john f. kennedy space center brevard county, florida - Environmental ...

Space Shuttle Program Historic Properties A-1
NASA Kennedy Space Center
YEAR EVENT
1969 • President Nixon’s Space Task Group endorses concept of a reusable Space
Shuttle
• Contracts for design concept studies of the Integral Launch and Reentry
Vehicle (ILRV) are awarded to General Dynamics/Convair, Lockheed,
McDonnell Douglas, and North American Rockwell
1970 • Space Shuttle concept is formally designated the “Space Transportation
System”
• Contracts for Phase B studies on the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) are
awarded to Aeroject-General Corp., Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell
Division of North America, and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
• NASA selects McDonnell Douglas and North American Rockwell for
definition and preliminary design studies for a reusable Space Shuttle
1971 • President Nixon announces that NASA will begin the Space Transportation
System (STS) program
• Mississippi Test Facility (now Stennis Space Center) selected as site for sealevel
testing of the SSME
1972 • President Nixon formally endorses plans for the Space Shuttle
• NASA Administrator Dr. James Fletcher announces that the Space Shuttle
will be powered by recoverable, reusable solid rocket motors in a parallel
burn configuration
• Space Division of North American Rockwell Corp. is selected by NASA as
prime contractor for design, development and production of the orbiter
vehicles and for integration of all elements of the Space Shuttle system
• NASA signs contract with Rocketdyne for the design, development and
testing of SSME
• NASA announces that the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Vandenberg Air
Force Base will be the two Shuttle landing sites.
1973 • Rocketdyne conducts the first preburner test for the developmental SSME at
Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), California
• NASA signs contract with Martin Marietta Corporation for the design,
development and testing of the External Tank (ET)
• NASA signs contract with the Thiokol Chemical Corporation for the design,
development and testing of the solid rocket motor
1974 • Structural assembly of the orbiter Enterprise (OV-101) starts in Palmdale,
California
• NASA announces that Edwards AFB will be used as the landing site for the
first several Shuttle missions.
1975 • Martin Marietta Aerospace awards subcontract to Avco for the manufacture
of the ET intertank
• Rocketdyne completes the first SSME; first full thrust-chamber ignition test
at the National Space Technology Laboratory (NSTL, now Stennis Space
Center)
1976 • Assembly of the first ET is underway at the Michoud Assembly Facility
(MAF) in Louisiana
• Structural assembly of the Enterprise (OV-101) is completed
• Structural assembly of the orbiter Columbia (OV-102) starts
• The first 747 is modified for use as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at Boeing
facilities in Washington
• United Space Booster, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California is selected as the SRB
assembly contractor
1977 • SRB testing begins at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and
development tests of a solid rocket motor are first performed in Utah
• Wind tunnel tests on integrated Shuttle components begin
October 2007
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