{"id":40235,"date":"2012-01-04T17:23:39","date_gmt":"2012-01-04T09:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ksc-renovation-work-continuing-ahead-of-future-21st-century-spaceport-role\/"},"modified":"2012-01-04T17:23:39","modified_gmt":"2012-01-04T09:23:39","slug":"ksc-renovation-work-continuing-ahead-of-future-21st-century-spaceport-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ksc-renovation-work-continuing-ahead-of-future-21st-century-spaceport-role\/","title":{"rendered":"KSC renovation work continuing ahead of future 21st Century spaceport role"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kennedy Space Center is undergoing improvements to its buildings and infrastructure, work which will continue at the spaceport through to 2013. Most of the work is taking place on the 50 year old waterway, which links the Turn Basin to the crawlerway through to both Pad 39A and 39B \u2013 the latter of which continues to undergo modifications ahead of hosting the Space Launch System (SLS).<\/p>\n

KSC Improvements:<\/p>\n

The most iconic launch site in the world has fallen silent since the end of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), but it at least hopes to transition into vitally important future role \u2013 one which will not only provide a home base for a number of commercial launch companies, but one which will eventually host crewed missions to Mars.<\/p>\n

Although NASA is at the mercy of the ever-changing political climate, and a lot of NASA\u2019s future ideas tend to remain as powerpoint presentations, actual work towards the future is already taking place at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), part of the 21st Century Space Launch Complex drive.<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the largest projects involves the revitalization of the KSC Water and Wastewater Systems, which have been in place since the spaceport\u2019s initial construction, back during the drive towards the Apollo moon missions.<\/p>\n

This effort is now into phase 3 of a multi-phased effort which will \u2013 through various enhancements \u2013 improve water quality, reduce water consumption and required flushing, replace or repair ageing pipes that are susceptible to breaks or leaks, and increase overall water and wastewater system reliability.<\/p>\n

Despite its less-than-glamorous name, the Water and Wastewater system are vital arteries to operations throughout the center for restrooms, food preparation, fire protection and sound suppression at the launch pads \u2013 and can be seen stretching the entire length of the Crawlerway, before forking to both Pad 39A and Pad 39B.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpcoming activities of particular interest to the KSC population include parallel replacement of the 16-inch and 12-inch asbestos cement water mains with new ductile iron pipe along NASA Parkway from Kennedy Parkway to the Roy D. Bridges Bridge (aka Banana River Bridge); and segregation of fire and potable water supplies from the Turn Basin out to Launch Complex 39 with 4-inch and 3-inch PVC mains, respectively,\u201d noted a construction update via L2 (L2 Link to presentation).<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are several ways in which this construction will affect our workplace, including temporary roadway, lane and shoulder closures, temporary water outages or reduced water pressure for certain facilities, closed sidewalks or parking lot entrances, increased construction traffic, and temporary restroom closures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work \u2013 contracted to Speegle Construction II, Inc \u2013 is set to be completed in the Spring of 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"Currently, Pad 39B is preparing to host the Space Launch System (SLS), following its conversion from a Shuttle pad into what is known as a \u201cClean Pad\u201d. Such a design is required to create the space for the use of the Mobile Launcher (ML) on site, which made its debut trip to the pad at the end of last year.<\/p>\n

Pad 39A is currently mothballed as a Shuttle pad, as much as it will never host one of the iconic shuttle stacks ever again. It is likely that the pad will be leased to an unnamed commercial suitor, who may in turn convert the pad for their needs.<\/p>\n

Some of the old infrastructure remains at 39B \u2013 such as the the giant water tower \u2013 remain in place at the converted pad, and will live on with the SLS program.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Water Tower holds hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, which rushes down a plumbing system into the zero level deck of the Mobile Launch Platform, providing the required rush of water to supply the Sound Suppression System \u2013 which protects the launch vehicle from acoustical energy reflected from the platform during lift-off.<\/p>\n

As noted in the construction update, the tower at 39B is also receiving a facelift, both internally and externally.<\/p>\n

\u201cA construction contract was recently awarded to RUSH Construction, Inc. to perform repair work on the Pad B Water Tower and Sound Suppression System. The scope of work includes repairs to the interior of the 300,000-gallon, 285-foot elevated water tank (constructed in the late1970s), repairs to the piping system, and sandblasting and recoating of the exterior of the tank, piping and associated supports.<\/p>\n

\u201cScaffolding is being erected around the structure to provide access to perform the necessary refurbishment. Pad B remains a construction zone with access restricted to official business coordinated through the Pad B Operations Office. The area around the water tower is designated a construction site and access is coordinated through the construction management team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tower is expected to be revamped by July of this year.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n