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

Platform B, Platform E, and Platform C, from lowest to highest. Platform D contains four levels:
the main floor, the second floor, the third floor, and the roof, at 58 ft, 78 ft, 92 ft and 109 ft above
grade, respectively. The main floor has two openings to provide access to the orbiter and the
SRBs, while the upper three levels provide access to the orbiter, the SRBs, and the external tank
(ET), also through two openings. In addition, there are five access platforms (AP). AP 65, at 76
ft above grade, is a rolling platform that reaches the fuselage hatch access panel on the orbiter.
There are two pairs of AP 48, at 80 ft above grade, and AP 93, at 109 ft above grade, which
provide access to the inner sides of the SRBs.
Platform B contains three levels: the main floor, the second floor and the roof, at 125 ft, 142 ft
and 158 ft above grade, respectively. All three of these levels measure about 43 ft by 56 ft per
half, and provide access to all three components of the Space Shuttle Vehicle through two
openings. Platform B also contains two pairs of access platforms, AP 50 at 134 ft above grade
and AP 99 at 162 ft above grade, which provide access to the inner sides of the SRB. In addition,
there is AP 90, at 155 ft above grade, which reaches the Star Tracker Cavity Access Panel on the
orbiter. Platform E consists of two levels, the main floor and the roof, both of which measure
roughly 43 ft by 60 ft per half. The main floor sits 167 ft above grade, and has two openings for
access to the orbiter, the SRBs, and the ET. The roof, which sits at 189 ft above grade, also has
two openings, but services only the SRBs and the ET. There are also two pairs of access
platforms, AP 46/47, which sit at 181 ft above grade and provide access to the inner surfaces of
the SRBs. Finally, Platform C contains three levels, the main floor, the second floor, and the
roof, which are 202 ft, 223 ft, and 245 ft above grade, respectively. All three provide access to
the ET, through two openings on the lower two levels and one opening on the upper level, and
measure roughly 42 ft by 58 ft per half.
Within Bays 2 and 4, there is a series of stationary platforms capable of processing two ETs.
These extend off of Tower B, those to the north within Bay 4 and those to the south within Bay 2.
There are nine levels in totality, as follows:
Level 1:
Level 2:
Level 3:
Level 4:
Level 5:
Level 6:
Level 7:
Level 8:
Level 9:
118 ft (above grade)
128 ft
149 ft
166 ft
192 ft
217 ft
235 ft
255 ft
273 ft
The platforms measure approximately 74 ft in length and 43 ft in width. They contain two,
octagonal openings, one per ET, fitted with flip-down platforms to create a 14-ft diameter
opening around the ET. By 1990, an additional set of ET platforms was constructed in each bay,
to the west of the original platforms, to accommodate a total of eight ETs.
The resource boundary extends from the outer footprint of the Vehicle Assembly Building,
approximately 10 feet, which includes the facility and all necessary components historically
required for its functions.
SIGNIFICANCE: The VAB was listed in the NRHP on January 21, 2000. It is considered
significant under NRHP Criterion A in the area of Space Exploration, and under NRHP Criterion
C in the area of Engineering. Because the VAB has achieved significance within the past 50