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

electrical buildings, Electrical Equipment Building No. 3 (J7-0491) and Electrical Equipment
Building No. 4 (J7-0535), 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 (J7-1707) 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 B, which includes all necessary structures and components
historically required for its functions.
SIGNIFICANCE: The “Missile Launch Complex 39 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 B Historic District was listed in the NRHP.
The historic property contained 23 contributing and 34 noncontributing resources within its
boundary.
The Launch Complex 39: Pad B 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 B Historic District is from 1985, when the pad received its first flight-ready
Space Shuttle vehicle, 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. In addition, it served as the launch site for both Return-to-Flight missions, in 1988
following the Challenger accident and 2005 following the Columbia accident. The Launch
Complex 39: Pad B 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 B 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 B 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.