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

The third floor contains the four firing rooms, referred to as Control Rooms 1 through 4, from
west to east. Each measures 175 ft in length and 85 ft in width. Firing Rooms 1 and 3 are
configured for full control of launch and Orbiter operations. At the center front of the rooms is a
series of three stepped platforms, with a triangular enclosed room in each corner. The west
corner room serves as the Operations Support Room, while the east corner room serves as the
Operations Management Room. The highest of the three central platforms contains consoles for
the Public Affairs Officer, the weather monitor, and the Launch Director. The middle platform
includes the stations for the Orbiter Test Director, the NASA Test Director, and the Support Test
Manager. The lowest platform has stations for the Safety Console Coordinator, the Payload Test
Conductor and the Booster Test Conductor.
The remainder of the Control Room sits on a level surface and includes three single groups of
consoles (C-1, HSP-2, and C-2) at the front, and six paired consoles to the rear (C-3 and C-4; C-5
and C-6; C-7 and C-8; C-9 and C-10; C-11 and C-12; Backup and Integration). The C-1 console
controls operations; HSP-2 is a spare console, used if another should become unavailable; and C-
2 monitors the navigation aids, communications equipment, the mechanical systems on the
orbiter, and the payload electrical systems. The C-3 and C-4 combination monitors the orbiter’s
cryogenics and main propulsions systems, while the C-5 and C-6 consoles control the Range
Safety System, the Environmental Control and Life Support System, the Environmental Control
Systems, and the Power Reactant and Storage Distribution System. The C-7 and C-8 consoles are
responsible for two swingarms on the launch pad, the hypergolic fuels, monitoring the hypergolic
pressure, and controlling the auxiliary power units and the hydraulic power units. The
combination C-9 and C-10 consoles monitor hazardous gas levels, as well as the orbiter’s
instrumentation and electrical power systems; the C-11 and C-12 consoles monitor the orbiter’s
avionics systems. The Backup and Integration consoles provide additional spares. At the very
back of the Control Room, in a partitioned space, is the Master Console, which controls the
configurations for all others in the Control Room.
The remaining two firing rooms, Firing Room 2 and Firing Room 4, are not fully equipped to
serve as launch control rooms. Firing Room 2 is generally used for software development and
testing, and Firing Room 4 is partially equipped as a launch control room, but is primarily used as
an engineering analysis and support area for launch and checkout operations. All four firing
rooms have a suspended floor that allows cables to be run throughout the floor and the equipment
to be cooled. In addition to the firing rooms, the third floor contains two visitor’s galleries, each
of which measures approximately 25 ft by 16 ft. The first of these sits between Control Rooms 1
and 2; the second between Control Rooms 3 and 4. The fourth floor of the LCC contains office
areas, conference rooms, and mechanical equipment.
The resource boundary extends from the outer footprint of the Launch Control Center,
approximately 10 feet, which includes the facility and all necessary components historically
required for its functions.
SIGNIFICANCE: The LCC was listed in the NRHP on January 21, 2000. Originally nominated
in the context of the Apollo Program, ca. 1961 through 1975, the LCC has since gained
importance in the context of the Space Shuttle program, ca. 1969 to 2010. It is considered
significant at the national level under NRHP Criterion A in the areas of Space Exploration and
Communications, and under NRHP Criterion C in the area of Architecture. Because the LCC has
achieved significance within the past 50 years, Criteria Consideration G applies. The period of
significance for the LCC is from 1980, when vehicle preparations for the first Space Shuttle
launch began, through 2010, the designated end of the Space Shuttle Program. The Space Shuttle