Pad Terminal Connection Rooms
“We may be working on a 350-horsepower turbo blower one day and troubleshooting a high-tech piece of electronic equipment the next,” Lovelace said, “or even running ducts to support a foam repair on an external tank.” Lovelace has worked at the pads since 1979 and says the work never is routine in the ECS room (Tunnels of Activity).
Underneath Launch Pads 39A and 39B, spectacular sounds of the latest launchings are heard with the same excitement that has captured the world’s hearts and imagination over the years. But the glamour that is viewed above ground is not what keeps NASA’s spacecraft safe and on-track as they enter the infinite fields of space, but instead are a group of rooms and connecting tunnels that are called the Pad Terminal Connection Rooms.
An area that was originally built above ground in the 60s, these underground tunnels of activity were built long before the launch pads were ever part of NASA’s developing world of space. The Pad Terminal Connection Rooms are located on the west side of flame trench, underneath the elevated hardstand. Flame trench bisects the pad at the launch areas ground level, with dimensions of 490 feet long, 58 feet wide, and 42 feed deep.
Once the shuttle is transported to the launch pad, exciting things begin to happen. In the largest underground room, the Environmental Control System or ECS, there are massive amounts of electrical lines, uninterruptible power systems, and air conditioning system which are used for the mobile launcher and space shuttle. A main hub of NASA’s main activity, the newly arrived space shuttle always signals a moment of pure excitement and a frenzy of energy. Personnel involves close to a dozen NASA and contractor crewmembers, using four computer consoles that are used to monitor and control the systems being used.
The last steps of the preparation involve about 12 hours while workers prepare the shuttle compartments for a hazardous gaseous nitrogen purge. Valves are turned by hand cranks, while the automatic valves are watched that flood or purge the orbiter. This usually occurs during the liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen loading to reduce the risk of possible fires during these initial operations. Once this is done, the ECS control room is transferred into a Firing room, with all workers moved beyond the blast danger area.
Considered to be the largest single system in the entire launch site at Kennedy, it reaches two stories below the base, with a primary function of providing a controlled atmosphere for the shuffle vehicle, payload change-out room, and various other areas at the launch pads.
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Mission History, Technical Concerns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
