Posts: 583 From: Delray Beach Florida USA Registered: Mar 2006
posted 07-31-2012 08:15 AM
We need to get a tour together for one last look inside this building. I have wanted to visit this site for 25 years and have not yet been able to do so. I think it's vital we get a chance to see it for ourselves before it is demolished.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-31-2012 08:20 AM
A nice idea, maybe even doable, but as the article explains, there may not be much to see...
Today, Hangar S is a gutted shadow of its former self.
There’s a wide-open concrete slab floor where Mercury and Gemini capsules were checked out.
Behind that lies an area NASA turned into a training facility, where engineers and technicians learned to operate and maintain the shuttle’s twin maneuvering engines and steering jets.
Climb the stairs on the south end of the building to the old Mercury crew quarters. NASA transformed the area into offices. Now it’s an abandoned mess.
There’s no telling where the astronaut’s sleeping quarters were located; where the kitchen and dining area were; where the medical facilities were or the suit-up room.
The only thing of historical value seems to be the memories.
413 is in Member
Posts: 730 From: Alexandria, VA USA Registered: May 2006
posted 07-31-2012 09:54 AM
Wow, that's sad news indeed about Hangar S on the demolition list. If those walls could talk!
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 07-31-2012 10:04 AM
The Mercury Mission Contol Center, Hangar S, the original KSC Headquarters Building ... it is very sad to see all these landmark facilities at the Cape disappear one by one.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-31-2012 11:34 AM
As much as I would love to have all of Cape Canaveral preserved/restored to the way it was in the 1960s, I'm not sure that any of these buildings can be considered landmarks. They played historic roles, of that there is no disagreement, but I tend to doubt that most space enthusiasts, let alone the general public, could recognize any of these buildings as compared to the launch pads or undisputed landmarks such as the Vehicle Assembly Building.
KSC Headquarters is an office building, the Mercury Mission Control was more famous for its interior than its exterior or location, and Hangar S has been retrofitted to the point of its historic layout being lost to progress.
If NASA was better funded, and this was less a budgetary concern than it is, then I would certainly support Hangar S being saved. But if the choice is between funding programs that can write new chapters in history or preserving a building that the majority of the public cannot visit due to the surrounding area being an active military base, I think I would rather focus any remaining resources on saving key landmarks like LC-19, which is being reclaimed by nature with every passing day.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 07-31-2012 12:14 PM
Let me echo some of what Robert said. Hangar S was one of more than a dozen Missile Assembly Buildings (MAB AKA hangars) at CCAFS. The design was generic and was used by many programs. The hangars may have been modified by the programs assigned to them. But these mods were added and subtracted as programs changed. What Hangar S was in the 60's is no longer applicable to today. There is no point in preserving it, since it doesn't represent Hangar S of Mercury. However, in the future, I do believe it is important to preserve at least one of the original hangars (MABs).
This brings up something I have been trying to do. I have been halfheartedly looking for the original specifications, layouts or drawings of the MABs. They were extensively used at CCAFS but they were also used at the Atlas (and maybe Titan) ICBM bases. Similarly, there was another type of MAB used at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 07-31-2012 12:51 PM
quote:Originally posted by LM-12: ...the original KSC Headquarters Building
That isn't being demolished. It still exists on CCAFS and is being used by the 45th Space Wing.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 07-31-2012 01:49 PM
quote:Originally posted by hlbjr: We need to get a tour together for one last look inside this building.
Just walked through it. If it wasn't for the sign outside, you couldn't tell which hangar you are in, except for the shuttle era cleanrooms in back of the high bay, which were deactivated years ago.
The rooms are filled with typical government office furniture from all the past decades. And one could not tell which hangar this was from the layout.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 07-31-2012 03:39 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: the Mercury Mission Control was more famous for its interior than its exterior or location
I think there is a lot of historical significance where these events took place, including the buildings.
For example, seeing the relocated and recreated Mercury Flight Control Room displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is not quite the same as seeing that same Mercury Flight Control Room displayed (had they done that) at its original location, the Mercury Mission Control Center building.
YankeeClipper Member
Posts: 639 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
posted 07-31-2012 08:01 PM
quote:Originally posted by LM-12: I think there is a lot of historical significance where these events took place, including the buildings.
Agreed.
There’s no telling where the astronaut’s sleeping quarters were located; where the kitchen and dining area were; where the medical facilities were or the suit-up room.
Watch the Florida Today video clip, Jack King seems to know the layout. How about asking Scott Carpenter, John Glenn or Dee O'Hara to go back to Hangar S and recreate the layout from memory? Didn't NASA have an oral history project to preserve such memories? This cS thread gives a good starting point.
The only thing of historical value seems to be the memories.
Flawed thinking and terrible lack of perspective. How about the walls, doors, roof, signage (especially the S sign)? Just the other night on CBS News, I watched a piece on preserving artifacts from the American Revolution and they had George Washington's actual campaign tent carefully preserved. As Jack King alluded, Hangar S is one of two iconic buildings from the birth of human spaceflight.
Billions have been spent on preserving financial "institutions", yet Hangar S is to be razed? It's the classic case of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. On a tour of CCAFS, that is one of the signature buildings visitors want to see as the fundamental structure is original and authentic (a 60 year old building) and its history important.
Here are some possible alternative options:
KSC Visitor Complex has roughly 1.5 million visitors a year. Why not add $1 per visitor to the admission price (or divert $1 per visitor from Delaware North's profits) to go into a historic preservation fund for the renovation, restoration, and preservation of facilities such as Hangar S and LC-19?
Done correctly you could also have a recreated interior that could be a brief stop on the authorised tours. A period photo shows the lounge was spartan and not costly to recreate. The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas is essentially an authentic shell with replica book cartons, period artifacts etc. Its the location and the history within the walls that really counts.
Any entrepreneurs out there want to salvage Hangar S to use as part of a space-themed bar/restaurant close to KSC? I'm sure a creative architect could incorporate authentic hangar materials into the design. You could even call the place Hangar S.
At least preserve the main S signage for museum display. Any authentic original metal could be recast into saleable medallions/souvenirs. Recycle what remains if possible. Look to the experience in the UK when iconic football stadia close for renovation. Fans go mad for buying individual seats, signs, pieces of turf etc. Revenue generated from souvenirs could be used to help preserve LC-19.
Hangar S is a hidden gem and an untapped resource - in fact it is a brand that hasn't been exploited. The name and history is iconic - you could merchandise the heck out of it.
Wanton demolition of Hangar S with zero regard for historical preservation is a serious mistake that shouldn't be made. In years to come people will be mad at the lack of foresight.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 07-31-2012 08:51 PM
Outside of the people that frequent this forum, nobody else knows anything about Hangar S. Even the most of workers at Kennedy Space Center or CCAFS don't even know its history.
Like I said, there is nothing on the inside that tells you that you are in Hangar S. The pedigree on the items inside are unknown. The facility has been remodeled, refurbished, reconfigured so many times, it is doubtful that you could tell if anything is from the 1950's outside of the basic structure.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-31-2012 08:57 PM
With regards to any signage, small artifacts — NASA routinely checks with its own artifact managers, the Smithsonian and local relevant organizations (in this case, it might include the U.S. Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation) to survey sites before they are demolished.
While it is not always as thorough as I might prefer, the process does result in key pieces being saved. Such was done with the Mercury Control Center, and with Pad 39B.
YankeeClipper Member
Posts: 639 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
posted 08-01-2012 12:13 AM
quote:Originally posted by Jim Behling: ...nobody else knows anything about Hangar S. Even the most of workers at KSC or CCAFS don't even know its history. It has no cache and it isn't brand that would make money with John Q. Public.
Perfect — something "new" that is in fact quite "old" and steeped in history. Sure you have to invest a bit to create the product/experience, then creatively educate people and market it, but it's very possible. The fact that the building is essentially empty is a plus in some ways as it makes renovation/conversion easier.
It's a great opportunity to exploit nostalgia for all things retro- and from the 50s/60s. Think of all those Baby Boomers coming up on retirement who want reminding of the heady days of early spaceflight. Think of all the kids who don't know anything about what it felt like back at that time.
The past is a different world — take people there. You don't have to travel to Edwards AFB to get the Right Stuff experience - it can be right there at Hangar S.
Take them on a trip back in time with a period soundtrack, period products in a faithfully recreated interior with voices/images of the Mercury Astronauts. Recreate the crew lounge, altitude test chamber, white room, medical station, chimp cages etc. Re-emphasize the dangers of early spaceflight when so much was unknown.
The North door through which astronauts passed on their way to the launch pad is a great little feature in itself. The whole place could be given a launch day theme and visitors taken through that process from the astronaut's perspective.
Once the up-close tours finish at the end of 2012, that revenue is lost. You have to exploit alternatives. Hangar S would provide visitors with access to an authentic historical location with facilities normally out-of-bounds.
Alternatively, if parts of Hangar S ended up in a themed bar/restaurant with appropriate features and great memorabilia, you would have no problem merchandising that brand. Especially if it became the hangout of choice of space workers of the future.
All of the above are just suggestions, rough ideas, not defined finalized concepts.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-01-2012 12:27 AM
NASA has control of the building, but the land and the surrounding area is the purview of the U.S. Air Force. What you describe is wonderful but ignores that Hangar S is located squarely inside an active military base.
The Air Force already restricts the number of tourists that the Visitor Complex can bring within its gates.
Even if the Air Force were to step out of the way, the Visitor Complex is not so flush with cash that it could just pick up such a project immediately. It is currently investing $100 million in the construction of the new space shuttle Atlantis exhibit, which is just one part of its 10-year master plan.
So where does the $148,000 per year needed to maintain Hangar S come from until the Visitor Complex can begin work on the new attraction? And is that the best investment for the money? What about the other historic sites — like the early launch pads — that would easily draw a larger audience than a hangar and are already landmarks?
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 08-01-2012 02:43 AM
Perhaps they could have turned Hangar S into an annex of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex with displays and exhibits that emphasized the Mercury and Gemini flights that launched from Cape Canaveral.
The Visitor Complex has expanded tremendously since the 1960s. Maybe they could have built one less building at that location to cover the cost of annexing and refurbishing and saving Hangar S.
YankeeClipper Member
Posts: 639 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
posted 08-01-2012 03:18 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: What you describe is wonderful but ignores that Hangar S is located squarely inside an active military base.
I'm well aware of the location of Hangar S and the OPSEC implications. I'm not suggesting that the USAF step out of the way - in fact there is nothing stopping this being a long-term joint NASA/USAF/USAF Space & Missile Museum project.
I'm not suggesting a full theme-park level of attraction here. The fact that it's 50s/60s era means we are not talking high spec facilities. Look at the old photos - the crew lounge is spartan. The medical station has a few cabinets, an exam table, very basic equipment. A few chimp cages. That doesn't take long to recreate. The whole project can be done in stages over a few years if necessary, getting successively better over time.
Initially the tour would have access to the hangar. Not much to see now. This is a long-term preservation project. Over the years, there would be more to see.
It seems to me there would be three main issues:
Contractor Security
Use the existing USAF SOP for external contractor screening for the required renovation works. NASA gets the bill.
Building Security
Isolate Hangar S from the rest of the base with fencing around the building perimeter. One entrance/exit. Tour bus pulls up, x people get off and enter building, 20 min tour, x people exit building and get on, tour bus pulls away.
Visitor Security
Numbers taking the Then-and-Now tour are already restricted. Put each KSCVC visitor taking the tour through the same level of security screening as the USAF do for their free CCAFS tour. Paid for by NASA and overseen by a USAF guard.
quote:Where does the $148,000 per year needed to maintain Hangar S come from until the Visitor Complex can begin work on the new attraction? And is that the best investment for the money?
Levy $1 per visitor ticket as a contribution to a historic sites preservation fund i.e. Hangar S, LC-19 etc. Extra revenue of $1.5 million per fiscal year is created. An extra $4 for a family of four is not going to be a deal-breaker when you consider the high cost of everything at the visitor complex.
All of this was just one suggestion of three options. What's the alternative? Looking at an empty lot in 12 months? That's just brilliant. Yet more history bulldozed.
Hangar S is similar to Pancho's at Edwards - sure there's not much to see — but it's where legends walked and history was written.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 08-01-2012 06:21 AM
It is a shell, there is nothing of historical value. If you think location is important, then put a marker there.
hlbjr Member
Posts: 583 From: Delray Beach Florida USA Registered: Mar 2006
posted 08-01-2012 06:50 AM
Not everyone shares this view.
Being in a building where such important history was made is important to many people and becomes a touchstone for them to that very history. The shell of Hangar S is much more significant than some marker on the same site.
capoetc Member
Posts: 2402 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 08-01-2012 06:55 AM
It appears that the writing is on the wall regarding Hangar S, and to me that is unfortunate.
There is something special about being in places where historic events happened. I can almost imagine a tour guide 150 years from now:
Guide: Ladies and Gentlemen, as we enter this building, you'll notice a plaque over here at the corner of Hangar S. It has a picture of Astronaut John Glenn and President John F. Kennedy after Glenn's Freedom 7 mission, which was the first time an American orbited the Earth.
Kid: How come they were here at this old building?
Guide: Because this building is where America's first astronauts lived, trained, and slept during Project Mercury and the early part of Project Gemini as well. Now, let's go inside and see what it looked like at the time — the interior has been recreated from period photographs and oral histories from workers who were here at the time. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like to be here at the dawn of the space age, before people were routinely flying beyond our solar system as we do now, but places like this help us to understand that heritage.
It is always difficult to understand the historical significance of places, artifacts, etc, without the passage of time.
To be clear, I am not advocating for preservation of Hangar S ... I do not think there is a viable business case for it. I am merely lamenting that fact.
posted 08-01-2012 07:23 AM
NASA should attempt some public fund raising events to raise money to preserve key buildings, similar to what museums do. No even trying is a shame — you have to respect your past as you look to create a future. Unless you don't care about your past...
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-01-2012 08:48 AM
NASA is a federal agency; it cannot, by law, fund raise unless specifically authorized to do so by Congress.
It also must follow the procedures laid out for all federal agencies when disposing of federal property, which includes considering the preservation of historical structures.
Ken Havekotte Member
Posts: 3881 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
posted 08-01-2012 03:38 PM
While I do support both sides of this topic discussion, Hangar S is indeed located on a restricted military installation.
In a pro-space world, so-to-speak, it would be great to have some sort of public access to the old Cape facility that once housed the original Mercury astronauts and their support-related functions.
But let's face it, in my opinion, it would not be a practical move and for many reasons, of which many have already been indicated here by Jim and Robert.
How about the old Range Control Center, once a favorite visit/stopover of mine, along with Press Site 2 (now closed), and the Air Force Technical Laboratory, located at Patrick AFB, currently still in operation.
Remember — the 9/11 tragedy changed a whole bunch about the Cape's operation conditions and just about completely restricting any sort of public access into these delicate and sensitive areas of our nation's missile, rocket, and other aerospace activities.
ea757grrl Member
Posts: 816 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
posted 08-01-2012 07:55 PM
As much as it pains me to say it, and I'm very pro-preservation and spent years of my life involved in it, the lessons I learned back then require me to don the Nomex, get pragmatic and side with Jim, Robert and Ken on this.
If circumstances were different — if we weren't dealing with a restricted area, a location within a working industrial section of an Air Force installation, and if an abundance of resources existed to do it up right — I'd be all for preserving and restoring Hangar S. But we're not dealing with those circumstances. There's no money to do it. Hangar S occupies real estate that's needed for other purposes. Changing it back to the way it was - which would result in a fine re-creation, but not the real thing - would take a lot of money and effort, and even then you won't have the real thing. Plus, you're dealing with a utilitarian structure that was not designed to last forever, and even worse that's in a very hostile environment and could deteriorate in short order if not properly maintained.
I would love to see Hangar S restored. I would have loved for the original Mercury Control Center to remain standing and be repaired. I'd love to see 14 and 19 restored instead of wasting away. Heck, I wish the USS Lake Champlain had been made into a museum long ago.
But we are not exactly dealing with an optimal set of circumstances, I'm afraid - and a lot of people have been seriously bitten by underestimating just what kind of commitment is required in preserving and maintaining an aging structure, especially in the kind of corrosive environment you have at CCAFS.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-02-2012 12:16 PM
Borrowing a suggestion made in another forum, those interested in seeing Cape Canaveral facilities preserved into the future would do well to donate to the Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation.
It may be too late for Hangar S, but every dollar donated makes it possible that other facilities can be preserved...
SpaceKSCBlog Member
Posts: 119 From: Merritt Island, FL Registered: Nov 2011
posted 08-02-2012 01:22 PM
I'll also make the observation that CCAFS and the U.S. Air Force do not see tourism as their priority. Defense is their priority.
Only one KSC Visitor Complex tour per day is allowed to enter CCAFS. The free CCAFS tours are only two mornings a week.
None of those tours go to Hangar S. Guests are specifically prohibited from taking any pictures while in the Industrial Area.
As shown in the Florida Today video they posted on July 30, Hangar S is gutted. There's nothing to see. Nothing looks like it looked in 1961.
Furthermore, these buildings were not constructed to survive the test of time. They were built in the late 1950s to meet the immediate needs of one or two programs; Hangar S was originally built for Vanguard. The Cape Canaveral sea air is very corrosive, which is why a lot of structures have come down over the decades.
The museum foundation is currently renovating Hangar C, the first CCAFS hangar, and intends to use that to house the rockets and missiles in their collection. Hangar C is next to the lighthouse, nowhere near the Industrial Area, so CCAFS command is willing to allow guests to exit buses there. But CCAFS command will never allow guests to tour buildings in the Industrial Area.
The Hangar S of lore passed into history long ago. Time to let go and focus on more important things.
YankeeClipper Member
Posts: 639 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
posted 08-02-2012 02:18 PM
quote:Originally posted by SpaceKSCBlog: The museum foundation is currently renovating Hangar C, the first CCAFS hangar, and intends to use that to house the rockets and missiles in their collection.
That is good to hear and a really positive move and worth donating to.
Perhaps they can find a spot to display the iconic S sign, even if the rest of it is destined for the scrap heap.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 08-05-2012 10:21 AM
This is what Hangar S other uses have been:
Project Vanguard (!957-1959)
It was used to house NRL personnel and to checkout both the Vanguard LV and spacecraft.
Post MSC use (1966-1970)
Hangar S is configured to support two unmanned spacecraft projects simultaneously. Operational areas consist of two class 100,000 clean rooms with an interconnecting airlock, two spacecraft systems test areas, a support building, a spacecraft telemetry ground station, a bonded storage area, biological laboratories, and offices for project personnel. All Biosatellite, Lunar Orbiter, and HEOS spacecraft have been processed in Hangar S.
Post Apollo (1970's)
It was used to checkout many spacecraft including the Communications Technology Satellite series.
Early Shuttle era (1982)
Hangar S consists of a main hangar building with two floors of office and laboratory rooms. ...Hangar S's south clean room complex will be used for processing the smaller STS payloads; however, this complex has only a limited amount of space available. Most of Hangar S is occupied by other organizations and will not be available to STS users. Most of the operational area in the Hangar S is dedicated to processing the solid rocket booster recovery equipment; most of the office area is dedicated to base support and solid rocket booster contractor personnel. The north clean room complex is dedicated to processing the orbiter experiments (OEX). Only the south clean room complex is available for processing STS payloads.
Recent era
A shuttle OMS pod simulator was in the south cleanroom for SCAPE training
Larry McGlynn Member
Posts: 1440 From: Boston, MA Registered: Jul 2003
posted 08-06-2012 08:54 AM
I visited and walked through Hangar S in February of this year. It is in sorry shape. It has been left neglected for a long time.
Yet, you can still see the area next to the building where JFK, Glenn and the Friendship 7 spacecraft stood 50 years ago. You can still see "Langley AFB Hangar" lightly imprinted on the outside wall. The lift crane inside the hangar still hangs above your head in the ceiling's girders. Up until recently, you could see the emergency egress maps from the Gemini era gently fading away in the sunlight. It is a unique building where our Florida space heritage began.
Sadly, as a NASA facility, it has been left to languish and is probably in need of being torn down. I can understand that NASA had moved on as an organization and newer buildings had to be built and maintained as the agency and country moved onto more complex missions.
What did disturb me was that the other hangars in the USAF care are in very good condition. I was in Hangar F (I believe) directly across Hangar Road from Hangar S and the hangar was immaculate to the point where you could eat off the hangar floor. That building (similar to Hangar S) was prepped to last more than 50 years.
Maybe a nice plaque can be placed at the site stating that "Here once stood the building where America's first manned spaceflight began."
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 08-06-2012 06:34 PM
Here are the sites registered as National Historic Landmarks:
USAF Space Museum (includes LC-5/6 and blockhouse)
LC-14
LC-19
LC-34
LC-13
MCC, which the important part was saved.
As far as the USAF is concerned, they are saving:
Hangar C
Navaho
USAF Space Museum
Hanagar S is not part of NHL.
Kennedy Space Center is saving:
O&C
Saturn V
LCC
VAB
Shuttle OAA and GOX vent arm
Crew Training Facility
There are others.
Ken Havekotte Member
Posts: 3881 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
posted 08-06-2012 07:08 PM
Don't forget LC-26A is a vital part of the Cape's USAF Space Museum, launch site in orbiting America's first satellite along with other Explorer and Pioneer probes. In addition, Pad 26 was also the historic complex that put Able, Baker, and Gordo into space.
capoetc Member
Posts: 2402 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 09-30-2012 07:42 AM
Someone has started a petition to save Hangar S...
Also included on the page is a link to a Nov. '61 Roundup newspaper describing Hangar S operations. I never realized the altitude chamber for Mercury spacecraft checkout was also located inside Hangar S.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 53402 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
...at LC-19 (Gemini Program), the last remains of the service tower have now been removed, and the vehicle launch mount is being demolished/removed.
I talked to one of the workers on site last week who said several weeks of work remain to complete the job.
The top part of the service tower was restored and is at the CCAFS Air Force Museum.
In related news, another blockhouse at CCAFS, Launch Complex 15, is being demolished. Of note, of the blockhouses along ICBM Road, the LC-12 blockhouse (Atlas pad) was demolished in 2009 and the LC-13 blockhouse (another Atlas pad) was demolished earlier this year. LC-15 was a Titan pad.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 01-18-2013 08:54 AM
NASA nurse Dee O'Hara talks about Hangar S in this 2012 Astronaut Autograph and Memorabilia Show video clip. She is wearing a "Save Hangar S" button.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 01-21-2013 03:14 PM
This 1962 photo shows the "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center" sign on Hangar S.
Before that, it was different. There was a "NASA Project Mercury" sign on Hangar S.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 01-21-2013 04:01 PM
E&O (Engineering and Operations) building was just turned over to the USAF from NASA.
The KSC Federal Credit Union branch office had to leave after almost 50 years of presence in building. It was first branch when the credit union was chartered the MILA FCU.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-09-2013 06:26 PM
Here is an AmericaSpace blog about the items on display in Hangar R at Cape Canaveral. Hangar R is near Hangar S. Hangar C is near the Cape lighthouse.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 4009 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 04-23-2013 12:40 PM
It looks like the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building was a bit smaller when it opened in the fall of 1964. Photo KSC-64C-5543 was taken in November 1964.
Additional construction can be seen in photo KSC-65C-5214 taken in August 1965. That was about five months after the manned Gemini flights began.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1948 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 04-23-2013 07:06 PM
quote:Originally posted by LM-12: It looks like the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building...
Operations and Checkout Building. That was the name before and after MSOB. It was MSOB for less than a quarter of its life.
Ken Havekotte Member
Posts: 3881 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
posted 04-23-2013 10:34 PM
Not that it matters too much, but from my understanding, MSOB was the original name that applied all throughout the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft programs.
It had been changed from "Manned Spacecraft Operations Building" (MSOB) to the "Operations and Checkout Building" (O&C) when the terms "Manned Spacecraft..." seemed to no longer apply in all cases.
Why? Because I think once the shuttle program started to get underway after Apollo during the mid/1970s, there were so many different kinds of cargos and payloads that would have to be checked out and processed in the same facility. Most of them, however, would be STS-related though in the coming years.
To me, it really doesn't matter too much, as I am comfortable with both the MSOB and O&C building names. It's all the same place to me!
SpaceKSCBlog Member
Posts: 119 From: Merritt Island, FL Registered: Nov 2011
posted 04-27-2013 07:52 PM
I saw today that the old Bioastronautics Operations and Support Unit (BOSU) — a fancy way of saying the medical clinic — is being demolished. It was on the corner of Industrial Road and Hangar Road.
This is the building where the Mercury astronauts got their exams. It's also where the remains of the Apollo 1 crew were brought on January 27, 1967.
Sad to see it go. But as with so much of the CCAFS infrastructure, the money and the demand isn't there.
posted 07-31-2012 08:15 AM
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