Part II - Environmental Program at KSC - NASA

Space Shuttle Program Historic Properties 5-12NASA-wide Roll-up ReportWater-related resources:• NASA barge Poseidon• Retrieval ship Liberty Star• Retrieval ship Freedom StarThese large and mobile personal property assets are used to transport the ET and SRBs.While the barge Poseidon was modified from its original design to support the SSP, thetwo retrieval ships were built specially for the SSP.NASA barge PoseidonNASA Barge Poseidon carrying External Tank.(Source: Taylor, November 25, 2003)• Originally built in 1945 as a Navy supplybarge; converted in 1965 for NASA• From the mid-1970s until 1999, used totransport the ET from MAF to KSC• Eligible under NRHP Criterion A. Ittransported the first ET flown on a SpaceShuttle mission and continued to provideservice to the on-going operations of theSSP until 1999. It is the only remainingcovered barge still in NASA ownership.• Eligible under Criterion C. It wasspecially designed and modified toprotect the ETs during transport, and hasthe largest cargo hangar of any NASAbarge.Retrieval ships Liberty Star and Freedom StarLooking east at Retrieval ships Liberty Star andFreedom Star.(Source: Archaeological Consultants, Inc., 2007)• Built in 1980 and 1981 at the AtlanticMarine Shipyard, Ft. George Island,Florida• Used to recover expended SRBs and theircomponents (including parachutes) aftersplashdown. The ships tow the SRBs tothe dock at the disassembly complex atCCAFS• Since 1998, the ships support towing ofNASA’s ET barge Pearl River from MAFto KSC• Eligible under Criterion A for their vitalrole in the recovery of the SRBs,facilitating the reuse of this major ShuttlecomponentJuly 2008Archaeological Consultants, Inc.