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

NAME(S): SRB ARF Manufacturing Building
FACILITY NUMBER(S): L6-247
FLORIDA MASTER SITE FILE NO.: 8BR1998
LOCATION: Within the 45-acre Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment
Facility (ARF) complex located at the southeast corner of Schwartz Road and Contractors Road,
to the east of the VAB Area.
PROPERTY TYPE: Vehicle Processing Facilities; Manufacturing and Assembly Facilities
DATE(S): 1986
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER: Designed by USBI-BPC and RS&H. Construction managed by
USBI-BPC and Federal Construction Company
USE (ORIGINAL/CURRENT): The SRB ARF’s Manufacturing Building was originally
constructed to support the fabrication and processing of Shuttle SRB non-motor components. The
original and current functions are the same.
HISTORICAL DATA: On August 1, 1986, the SRB ARF complex, which is managed by the
Marshall Space Flight Center, was officially dedicated; and SRB components processing began in
1987. The $274 million complex was designed by Reynolds, Smith and Hill with help from
USBI, who also managed the construction along with the Federal Construction Company.
USBI’s Booster Production Company was awarded a 5-year contract for the production of 83
flight sets of boosters and their refurbishment after use. In addition, USBI was to produce 24
flight sets of non-motor segments for the SRBs, with expansion capabilities for 40 sets per year,
work which would be completed at the Manufacturing Building. A non-motor flight set consists
of two forward skirts, two aft skirts, two frustums, and various smaller components. Some of this
work had historically been completed at the VAB, Hangar AF, and other facilities.
The Manufacturing Building is used to fabricate and process inert or non-propellant SRB
elements including the forward and aft skirts, frustums, and nose caps. Other operations include
the replacement of thermal protection on the SRB components, installation of electronic and
guidance systems, integration of SRB recovery parachutes into the assembly, and automated
checkout. It is also where the steering elements of the thrust vector control system are assembled
and tested, and where the explosive devices (ordnance) for booster separation are installed. In
addition, the Manufacturing Building receives frustums, forward skirts and aft skirts from Hangar
AF after they have been cleaned, stripped of paint and thermal protection coatings, and repaired.
Following processing, the SRB components undergo final checkout before they are moved to the
VAB.
DESCRIPTION: The Industrial Vernacular style SRB ARF Manufacturing Building measures
approximately 357 feet (ft) in length (north-south), 252 ft in width (east-west) and 60.5 ft in
height, overall. The facility is partially constructed of hollow concrete block, partially of
insulation-filled concrete block, and partially of reinforced poured concrete. The lower 8 ft of
each elevation is faced with stucco, while the remainder is clad with Butler 103 Insulated Metal
Panels. The structure has a poured concrete slab floor and a flat, built-up roof. The design of the
Manufacturing Building features a central high bay, oriented along an east-west axis, flanked by
three-story wings to the north and south.