962, Elanets, Mykolaiv Oblast, Gidzenko is married to Olga Vladimirovna Shapovalova. They have two sons, Sergei, born in 1986 and Alexander, born in 1988 and his father, Pavel Vasilyevich Gidzenko and mother, Galina Mikhailovna Gidzenko lives in Berezovka-2, Odessa area. Gidzenkos hobbies include football, swimming, reading of literature, photography, Gidzenko graduated from the Higher Military Pilot School in Kharkiv in 1983. Gidzenko graduated from the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography in 1994 specializing in geodesy, upon graduation from the pilot school in 1983, Gidzenko served as a pilot and as a senior pilot in the RAir Force units of the Odessa military district. He was a 3rd class military pilot, Gidzenko was trained to fly three types of aircraft and has logged a total flying time of 850 hours. He is also a training instructor and has made 170 jumps. From December 1987 to June 1989, Gidzenko attended basic training as a test cosmonaut candidate. Since September 1989 he attended advanced training as a test cosmonaut candidate, from March to October 1994 he trained for a space flight as a back-up crew commander. From November 1994 to August 1995 he attended training for a flight aboard the Soyuz TM transport vehicle/Mir orbital complex as the Expedition 20 Primary Crew Commander. Yuri Gidzenko served aboard Mir as the commander of the long duration Mir EO-20 expedition from September 3,1995 to February 29,1996, one of the crewmembers on this mission was the ESA astronaut, Thomas Reiter. The Soyuz TM-22 carrying Gidzenko, cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev and Reiter lifted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome on September 3,1995 at 9,00 UTC, after a two-day autonomous flight the Soyuz spacecraft docked automatically with the Mir space stations -X docking port on September 5. The three member crew became the 20th Mir resident crew, during the first week after docking, Euromir 95 crew and the resident Mir EO-19 crew of cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin conducted joint work. Gidzenko and his crewmembers used this time to get familiarize with the status of the onboard systems, during the next months joint Russian-German research work were performed on board the Mir in the fields of life sciences, astrophysics, materials science and technology. The crew also performed work with the crew of STS-74
8.
Extravehicular activity
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Extravehicular activity is any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft beyond the Earths appreciable atmosphere. On each of the last three of these missions, astronauts also performed deep-space EVAs on the return to Earth, to retrieve film canisters from the outside of the spacecraft, astronauts also used EVA in 1973 to repair launch damage to Skylab, the United States first space station. A Stand-up EVA is where the astronaut does not fully leave a spacecraft and its name derives from the astronaut standing up in the open hatch, usually to record or assist a spacewalking astronaut. EVAs may be tethered, or untethered. S. The Soviet Union/Russia, the United States, and China have conducted EVAs, to support this, and other Apollo objectives, the Gemini program was spun off to develop the capability for astronauts to work outside a two-man Earth orbiting spacecraft. The Soviets were able to launch two Voskhod capsules before U. S. was able to launch its first manned Gemini, by contrast, the Gemini avionics did not require air cooling, allowing the spacewalking astronaut to exit and re-enter the depressurized cabin through an open hatch. Because of this, the American and Soviet space programs developed different definitions for the duration of an EVA, the Soviet definition begins when the outer airlock hatch is open and the cosmonaut is in vacuum. An American EVA began when the astronaut had at least his head outside the spacecraft, the USA has changed its EVA definition since. The first EVA was performed on March 18,1965 by Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, carrying a white metal backpack containing 45 minutes worth of breathing and pressurization oxygen, Leonov had no means to control his motion other than pulling on his 15.35 m tether. At the end of his walk, the suit stiffening caused a more serious problem. He improperly entered the airlock head-first and got stuck sideways and he could not get back in without reducing the pressure in his suit, risking the bends. This added another 12 minutes to his time in vacuum, and it would be almost four years before the Soviets tried another EVA. They misrepresented to the press how difficult Leonov found it to work in weightlessness, the first American spacewalk was performed on June 3,1965, by Edward H. White, II from the second manned Gemini flight, Gemini 4, for 21 minutes. White was tethered to the spacecraft, and his oxygen was supplied through a 25-foot umbilical and he was the first to control his motion in space with a Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit, which worked well but only carried enough propellant for 20 seconds. White found his tether useful for limiting his distance from the spacecraft but difficult to use for moving around, no EVAs were planned on the next three Gemini flights. The next EVA was planned to be made by David Scott on Gemini 8, astronauts on the next three Gemini flights, performed several EVAs, but none was able to successfully work for long periods outside the spacecraft without tiring and overheating. Cernan attempted but failed to test an Air Force Astronaut Maneuvering Unit which included a self-contained oxygen system, on November 13,1966, Edwin Buzz Aldrin became the first to successfully work in space without tiring, on the Gemini 12 last flight. Aldrin worked outside the spacecraft for 2 hours and 6 minutes, on January 16,1969, Soviet cosmonauts Aleksei Yeliseyev and Yevgeny Khrunov transferred from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4, which were docked together
9.
Kennedy Space Center
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The John F. Kennedy Space Center is one of ten National Aeronautics and Space Administration field centers. Since December 1968, Kennedy Space Center has been NASAs primary launch center of human spaceflight, Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the management of the two entities work very closely together, share resources, and even own facilities on each others property. Additionally, the center manages launch of robotic and commercial missions, researches food production and In-Situ Resource Utilization for off Earth exploration. Since 2010, the center has worked to become a multi-user spaceport through industry partnerships, there are about 700 facilities grouped across the centers 144,000 acres. There is also a Visitor Complex open to the public on site, the military had been performing launch operations since 1949 at what would become Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In December 1959, the Department of Defense transferred 5,000 personnel, President John F. Kennedys 1961 goal of a manned lunar landing before 1970 required an expansion of launch operations. On July 1,1962, the Launch Operations Directorate was separated from MSFC to become the Launch Operations Center, therefore, the decision was made to build a new LOC site located adjacent to Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island. NASA began land acquisition in 1962, buying title to 131 square miles, the major buildings in KSCs Industrial Area were designed by architect Charles Luckman. Construction began in November 1962, and Kennedy visited the site twice in 1962, on November 29,1963, the facility was given its current name by President Lyndon B. Johnson under Executive Order 11129. Johnsons order joined both the civilian LOC and the military Cape Canaveral station under the designation John F. Kennedy Space Center, spawning some confusion joining the two in the public mind. Located on Merritt Island, Florida, the center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean and it is 34 miles long and roughly six miles wide, covering 219 square miles. KSC is a major central Florida tourist destination and is one hours drive from the Orlando area. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers public tours of the center, Center workers can encounter bald eagles, American alligators, wild boars, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, the endangered Florida panther and Florida manatees. From 1967 through 1973, there were 13 Saturn V launches, the first of two unmanned flights, Apollo 4 on November 9,1967, was also the first rocket launch from KSC. The Saturn Vs first manned launch on December 21,1968 was Apollo 8s lunar orbiting mission, the next two missions tested the Lunar Module, Apollo 9 and Apollo 10. Apollo 11, launched from Pad A on July 16,1969, Apollo 12 followed four months later. From 1970–1972, the Apollo program concluded at KSC with the launches of missions 13 through 17, on May 14,1973, the last Saturn V launch put the Skylab space station in orbit from Pad 39A
10.
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
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Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, United States. The site and its collection of facilities were built for the Apollo program. As of 2017, only Launch Complex 39A is active, launching SpaceXs Falcon 9. LC-39 is also being modified to support launches of the SpaceXs Dragon 2 and Falcon Heavy, as well as NASAs Space Launch System, with a new, smaller pad, C, added to support smaller launches. SpaceX leases Launch Pad 39A from NASA and has modified the pad to support Falcon Heavy launches in 2017 and beyond. NASA began modifying Launch Pad 39B in 2007 to accommodate the now defunct Project Constellation, Pad C was originally planned but never built for Apollo, and would have been a copy of pads 39A and 39B. A smaller pad, designated 39C was constructed from January to June 2015 to accommodate small-class vehicles, NASA launches from LC-39A and 39B have been supervised from the NASA Launch Control Center, located 3 miles from the launch pads. LC-39 is one of launch sites that share radar and tracking services of the Eastern Test Range. During the 1920s, Peter E. Studebaker Jr. son of the automobile magnate, in 1948, the Navy transferred the former Banana River Naval Air Station located south of Cape Canaveral, to the Air Force for use in testing captured German V-2 rockets. The sites location on the East Florida coast was ideal for this purpose in that launches would be over the ocean and this site became the Joint Long Range Proving Ground in 1949, and was renamed Patrick Air Force Base in 1950. The Air Force annexed part of Cape Canaveral to the North in 1951, forming the Air Force Missile Test Center, Missile and rocketry testing and development would take place here through the 1950s. After the creation of NASA in 1958, the CCAFS launch pads were used for NASAs civilian unmanned and manned launches, including those of Project Mercury, in 1961, President Kennedy proposed to Congress the goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. NASA began acquisition of land in 1962, taking title to 131 square miles by outright purchase, on July 1,1962, the site was named the Launch Operations Center. At the time, the highest numbered launch pad on CCAFS was Launch Complex 37 and it was designed to handle launches of the Saturn V rocket, at the time the largest, most powerful rocket then designed, required to take Apollo to the Moon. Initial plans included four pads evenly spaced 8,700 feet apart to damage in the event of an explosion on the pad. Three were scheduled for construction and two would have built at a later date. The numbering of the pads at the time was from north to south, with the northernmost being 39A, Pad 39A was never built, and 39C became 39A in 1963. With todays numbering, 39C would have been north of 39B, Pad 39E would have been due north of the mid-distance between 39C and 39D, with 39E forming the top of a triangle, and equidistant from 39C and 39D
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
