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

idge truck drive assemblies, each with eight wheels. These assemblies provide the means for
moving the RSS through a 120-degree angle, at a 160-ft radius.
LP 39B also contains a Sound Suppression System. This system includes a 300,000-gallon
capacity water tank that begins to release water just before main engine ignition. The water flows
to six 12-ft high MLP nozzles called “rainbirds,” protecting the Orbiter and payloads from
damage by acoustical energy reflected off of the MLP during liftoff. A peak flow rate of 900,000
gallons per minute occurs approximately 9 seconds after liftoff.
The five camera pads, Camera Pad A No. 1 (J7-0191), Camera Pad A No. 6 (J7-0183), Camera
Pad A No. 2 (J7-0342), Camera Pad A No. 4 (J7-0584), and Camera Pad A No. 3 (J7-0589), sit
on man-made hills around the perimeter of the launch complex. All five have 15 metal cameramount
posts, which are situated on a concrete pad. These varying positions allow the launch
procedures to be filmed from five different view points. Each camera pad has two film cameras
and one High Definition Television (HDTV) video camera, which focus on the external tanks, the
solid rocked boosters, and the orbiter.
The five fuel facilities are the High Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen (GH2) Facility (J7-0140), the
Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Facility (J7-0182), the Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) Facility (J7-0192), the
Hypergol Oxidizer Facility (J7-0490), and the Hypergol Fuel Facility (J7-0534). The GH2
facility is a series of slender storage pipes surrounded by a concrete wall. This gaseous substance
is used to purge the orbiter fuel cells while at the launch pad. The LOX and LH2 facilities are
large, spherical tanks with engaged support posts around their perimeter. The LOX tank is rated
at 900,000 gallons and sits to the northwest of the launch pad; the LH2 tank contains 850,000
gallons and sits to the northeast corner of the launch pad. These facilities are environmentally
controlled storage units that keep the oxidizer and fuel used by the orbiter’s main engines and
external tank at extremely low temperatures, -297 and -423 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The
Hypergol Oxidizer and Fuel Facilities are essentially metal pole barns, which shelter the
hypergolic fluids, which are used in the orbital maneuvering system pods. The nitrogen tetroxide
oxidizer and monomethyl hydrazine fuel are kept separate from one another to prevent accidental
explosions, the oxidizer to the southeast of the launch pad and the fuel to the southwest.
The Flare Stack (J7-0240) sits to the northeast of the launch pad. It is a steel column, which
serves as a ventilation shaft for the exhaust produced during the launch procedures. To its
southwest is the Water Tank (J7-0288), a 250-ft-high metal storage facility to the northeast of the
launch pad, supported by a slender metal trussing system. This facility holds 300,000 gallons of
water, which is used in the launch pad’s sound suppression system. The Slidewire Termination
Facility (J7-0331) sits to the west of the launch pad on a man-made hill, similar to those of the
camera pads. The seven inverted U-shaped metal posts with nets, serve as the landing zone for
the launch pad’s emergency egress system.
Contributing Buildings: Of the seven contributing buildings, two are operations buildings, four
are electrical buildings, and one is a chiller building. The two operations buildings, Operations
Support Building B-1 (J7-0132) and Operations Support Building B-2 (J7-0243) are concrete
block facilities, with poured concrete slab foundations and flat, built-up roofs. Both house the
operations support staff at the launch complex.
Of the four electrical buildings, two, Electrical Equipment Building No. 2 (J7-0231) and
Electrical Equipment Building No. 1 (J7-0241), are constructed of concrete block, and have
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