Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Altitude Chambers, First Street, between Avenue D and Avenue E, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Significance: The two Altitude Chambers sit within the High Bay of the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. The O&C Building is located in the Industrial Area of the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The O&C Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2000 in recognition of its exceptional importance at the national level in the context of the Apollo program, for which it was used to assemble and test the Apollo spacecraft before launching. It is significant at the national level under NRHP Criterion A in the area of space exploration, and under Criterion C in the areas of engineering and architecture. Because the structure has achieved significance within the past 50 years and is of exceptional importance in the areas of space exploration, engineering, and architecture, Criteria Consideration G applies. The two Altitude Chambers were installed in 1965. Each chamber has an overall height of 58', an outer diameter of 34', and a 28' clear working area inside the chamber. The chambers, capable of reaching a test altitude f 250,000' within one hour, were used to test the environmental and life support systems on the Apollo Command/Service Module combination and the Lunar Module. The tests consisted of unmanned and manned runs made by the prime and backup astronaut crews, and were critical to the success of the lunar missions. Thus, they were considered contributing components to the NRHP-listed O&C Building.

Survey number: HAER FL-8-11-E

Building/structure dates: 1965 Initial Construction

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 99001636

aeronautics space exploration national space program space flight testing brevard county cape canaveral cape canaveral air force station launch complex launch complex altitude chambers altitude chambers first street avenue d avenue e cape canaveral brevard air force florida elsbery corporation fischer electric corporation historic american engineering record national aeronautics and space administration nasa pittsburgh des moines steel corporation stokes equipment division of the pennsalt chemical corporation photo ultra high resolution high resolution assembly plants manufacturing plants library of congress national register of historic places

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

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