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

NAME(S): Orbiter Processing Facility High Bay 3 (OPF-3)
FACILITY NO(S): K6-696
FLORIDA MASTER SITE FILE NO: 8BR1992
LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building Area
PROPERTY TYPE: Vehicle Processing Facilities; Manufacturing and Assembly Facilities
DATE(S): 1987 (as Orbiter Modification and Refurbishment Facility [OMRF]); 1989-1991
conversion to OPF-3; 1996-1998 Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility [SSMEPF]
addition
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER: W&J Construction Corp., Cocoa (design/build for conversion to
OPF); Ivey Construction, Inc., Merritt Island (SSMEPF construction)
USE (ORIGINAL/CURRENT): The OPF-3 was built to house post-flight deservicing, testing,
modifications, and preflight processing of the Space Shuttle Orbiters. Current use is the same.
HISTORICAL DATA: The OPF-3 originally served as the Orbiter Modification and
Refurbishment Facility (OMRF). Constructed in 1986-1987 by the W&J Construction Company
of Cocoa, the facility was used to perform extensive, non-hazardous modification, rehabilitation
and overhaul of the orbiter fleet. In 1989, work began to convert the OMRF to an OPF at a cost of
$85 million. Shuttle-unique work platforms from the former Vandenberg Launch Site in
California were cut into pieces, shipped to KSC, and reconstructed in the new OPF, completed in
1991. Lockheed was responsible for relocating and installing the high bay platforms and ground
support equipment from Vandenberg. The third OPF served to expand KSC’s capabilities for preflight
and post-landing orbiter processing. Compared with the original OPF, OPF-3 was designed
for easier flow of ground support equipment (GSE) in the high bay. Major improvements
included a new built-in computerized cooling system and new hydraulic pumps located inside a
support building instead of outside in the weather. In addition, a track system provides better
access to the orbiter.
Operations performed within the OPF-3 include draining and purging the fuel systems, removing
ordnance, repairing/replacing damaged components, inspecting/refurbishing the Thermal
Protection System, inspecting/testing orbiter systems and installing/removing payloads. Orbiter
processing times vary, depending on the payload and the need for modifications to the orbiter.
Currently, the high bay is dedicated to the Orbiter Discovery. It was first processed in the OPF-3
in support of mission number STS-48 which launched on September 12, 1991.
The SSMEPF, completed in June 1998 as an addition to the OPF-3, was designed specifically for
processing the Space Shuttle main engines in support of Space Shuttle Program flight operations.
The specifications for the facility were developed by representatives from Pratt & Whitney
Rocketdyne-SSME, NASA Design Engineering, and United Space Alliance. The facility provides
the capabilities for post-flight inspections, maintenance and functional check-out of all engine
systems prior to installation in the orbiter. Before completion of this facility, these operations
were conducted in the VAB. Engines arrive at the SSMEPF either from the OPF, after removal
from the orbiter, or from Stennis Space Center in Mississippi following testing. Beginning in
February 2002, both SSME assembly and flight inspection were performed at KSC. Historically,
SSMEs were built and assembled at Rocketdyne’s facility in Canoga Park, California, with flight