Workers at Kennedy Space Center are preparing to tear down the fixed and rotating towers at a launch pad that helped launch 53 shuttle missions. NASA's Constellation program took over pad 39B -- the more northern of two shuttle pads -- last year and planned to set it up for Ares I rockets.
Now, it's not clear what might launch from the pad next as NASA awaits political resolution of its post-shuttle future.
But for any new vehicle, whether it be Constellation, commercial or heavy-lift, the shuttle-specific Fixed Service Structure and Rotating Service Structure must come down.
Tampa-based contractor LVI Environmental Services Inc. has begun layering sand and mats atop the pad's surface to protect it from falling debris while the towers are dismantled.
Excavators next week could begin ripping metal from the guts of the rotating gantry, which houses the shuttle's payload changeout room, and both towers should be gone by early January. Read more about the $1.3 million job here.
IMAGE: At Kennedy Space Center last Friday, construction crews lay sand, reinforcing steel and large wooden mats under the rotating service structure of launch pad 39B to protect the structure's concrete from falling debris during deconstruction. Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
33 comments:
Was so nice to be the leader of the world in space, so sad to see this being dismantled and our space program becoming 2nd to another.
Thanks Obama for ruining America.
Very sad indeed. Yes, your blame is well placed. No vision; No plans; No experience; No nothing. What were we thinking?
They spent how much to reconfigure Pad B for one test launch?
And now they want to raise my taxes. If they didn't spend my money like it was water, they might not need to raise taxes.
No, your blame is not well placed...
BUSH ended the program 6 years ago, period. There is no arguing that fact. Contractors have been ramping down production since '04. It wasn't feasible to build any more tanks/parts beyond the one extra mission that is already proposed.
How many times does someone have to remind you of that before you accept reality?
This is Obama's Hope and Change
"What were we thinking?" --- Unfortunately, we weren't thinking.
Oh, but the Florida Today loved Obama. They thought he would be very good for space. They did their "homework." Not.
History will show Mr. Obama as the greatest president ever. He saw the enormous waste. Brilliant leaders make unpopular decisions and ignore polls. He is GUARANTEED to have a second tour of the White House. I can't wait to vote for him again!
umm...
1) Bush canceled the Shuttle Program.
2) Space Shuttles were designed with the technology that existed over 3 decades ago, time for something new
3) If spending trillions of dollars going to war over B.S. hasn't "ruin America," I don't think a lack of a Space Shuttle Program will
4) Stop putting special powders in your tea.
Have been at KSC for 23+ years ... this is like saying good-bye to a long time friend. Sad that America's #1 status is being jerked away from her, especially by someone who should know the importance.
Tear down this pad!
Im still waiting on my free rent money and a gas card since I voted for him.
Bush ended the program 6 years ago.
a lot of history and lot of hard work and memories. North Carolina will miss watching the shuttle fly.
This is a big step on the way towards KSC being a historical site - only. KSC has two (maybe 3?) more flights and it is over. Future flights will go from the Air Force side of the facility.
Anon@2:04, you truly have drunk the Kool-Aid, unless you are just being facetious.
If you are for real, I will first drink a toast to you this November election day when I am celebrating and you are no doubt in misery. Maybe your buddy Antagonist can come over and you can cry in your beer together.
Vote for Obama as much as you want in 2012. Go to south Florida where you can vote for him 10 or 12 times if you like, it won't do any good. He's a Jimmy Carter one-termer.
I wouldn't say that Bush ended the shuttle program on his own. The Columbia Accident Invetigation Board (CAIB) reported the the shuttle should not operate past 2010 without a full certificatioin effort to make sure all is well. That being way too expensive, Bush opted to shut it down. He just went with the recommendation of the "experts" on that board.
Move over sub wreck here comes the next artificial reef!!!
I too spent time on this launch pad and its perimeter doing pre and post flight vehicle walk-downs. Hard to believe one could spend an entire career on this program. What a great opportunity for me, a real space program enthusiast. Too bad the people now in the head-shed don't have much vision.
And so begins Americas retreat from space leadership....a sad day indeed. Maybe one day we will again have a leader that will inspire us to reach for the stars. With the future holding no follow on program KSC's pads will become just memories of where we once dremt big dreams. Here's to some mirace that Constelation somehow survies.
I worked on Pad B many years ago as a scheduler. One of my favorite jobs. Sad to see it go!
launch o bama to space
This reminds me of the dismantling that happened right after the space race. We need to come up with the next steps before trashing what we already have. On my blog is a very sad site - photos of an Apollo launch pad 34 "Abandon In Place." Is this the beginning of the end?
This has absolutely nothing to do with Obama.
Obama's plans have not been passed by Congress. All NASA work, such as this dismantling, is the consequence of plans made before Obama's proposal. It is because of Ares 1, and the Constellation program.
NASA must keep working on Constellation until congress says otherwise. Responsibility lies there. Get a clue.
Obama could have reversed the destruction of the Space Shuttle Program; but, he did not. He only cares about himself not for the U.S. .
The shuttle program has concluded with some fantastic success as it should. But a fixed wing returnable craft is not needed any more, and the design is too risky, not to mention the metal fatigue problems. Continuing it would the endanger crew. Robotic spacecraft, and Apollo or Ballistic Missile style designs are far more efficient for cargo weight/fuel required ratio. And Nasa always intended to transfer satellite launchings etc. to commercial and international companies. Nasa is better off on more futuristic projects like a "manned" self sustaining lunar station.
Well blame Bush, blame Obama. It is Obama who could have stopped it. It is Obama who came to the area promising jobs due to the move of the launch responsibility to a South African company. Bush had NOTHING to do with that. So we gave up 15,000 jobs in the area at the Space Center, to get 1000 jobs in the private sector. That makes total sense. And we are giving away our knowledge and technology daily to other countries. The entire thing goes back to a concept Ronald Reagan had, keep your technology to yourself, don't give it away to other countries, and keep government small NOT huge the way it is now. Instead of quipping on FL Today, we need to get our butts to the polls, and this time why don't we do a bit of research on the candidates? I don't care whether Democrat or Republican, or whatever party pops up now. But I do care about getting the incumbents out so they feel the same pressure our working society does now when they have to hit the streets to find a job in this economy. That is a message that will be hard for politicians to swallow.
One of the most annoying things is people who think they are experts at politics, but have no clue what they are talking about.
Let's get this through the heads of some of you thick-headed buffoons: BUSH DID NOT CANCEL THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM! How could he cancel the program in 2010 way back in 2004? Do you understand that things in politics change on an hourly basis? You really think something Bush said six years ago was etched in stone for all eternity? Funny, coming from two-faced liberals. You make me laugh. Bush laid out a plan. That's it...a plan. It was his suggestion. It was a stupid one, but that's all it was. It was his opinion on what to do. That's it. You nincompoops who think Bush cancelled the shuttle program probably think all those people who say Windows 7 was their idea really DID invent the thing. USE YOUR BRAIN! The only person who could have cancelled the shuttle program in 2010 is the president in 2010. That would be your pal, BARACK HUSSIEN OBAMA. He is the person who is canceling the space shuttle program. (For all the things he bashes Bush about, THIS is what he agrees with him on?) You dimwits who blame Bush for this probably blame the people in Africa for the hurricanes that hit our country (assuming you can figure out what I'm talking about).
Bush DID NOT cancel the shuttle program. He laid out a plan...but at least his plan had a successor to the shuttle. Not only is Obama canceling the shuttle program, he's canceling what is to replace it. I guess that's Bush's fault too, right?
You people shouldn't be allowed to think for yourselves, let alone get on the internet.
The real travesty is that our national space policy is at the mercy of the political system. One administration sets policy, NASA institutes that policy, then along comes the next administration with all it's campaign promises conveniently forgotten and executes a very different policy that leads to huge layoffs, loss of those with vital knowledge and experience, and extends the gap between manned launch systems. The party doesn't matter, the names don't matter, what matters is we are soon to be without a manned launch system and will be paying to ride along with a nation that has NO interest in OUR nations agenda. THAT is what matters! Being THE leader in manned space flight, THE leader in technology, having control of the high ground, THAT is important! Is space flight important? We will all soon see, it is.
what a bunch of cry baby sissies. For retraining for your next Florida job you all should be issued one John Deere 20" push lawn mower, and be told to mow your way off K.S.C. and back home. Welcome to the real space coast world (without the space) Your adventure will be full of discovery and wonderment. You will discover, many enlightening things taking place that represents life after K.S.C. The strange liquid seeping from your body is called sweat. (you will get used to it as time goes by)The quivering of all your muscles is called ache. After experiencing all of that discovery, I just hope you all have enough gumption in you for all the wonderment. Wonderment like I wonder why they only paid me 8 dollars an hour for all my hard work and sweat. But don't be discouraged if you stick with it you might even get up to 9 bucks an hour after a year. Good luck with your retraining and your new life.
I know Republicans would like to forget, but the truth is Bush cancelled both the Shuttle Program and the ISS, ordering them shut down in 2010, as soon as the ISS was complete, quite possibly the worst space policy decision in history. Obama was able to extend ISS but Bush and Griffin had sabotaged the Shuttle by cancelling supply contracts and actually demolishing critical tooling. When Wayne Hale was asked if the Shuttle could continue to fly he said the decision had been made two years ago.
It isn't surprising to me that most Republicans have already forgotten this. They forget that Kennedy started Project Apollo and Nixon cancelled it. Brevard Republicans have no interest in working with the administration to build a future for the Space Coast; they would much rather see NASA fail so they can use it to attack Obama. They want smaller government but attack Obama for increasing the role of private industry. They want tax cuts for themselves but also want taxpayers to put up $200 billion so they can go to the moon and play another round of golf.
Space Coast Republicans apparently haven't been reading the papers for the last five years. Look it up on the Internet, if you dare! On January 14, 2004, George Bush ordered both Shuttle and Space Station cancelled by 2010. He cancelled all the contracts to produce spare parts for the Shuttle and ordered the tooling destroyed. Wayne Hale himself said, when asked in 2009 if the Shuttle program could be extended, that it was at least two years too late.
When are the Bush admirers going to wake up and admit that Bush is probabably the worst president we've ever had!
His decisions on the Space Program & the attack of Iraq based on select inteligence is criminal. Thousands of our troops have been killed & many thousands more crippled in an unjust, put up war. This country had no debt when he took over, check our debt now as a result of his & Cheney's war! Cheney, a guy who had a number of deferments & never served our country but was brave enough to be a war monger. "Charge men I'm right behind you!"
Check the shape that our economy is in today! It all started with the Bush administration and Cheney.
It's a shame that we didn't learn anything as a result of the demise of the Apollo Program. The money that they were going to save was to go to improve health & social services programs....
Too bad there are so many who will not admit to their mistakes and keep blaming the other guy. Wake up America, vote them all out & let's start over in November.
Remember that it's not the welfare of the Party that's important, it's the welfare of America that is the most important thing and that should be the Party's highest priority not personal gain.
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