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

poured concrete slab foundations and flat, built-up roofs. These two facilities house the electrical
components which are necessary to operate the equipment throughout LC 39A. The other two
electrical buildings, Electrical Equipment Building No. 3 (J8-1811) and Electrical Equipment
Building No. 4 (J8-1856), are constructed of corrugated metal, with a poured concrete slab
foundation and a slightly gabled metal roof. These two resources house the electrical components
necessary for the operation of the Hypergol Oxidizer Facility and the Hypergol Fuel Facility,
respectively.
The Water Chiller Building (J8-1707) is constructed of concrete block, and has a poured concrete
slab foundation and a flat, built-up roof. This facility contains the mechanical equipment that
chills the water used in the pad’s air conditioning system.
The resource boundary of the district extends approximately 100 ft outward and parallel to the
perimeter service road of Launch Pad A, which includes all necessary structures and components
historically required for its functions.
SIGNIFICANCE: The “Missile Launch Complex 39A Site” was originally listed in the NRHP
on May 24, 1973 for its association with the Man in Space Program. This historic property was
reevaluated in 1996 in the context of the Apollo Program, ca. 1961 through 1975, and on January
21, 2000 the newly defined Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District was listed in the NRHP.
The historic property contained 23 contributing and 39 noncontributing resources within its
boundary.
The Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District has since gained importance in the context of
the Space Shuttle Program, circa 1969 to 2010. It is considered eligible for listing in the NRHP in
the context of the Space Shuttle Program, 1969-2010, under Criteria A and C in the areas of
Space Exploration and Engineering, respectively. Because it has achieved significance within the
past 50 years, Criteria Consideration G applies. The period of significance for the Launch
Complex 39: Pad A Historic District is from 1980, when the first Space Shuttle vehicle arrived at
the launch pad, through 2010, the designated end of the Space Shuttle Program. The Space
Shuttle Program is the longest running American space program to date. Unlike the Mercury,
Gemini and Apollo programs, the emphasis was on cost effectiveness and reusability, as well as
the construction of a space station. The district is one of two sites at KSC specially designed and
constructed to launch the Space Shuttle vehicle. It has facilitated nationally significant events
associated with space travel, and has been integral to the launching of the Space Shuttle. The
Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District is also eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C in
the area of Engineering. When originally constructed in the 1960s, the new technologies and new
rockets of the Apollo Program required more room and stronger facilities than what existed at the
neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Additional modifications for the weight and
needs of the Space Shuttle Program came in the 1970s. The district contains many facilities,
including fuel storage structures, water tanks, and electrical substations, which work as a cohesive
whole for a successful Space Shuttle launch. As such, the Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic
District is of exceptional importance to the Space Shuttle Program, and because it is less than 50
years in age, Criteria Consideration G applies.
INTEGRITY: Although it has undergone major modifications since the Apollo-era, the Launch
Complex 39: Pad A Historic District retains its original Space Shuttle Program design and
construction. It continues to convey its historic function as a launch facility, and maintains its
integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.