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Happy birthday, NASA -here's a dizzying view of your massive Vehicle Assembly Building
Happy birthday, NASA -here's a dizzying view of your massive Vehicle Assembly Building
David ChoiJul 29, 2016, 20:39 IST
In this view looking up from the floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, four levels of new work platforms are now installed on the north and south sides of High Bay 3. The G-level work platforms were most recently installed, at about the 14th floor level. Below them are the H, J and K level platforms. The G-level work platforms are the fourth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA's journey to Mars.Kim Shiflett/NASA
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Originally constructed in 1965, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was the final assembly point for NASA's space shuttle missions during the Apollo program.
Requiring 98,590 tons of steel to construct, the 525 feet tall and 518 feet wide structure held an interior volume of 129,428,000 cubic feet - about 3.75 times that of the Empire State Building. It also set various records, including having the largest doors on earth at 456 feet high, which take nearly 45 minutes to fully open and close.
Nowadays, the monstrous structure is being renovated with new work platforms for NASA's mission to explore Mars.
NASA was founded 58 years ago today on July 29, 1958.
