|
m References after punctuation per WP:REFPUNCT, WP:CITEFOOT, WP:PAIC + other fixes
|
mNo edit summary
|
||
| (39 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown) | |||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
| buildings = 1 |
| buildings = 1 |
||
| area = {{cvt|42,500 |m2}} |
| area = {{cvt|42,500 |m2}} |
||
| volume = |
| volume = {{cvt|111888|m3}} (high bay) <br /> {{cvt|13905|m3}} (Intermediate bay) |
||
| address = NASA Parkway East |
| address = NASA Parkway East |
||
| owner = NASA |
| owner = NASA |
||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
| ⚫ | The '''Space Station Processing Facility''' ('''SSPF''') is a three-story industrial building at [[Kennedy Space Center]] for the [[Manufacturing of the International Space Station|manufacture]] and [[Process manufacturing|processing]] of flight hardware, modules, structural components and solar arrays of the [[International Space Station]], and future space stations and commercial spacecraft. It was built in 1992 at the space complex's industrial area, just east of the [[Operations and Checkout Building]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/sspf.html |title=Space Station Processing Facility |last=NASA |access-date=2007-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206084918/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/sspf.html |archive-date=2007-02-06 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
The '''Space Station Processing Facility''' ('''SSPF''') is a three-story, {{cvt|42,500|m2}} industrial building |
|||
| ⚫ |
|
||
| ⚫ | The SSPF includes two processing bays, an airlock, operational control rooms, laboratories, logistics areas for equipment and machines, office space, a ballroom and conference halls, and a cafeteria. |
||
It was constructed in 1992 for the [[Manufacturing of the International Space Station|manufacturing]] and [[Process manufacturing|processing]] of the [[International Space Station]] modules, flight hardware, equipment, structural components and solar arrays. |
|||
| ⚫ | The processing areas, airlock, and laboratories are designed to support non-hazardous Space Station and [[Space Shuttle]] payloads in [[Cleanroom|100,000 class clean work areas]]. The building has a total floor area of {{cvt|42,500|m2}}. |
||
| ⚫ | The SSPF includes two processing bays, an airlock, operational control rooms, laboratories, logistics areas, office space, a ballroom and conference halls, and a cafeteria. |
||
| ⚫ |
The processing areas, airlock, and laboratories |
||
==History and construction== |
==History and construction== |
||
[[File: |
[[File:SSPF under construction in 1991.jpg|thumb|left|The Space Station Processing Facility under construction in December 1991. Structural steel beams, and the Neil Armstrong Building are visible in the background.]] |
||
During the re-designing phase of [[Space Station Freedom]] in early 1991, Congress approved new plans for NASA to lead the project and begin manufacturing its components for the future [[International Space Station]]. [[Kennedy Space Center]] was selected as the ideal launch processing complex for the ISS, as well as hosting all the internationally manufactured modules and station elements. |
During the re-designing phase of [[Space Station Freedom]] in early 1991, Congress approved new plans for NASA to lead the project and begin manufacturing its components for the future [[International Space Station]]. [[Kennedy Space Center]] was selected as the ideal launch processing complex for the ISS, as well as hosting all the internationally manufactured modules and station elements. |
||
However the [[Operations and Checkout Building]] (which was originally to be the prime factory for station launch processing) was insufficient in size to accommodate all the components. On March 26, 1991, engineers at Kennedy Space Center; along with contractor Metric Constructions Inc. of Tampa Florida, broke ground on a new $56 million Space Station Processing Facility, situated adjacent to the O&C. The design called for a 457,000-square-foot multifunction building housing an enormous processing bay, laboratories, control rooms, staging areas, communications and control facilities, and office space for some 1,400 NASA and contractor employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46509.240|title=Discovery STS-39 – Sky Ballet|website=forum.nasaspaceflight.com}}</ref> |
However the [[Operations and Checkout Building]] (which was originally to be the prime factory for station launch processing) was insufficient in size to accommodate all the components. On March 26, 1991, engineers at Kennedy Space Center; along with contractor Metric Constructions Inc. of Tampa Florida, broke ground on a new $56 million Space Station Processing Facility, situated adjacent to the O&C. The design called for a 457,000-square-foot multifunction building housing an enormous processing bay, laboratories, control rooms, staging areas, communications and control facilities, and office space for some 1,400 NASA and contractor employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46509.240|title=Discovery STS-39 – Sky Ballet|website=forum.nasaspaceflight.com}}</ref> |
||
KSC Deputy Director Gene Thomas described the construction: "The skyline around here is really going to change. This will be the biggest facility that we have built since the Apollo days". The SSPF used reinforced concrete and some 4,300 tons of steel. The building was |
KSC Deputy Director Gene Thomas described the construction: "The skyline around here is really going to change. This will be the biggest facility that we have built since the Apollo days". The SSPF used reinforced concrete and some 4,300 tons of steel. The building was structurally completed and topped out by mid 1992. |
||
After three years of construction, interior fitting and equipment set-up, the SSPF formally opened on June 23, 1994. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ |
[[File:ISS- |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | [[File:ISS-RapidScat in the Space Station Processing Facility (KSC-2014-2976).jpg|thumb|left|Technicians checking out and testing the ISS RapidScat antenna dish in the low bay area]] |
||
[[File:STS-129 ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 14.jpg|thumb|left|Space Station workstations and engineers in the high bay area]] |
[[File:STS-129 ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 14.jpg|thumb|left|Space Station workstations and engineers in the high bay area]] |
||
[[File:STS- |
[[File:STS-133 PMM Leonardo.jpg|thumb|275px|STS-133 [[Multi-Purpose Logistics Module|MPLM]] in its workstand, while visitors observe the area from the observation windows]] |
||
| ⚫ |
Regarding the launch of modules of the [[International Space Station]] (ISS), there had been philosophical differences for years between designers and payload processors whether to ship-and-shoot or perform integration testing prior to launch. The former involved building a station module and launching it without ever physically testing it with other modules. The integration testing was not originally in the ISS plan, but in 1995 [[Johnson Space Center]] designers began to consider it and embedding KSC personnel at module factories. Multi-Element Integration Testing (MEIT) of ISS modules at KSC was officially in the books in 1997.<ref name="Lipartito Butler History">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofkennedy00lipa |title='A History of the Kennedy Space Center | |
||
| ⚫ | At the SSPF, space station modules, trusses and solar arrays are prepped and made ready for launch. The low and high bays are fully air conditioned and ambient temperature is maintained at {{convert|12|°C|°F|0}} at all times. Workers and engineers wear full non-contaminant clothing while working. Modules receive cleaning and polishing, and some areas are temporarily disassembled for the installation of cables, electrical systems and plumbing. In another area, shipments of spare materials are available for installation. [[International Standard Payload Rack]] frames are assembled and welded together, allowing the installation of instruments, machines and allowing science experiment boxes to be fitted. Once racks are fully assembled, they are hoisted by a special manually operated robotic crane and carefully maneuvered into place inside the space station modules. Each rack weighs from 700 to 1,100 kg, and connect inside the module on special mounts with screws and latches.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Holder |first1=L. |last2=de Jong |first2=M.|title=SAE Technical Paper Series |chapter=International Standard Payload Rack Interface and Systems Requirements|date=1992|volume=1 |doi=10.4271/921263 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.4271/921263|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
||
| ⚫ |
|
||
| ⚫ | Cargo bags for MPLM modules are filled with their cargo such as food packages, science experiments and other miscellaneous items on-site in the SSPF, and loaded into the module by the same robotic crane and strapped in securely. |
||
Many of the builders accompanied their modules from around the world during their manufacturing, and worked at KSC for months to years during final assembly. Many ISS modules were renamed after successfully launching. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Regarding the launch of modules of the [[International Space Station]] (ISS), there had been philosophical differences for years between designers and payload processors whether to ship-and-shoot or perform integration testing prior to launch. The former involved building a station module and launching it without ever physically testing it with other modules. The integration testing was not originally in the ISS plan, but in 1995 [[Johnson Space Center]] designers began to consider it and embedding KSC personnel at module factories. Multi-Element Integration Testing (MEIT) of ISS modules at KSC was officially in the books in 1997.<ref name="Lipartito Butler History">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofkennedy00lipa |title='A History of the Kennedy Space Center |last1=Lipartito |first1=Kenneth |last2=Butler |first2=Orville |date=2007 |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-3069-2 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/1105 |title=International Space Station Program/Hardware/Multi-Element Integration Testing (MEIT) |date=1999-02-01 |website=Lessons Learned |publisher=NASA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305041541/http://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/1105 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/1014 |title=International Space Station (ISS) Program/Ground Processing Schedule/Test and Verification |date=1997-02-01 |website=Lessons Learned |publisher=NASA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305194636/http://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/1014 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref> |
||
| ⚫ | Three MEIT and one Integration Systems Test (IST) tests were conducted for the ISS, taking about three years from planning to completion and closure:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20130012449.pdf |title=STRATEGIES FOR GROUND BASED TESTING OF MANNED LUNAR SURFACE SYSTEMS |last=Beyer |first=Jeff |date=October 2009 |website=NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |publisher=NASA |access-date=6 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227073917/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20130012449.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
* MEIT1: [[Destiny (ISS module)|US Lab]], [[Z1 truss]], [[P5 Truss Segment|P6 truss]], and a [[Node 1]] emulator |
* MEIT1: [[Destiny (ISS module)|US Lab]], [[Z1 truss]], [[P5 Truss Segment|P6 truss]], and a [[Node 1]] emulator |
||
**Planning began in 1997, Testing began January 1999 |
**Planning began in 1997, Testing began January 1999 |
||
| Line 56: | Line 66: | ||
After the launch of the [[Destiny (ISS module)|''Destiny'']], an emulator was built for MEIT testing, since the lab controlled many other modules. Among the items checked were mechanical connections, the ability to flow power and fluids between modules, and the flight software. |
After the launch of the [[Destiny (ISS module)|''Destiny'']], an emulator was built for MEIT testing, since the lab controlled many other modules. Among the items checked were mechanical connections, the ability to flow power and fluids between modules, and the flight software. |
||
Numerous issues were found from these on the ground tests, many of which could not have been fixed in orbit |
Numerous issues were found and rectified from these on the ground tests, many of which could not have been fixed in orbit. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ |
At the SSPF, space station modules, trusses and solar arrays are prepped and made ready for launch. The low and high bays are fully air conditioned and ambient temperature is maintained at {{convert|12|°C|°F|0}} at all times. Workers and engineers wear full non-contaminant clothing while working. Modules receive cleaning and polishing, and some areas are temporarily disassembled for the installation of cables, electrical systems and plumbing. In another area, shipments of spare materials are available for installation. [[International Standard Payload Rack]] frames are assembled and welded together, allowing the installation of instruments, machines and science experiment boxes to be fitted. Once racks are fully assembled, they are hoisted by a special manually operated robotic crane and carefully maneuvered into place inside the space station modules. Each rack weighs from 700 to 1,100 kg, and connect inside the module on special mounts with screws and latches.<ref> |
||
| ⚫ | Cargo bags for MPLM modules are filled with their cargo such as food packages, science experiments and other miscellaneous items on-site in the SSPF, and loaded into the module by the same robotic crane and strapped in securely. |
||
==Building |
==Building specifications== |
||
{{multiple image |
{{multiple image |
||
| align = right |
|||
| ⚫ |
|
||
| total_width = 340 |
|||
| ⚫ |
|
||
| image1 = Cygnus_CRS_OA-7_in_Kennedy_SSPF_(KSC-20170214-PH_JBS01_0198).jpg |
|||
| ⚫ | | caption1 = A[[Cygnus (spacecraft)|Cygnus]] spacecraft being moved by overhead cranes to another work area in the high bay. Note the ceiling height in comparison to the engineers. |
||
| image2 = STS-134_ExPRESS_Logistics_Carrier_3_a.jpg |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
}} |
}} |
||
[[File: |
[[File:SAGE III at Space Station Processing Facility (23390877722).jpg|thumb|225px|The I-bay area]] |
||
[[File:ISS s3-s4 truss hoist in the SSPF factory.jpg|thumb|225px|S3-S4 Truss being hoist to the payload transfer container]] |
|||
The SSPF's High Bays provide maximum flexibility for manufacturing, assembly, testing and processing payloads and elements destined for space. The bays are enormous [[cleanrooms]] equipped with [[overhead cranes]], commodities-servicing equipment and a secure backup-power supply. The facility also has 15 offline labs.<ref>https:// |
The SSPF's High Bays provide maximum flexibility for manufacturing, assembly, testing and processing payloads and elements destined for space. The bays are enormous [[cleanrooms]] equipped with [[overhead cranes]], commodities-servicing equipment and a secure backup-power supply. The facility also has 15 offline labs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spaceref.com/status-report/notice-of-availability-for-information-seeking-potential-industry-interest-and-uses-for-some-nasa-kennedy-space-center-facilities/ |title=Notice of Availability for Information Seeking Potential Industry Interest and Uses for Some NASA Kennedy Space Center Facilities|date=January 24, 2011|publisher=SpaceRef.com|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
||
===Intermediate Bay (I-bay)=== |
===Intermediate Bay (I-bay)=== |
||
| Line 106: | Line 116: | ||
Office floor area: {{cvt|140,000|ft2}} of office/work space |
Office floor area: {{cvt|140,000|ft2}} of office/work space |
||
==Station components currently in the SSPF== |
==Space Station and space hardware components currently in the SSPF== |
||
[[File:NASA SSPF factory panorama.jpg|thumb|700px|A |
[[File:NASA SSPF factory panorama.jpg|thumb|700px|A panorama view of the high bay area in August 2010. Note the lights sometimes tend to change color from pink to gold hues.]] |
||
{{As of| |
{{As of|2023|June|24}}:{{cn|date=June 2023}} |
||
* [[Multi-Purpose Logistics Module]]s ''Raffaello'' and ''Donatello''. |
* [[Multi-Purpose Logistics Module]]s ''Raffaello'' and ''Donatello''. |
||
* Two Lightweight Multi-Purpose Equipment Support Structure Carriers (LMCs). |
* Two Lightweight Multi-Purpose Equipment Support Structure Carriers (LMCs). |
||
* Node 1 Structural Test Article (STA) - to become [[Node 4]]. |
|||
* [[Lunar Gateway]] habitat module, built by [[Lockheed Martin]] - used as a training rig.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/47387520451/|title=NextSTEP Lunar Habitat|date=March 5, 2019|via=Flickr}}</ref> |
* [[Lunar Gateway]] habitat module, built by [[Lockheed Martin]] - used as a training rig.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/47387520451/|title=NextSTEP Lunar Habitat|date=March 5, 2019|via=Flickr}}</ref> |
||
* [[Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage]], the upper stage for the Space Launch System. |
|||
* [[Dream Chaser]] 'mini space shuttle' - designed and manufactured by [[Sierra Nevada Corporation]]. |
* [[Dream Chaser]] 'mini space shuttle' - designed and manufactured by [[Sierra Nevada Corporation]]. |
||
* Machinery for experiments in the [[Lunar Gateway]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20210713-PH-KLS01_0057 |title=MSolo Testing|date=July 13, 2021|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
|||
*[[Bigelow Aerospace]] inflatable habitat mockup |
|||
When the lights in the building are on, most of these components can be seen on the live webcam from the facility.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/station/sspf-video.html |title=Space Station Processing Facility - KSC Video Feeds |last=NASA |access-date=2007-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208055321/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/station/sspf-video.html |archive-date=2007-02-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
When the lights in the building are on, most of these components can be seen on the live webcam from the facility.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/station/sspf-video.html |title=Space Station Processing Facility - KSC Video Feeds |last=NASA |access-date=2007-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208055321/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/station/sspf-video.html |archive-date=2007-02-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
===Current and |
===Current and future activities=== |
||
[[File:Workers make LunaH-Map cube sat in SSPF.jpg|thumb|220px|Engineers and students make and prep a LunaH-Map cubesat for [[Artemis 1]] in the SSPF, July 2021.]] |
|||
After the completion of the International Space Station in 2011, the SSPF factory was dormant for several months until early 2012, where the building was slightly refurbished for the moving in of space companies (such as Orbital ATK, SpaceX and eventually Sierra Nevada Corporation) to manufacture, process and load-up [[Cygnus spacecraft|Cygnus]] and [[Dragon 1|Dragon spacecraft]]<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200130-PH-JBS01_0035</ref> and on-board payloads, as part of the [[Commercial Resupply Services]] program. NASA's upcoming [[Artemis program|Artemis mission]] hardware such as [[Lunar Gateway|Moon and Mars space station modules]], as well as the |
After the completion of the International Space Station in 2011, the SSPF factory was dormant for several months until early 2012, where the building was slightly refurbished for the moving in of space companies (such as Orbital ATK, SpaceX and eventually Sierra Nevada Corporation) to manufacture, process and load-up [[Cygnus spacecraft|Cygnus]] and [[Dragon 1|Dragon spacecraft]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200130-PH-JBS01_0035 |title=Bartolomeo Unboxing for SpaceX CRS-20|date=January 30, 2020|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> and on-board payloads, as part of the [[Commercial Resupply Services]] program. NASA's upcoming [[Artemis program|Artemis mission]] hardware such as [[Lunar Gateway|Moon and Mars space station modules]] and [[Space Launch System]] core stage engine sections,<ref name="NASA-20221219">{{cite web | last=Cawley | first=James | title=Artemis III Core Stage Engine Section Arrives at Kennedy | website=NASA | date=December 19, 2022 | url=http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/artemis-iii-core-stage-engine-section-arrives-at-kennedy | access-date=June 24, 2023}}</ref><ref name="SFN-20221207">{{cite web | last=Foust | first=Jeff | title=NASA and Boeing change SLS core stage assembly process | website=SpaceNews | date=December 7, 2022 | url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-and-boeing-change-sls-core-stage-assembly-process/ | access-date=June 24, 2023}}</ref> as well as the [[Dream Chaser]] mini-space shuttle,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200603-PH-KLS01_0055 |title=SNC Pressure Test Article Arrival|date=June 3, 2020|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> have begun manufacturing and processing operations in the high bay {{as of|2022|December|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190516-PH_KLS01_0062 |title=SSPF - 25 Year Anniversary Then & Now Pic1|date=May 16, 2019|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
||
The building itself is open to the public and tours are offered free of charge by the employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foursquare.com/v/nasa-ksc-space-station-processing-facility-sspf/4b575628f964a5202f3228e3|title=NASA KSC Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF)|website=Foursquare}}</ref> Exclusive tours of many areas of the SSPF are part of the Kennedy [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex|visitor complex]]'s enhanced bus tour package.<ref>https://cscmp.org/store/events/registration.aspx?event=CFL190924</ref><ref>https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/behind-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tour</ref> |
The building itself is open to the public and tours are offered free of charge by the employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foursquare.com/v/nasa-ksc-space-station-processing-facility-sspf/4b575628f964a5202f3228e3|title=NASA KSC Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF)|website=Foursquare}}</ref> Exclusive tours of many areas of the SSPF are part of the Kennedy [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex|visitor complex]]'s enhanced bus tour package.<ref>https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/behind-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tour</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cscmp.org/store/events/registration.aspx?event=CFL190924|title = Event Registration - NASA Gateway Logistics Element Tour}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/behind-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tour |title=Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour |website=www.kennedyspacecenter.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617040635/https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/behind-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tour |archive-date=2017-06-17}}</ref> |
||
In 2016, the laboratories of the SSPF were utilized by many small science companies and student unions with scientific equipment to study the feasibility of growing vegetables in space, such as the Veggie plant growth system, and the Advanced Plant Habitat; to launch as scientific payloads to the [[International Space Station]].<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190516-PH_KLS01_0013</ref> |
In 2016, the laboratories of the SSPF were utilized by many small science companies and student unions with scientific equipment to study the feasibility of growing vegetables in space, such as the Veggie plant growth system, and the Advanced Plant Habitat; to launch as scientific payloads to the [[International Space Station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190516-PH_KLS01_0013 |title=SSPF - 25 Year Anniversary Then & Now Pic2|date=May 16, 2019|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
||
==Events== |
==Events== |
||
[[File:Main Ballroom of the NASA Space Station Processing Facility.jpg|thumb|Main ballroom of the SSPF, typically used for NASA lectures and sometimes special dinner events]] |
[[File:Main Ballroom of the NASA Space Station Processing Facility.jpg|thumb|Main ballroom of the SSPF, typically used for NASA lectures and sometimes special dinner events]] |
||
When the high bay area is less busy at times, a variety of events and conferences are held in various places within the SSPF building. Occasional [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] exhibitions take place where visitors (from children and teenagers to university students)<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20160302-PH-CSH01_0092</ref><ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-2014-3541</ref> can visit the SSPF and its ballroom to learn about the building's history,<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20161102-PH_KLS01_0042</ref> manufacturing acitivies, biological and chemical sciences, and the future vision of space operations at Kennedy Space Center, including the [[Lunar Gateway]] mockup module.<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20161102-PH_KLS01_0176</ref><ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190918-PH_CSH01_0038</ref><ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190325-PH_KLS01_0144</ref> The ballroom also doubles as a lecture hall for presentations.<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190312-PH_KLS01_0038</ref> On rare occasions the high bay was once used for the [[National Space Council]]'s second revived meeting on February 21, 2018. |
When the high bay area is less busy at times, a variety of events and conferences are held in various places within the SSPF building. Occasional [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] exhibitions take place where visitors (from children and teenagers to university students)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20160302-PH-CSH01_0092 |title=My Brother's Keeper National Lab Week|date=March 2, 2016|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-2014-3541 |title=Zero Robotics Finals at KSC (image)|publisher=NASA|date=August 15, 2014|access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref> can visit the SSPF and its ballroom to learn about the building's history,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20161102-PH_KLS01_0042|title=Innovation Expo with Bob Cabana Pic1|publisher=NASA|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=December 29, 2022}}</ref> manufacturing acitivies, biological and chemical sciences, and the future vision of space operations at Kennedy Space Center, including the [[Lunar Gateway]] mockup module.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20161102-PH_KLS01_0176 |title=Innovation Expo with Bob Cabana Pic2|publisher=NASA|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=December 29, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190918-PH_CSH01_0038|title=Langston University Faculty/Student Group Tour|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 29, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190325-PH_KLS01_0144 |title=NextSTEP Hab Testing with Astronauts|date=March 25, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2022|publisher=NASA}}</ref> The ballroom also doubles as a lecture hall for presentations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190312-PH_KLS01_0038 |title=Insight Employee Event|date=March 12, 2019|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> On rare occasions the high bay was once used for the [[National Space Council]]'s second revived meeting on February 21, 2018. |
||
Tenants including [[Northrop Grumman]], [[Lockheed Martin]] and [[Airbus]] have also moved facilities into the SSPF.<ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200130-PH-JBS01_0005</ref><ref>https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190920-PH-KLS01_0013</ref> |
Tenants including [[Northrop Grumman]], [[Lockheed Martin]] and [[Airbus]] have also moved facilities into the SSPF.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200130-PH-JBS01_0005 |title=Bartolomeo Unboxing for SpaceX CRS-20 |publisher=NASA|date=January 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190920-PH-KLS01_0013 |title=Sierra Nevada Open House at SSPF |publisher=NASA|date=September 20, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> |
||
==Gallery== |
==Gallery== |
||
| Line 138: | Line 149: | ||
File:SSPF_entrance.jpg|The main entrance to the facility |
File:SSPF_entrance.jpg|The main entrance to the facility |
||
File:MPLM_inside_the_SSPF.jpg|An MPLM being hoisted by overhead cranes |
File:MPLM_inside_the_SSPF.jpg|An MPLM being hoisted by overhead cranes |
||
File:ISS columbus in SSPF.jpg|Columbus being moved to a weighing stand before loading in transfer container |
|||
File:Huge overhead cranes hoist JEM in the SSPF.jpg|The JEM being hoisted to a manufacturing workstand |
|||
File:Columbus at Kennedy Space Center.jpg|[[European Space Agency]] [[Columbus Module]] |
File:Columbus at Kennedy Space Center.jpg|[[European Space Agency]] [[Columbus Module]] |
||
File:ISS Kibo module 08-27-2003.jpg|The main Kibo module in its manufacturing workstand, c. 2003 |
File:ISS Kibo module 08-27-2003.jpg|The main Kibo module in its manufacturing workstand, c. 2003 |
||
File:Kibo ELM-PS move to payload canniste.jpg|[[Kibo (ISS module)|Kibo JLP]] module transfer to the payload transfer container |
File:Kibo ELM-PS move to payload canniste.jpg|[[Kibo (ISS module)|Kibo JLP]] module transfer to the payload transfer container |
||
File:Node 3 in SSPF.JPG|''Tranquility'' in the SSPF. |
File:Node 3 in SSPF.JPG|''Tranquility'' in the SSPF. |
||
File:Japanese Experiment Module and its robotic arm in gold light in the SSPF.jpg|A worker assembles parts for the Japanese Experiment Module remote manipulator arm, under gold light |
|||
File:LOP-G_module_training_mock-up_module_group_photo.jpg|NASA and Lockheed Martin employees group photo with the [[Lunar Gateway]] module training mock-up inside the SSPF |
File:LOP-G_module_training_mock-up_module_group_photo.jpg|NASA and Lockheed Martin employees group photo with the [[Lunar Gateway]] module training mock-up inside the SSPF |
||
File:LOP-G interior with Astronauts.jpg|Inside the Lunar Gateway mock-up module, with four astronauts. |
File:LOP-G interior with Astronauts.jpg|Inside the Lunar Gateway mock-up module, with four astronauts. |
||
| Line 148: | Line 162: | ||
File:Cygnus CRS OA-7 in Kennedy SSPF (KSC-20170207-PH SWW01 0096).jpg|ISS Cargo bags |
File:Cygnus CRS OA-7 in Kennedy SSPF (KSC-20170207-PH SWW01 0096).jpg|ISS Cargo bags |
||
File:Space_Station_Processing_Facility,_Kennedy_Space_Center,_Florida,_USA2.jpg|SSPF lobby |
File:Space_Station_Processing_Facility,_Kennedy_Space_Center,_Florida,_USA2.jpg|SSPF lobby |
||
File:SSPF factory floor view with modules.jpg|Overview of the high bay factory floor filled with space station modules |
|||
File:Tommy Lee Jones in the SSPF.jpg|Actor [[Tommy Lee Jones]] while visiting the SSPF high bay, near the Kibo module |
|||
File:Kennedy_Space_Center_64.JPG|A view of an empty workstand from the high bay observation windows |
File:Kennedy_Space_Center_64.JPG|A view of an empty workstand from the high bay observation windows |
||
File:SSPF_lobby_Sep_2019.jpg|The main visitor entrance lobby to the SSPF in September 2019. Note the signage displays 'International' in addition to the building's name, but is not official. |
File:SSPF_lobby_Sep_2019.jpg|The main visitor entrance lobby to the SSPF in September 2019. Note the signage displays 'International' in addition to the building's name, but is not official. |
||
File: |
File:Bishop Airlock Module.jpg|The [[Bishop Airlock Module]] being made by [[Nanoracks]] in the high bay, October 7, 2020. |
||
File:National Space Council meeting at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Feb. 20, 2018 180221-D-SW162-1251 (39511228625).jpg|7th National Space Council meeting in the high bay, with temporary desk platforms, Feb 21, 2018 |
|||
File:CRS-21_Science_Experiments_Unpacking_04.jpg|Scientists and students working on SpaceX CRS-21 returned science experiments in the SSPF lab workshop, January 2021 |
|||
File:ISS roll out solar array in the SSPF.jpg|ISS roll out solar array being made in the SSPF high bay, 2 April 2021 |
|||
</gallery> |
</gallery> |
||
| Space Station Processing Facility | |
|---|---|
Interior of the SSPF, showing Node 2 being hoisted by overhead cranes
| |
  Location in Florida  Space Station Processing Facility (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
 | |
| Built | 1992 |
| Location | Kennedy Space Center |
| Coordinates | 28°31′26″N 80°38′39″W / 28.523844°N 80.6442833°W / 28.523844; -80.6442833 |
| Industry | Aerospace and Space Technology |
| Products | Space Station Modules and Equipment |
| Employees | 700+ |
| Architect | KSC Management |
| Buildings | 1 |
| Area | 42,500 m2 (457,000 sq ft) |
| Volume | 111,888 m3 (3,951,300 cu ft) (high bay) 13,905 m3 (491,100 cu ft) (Intermediate bay) |
| Address | NASA Parkway East |
| Owner(s) | NASA |
The Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) is a three-story industrial building at Kennedy Space Center for the manufacture and processing of flight hardware, modules, structural components and solar arrays of the International Space Station, and future space stations and commercial spacecraft. It was built in 1992 at the space complex's industrial area, just east of the Operations and Checkout Building.[1]
The SSPF includes two processing bays, an airlock, operational control rooms, laboratories, logistics areas for equipment and machines, office space, a ballroom and conference halls, and a cafeteria. The processing areas, airlock, and laboratories are designed to support non-hazardous Space Station and Space Shuttle payloads in 100,000 class clean work areas. The building has a total floor area of 42,500 m2 (457,000 sq ft).
During the re-designing phase of Space Station Freedom in early 1991, Congress approved new plans for NASA to lead the project and begin manufacturing its components for the future International Space Station. Kennedy Space Center was selected as the ideal launch processing complex for the ISS, as well as hosting all the internationally manufactured modules and station elements.
However the Operations and Checkout Building (which was originally to be the prime factory for station launch processing) was insufficient in size to accommodate all the components. On March 26, 1991, engineers at Kennedy Space Center; along with contractor Metric Constructions Inc. of Tampa Florida, broke ground on a new $56 million Space Station Processing Facility, situated adjacent to the O&C. The design called for a 457,000-square-foot multifunction building housing an enormous processing bay, laboratories, control rooms, staging areas, communications and control facilities, and office space for some 1,400 NASA and contractor employees.[2]
KSC Deputy Director Gene Thomas described the construction: "The skyline around here is really going to change. This will be the biggest facility that we have built since the Apollo days". The SSPF used reinforced concrete and some 4,300 tons of steel. The building was structurally completed and topped out by mid 1992.
After three years of construction, interior fitting and equipment set-up, the SSPF formally opened on June 23, 1994.
At the SSPF, space station modules, trusses and solar arrays are prepped and made ready for launch. The low and high bays are fully air conditioned and ambient temperature is maintained at 12 °C (54 °F) at all times. Workers and engineers wear full non-contaminant clothing while working. Modules receive cleaning and polishing, and some areas are temporarily disassembled for the installation of cables, electrical systems and plumbing. In another area, shipments of spare materials are available for installation. International Standard Payload Rack frames are assembled and welded together, allowing the installation of instruments, machines and allowing science experiment boxes to be fitted. Once racks are fully assembled, they are hoisted by a special manually operated robotic crane and carefully maneuvered into place inside the space station modules. Each rack weighs from 700 to 1,100 kg, and connect inside the module on special mounts with screws and latches.[3]
Cargo bags for MPLM modules are filled with their cargo such as food packages, science experiments and other miscellaneous items on-site in the SSPF, and loaded into the module by the same robotic crane and strapped in securely.
Many of the builders accompanied their modules from around the world during their manufacturing, and worked at KSC for months to years during final assembly. Many ISS modules were renamed after successfully launching.
Regarding the launch of modules of the International Space Station (ISS), there had been philosophical differences for years between designers and payload processors whether to ship-and-shoot or perform integration testing prior to launch. The former involved building a station module and launching it without ever physically testing it with other modules. The integration testing was not originally in the ISS plan, but in 1995 Johnson Space Center designers began to consider it and embedding KSC personnel at module factories. Multi-Element Integration Testing (MEIT) of ISS modules at KSC was officially in the books in 1997.[4][5][6]
Three MEIT and one Integration Systems Test (IST) tests were conducted for the ISS, taking about three years from planning to completion and closure:[7]
After the launch of the Destiny, an emulator was built for MEIT testing, since the lab controlled many other modules. Among the items checked were mechanical connections, the ability to flow power and fluids between modules, and the flight software.
Numerous issues were found and rectified from these on the ground tests, many of which could not have been fixed in orbit.
The SSPF's High Bays provide maximum flexibility for manufacturing, assembly, testing and processing payloads and elements destined for space. The bays are enormous cleanrooms equipped with overhead cranes, commodities-servicing equipment and a secure backup-power supply. The facility also has 15 offline labs.[8]
Office floor area: 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) of office/work space
As of 24 June 2023[update]:[citation needed]
When the lights in the building are on, most of these components can be seen on the live webcam from the facility.[11]
After the completion of the International Space Station in 2011, the SSPF factory was dormant for several months until early 2012, where the building was slightly refurbished for the moving in of space companies (such as Orbital ATK, SpaceX and eventually Sierra Nevada Corporation) to manufacture, process and load-up Cygnus and Dragon spacecraft[12] and on-board payloads, as part of the Commercial Resupply Services program. NASA's upcoming Artemis mission hardware such as Moon and Mars space station modules and Space Launch System core stage engine sections,[13][14] as well as the Dream Chaser mini-space shuttle,[15] have begun manufacturing and processing operations in the high bay as of December 2022[update].[16]
The building itself is open to the public and tours are offered free of charge by the employees.[17] Exclusive tours of many areas of the SSPF are part of the Kennedy visitor complex's enhanced bus tour package.[18][19][20]
In 2016, the laboratories of the SSPF were utilized by many small science companies and student unions with scientific equipment to study the feasibility of growing vegetables in space, such as the Veggie plant growth system, and the Advanced Plant Habitat; to launch as scientific payloads to the International Space Station.[21]
When the high bay area is less busy at times, a variety of events and conferences are held in various places within the SSPF building. Occasional STEM exhibitions take place where visitors (from children and teenagers to university students)[22][23] can visit the SSPF and its ballroom to learn about the building's history,[24] manufacturing acitivies, biological and chemical sciences, and the future vision of space operations at Kennedy Space Center, including the Lunar Gateway mockup module.[25][26][27] The ballroom also doubles as a lecture hall for presentations.[28] On rare occasions the high bay was once used for the National Space Council's second revived meeting on February 21, 2018.
Tenants including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Airbus have also moved facilities into the SSPF.[29][30]
|
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities |
|
| ||||||
| Launch sites |
| |||||||
