Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 36
Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 36 (LC -36 ) is a former launch complex of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Merritt Iceland, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. It consists of the two launch pads 36A and 36B.
LC -36 was responsible for the exploration of our solar system is of great importance: Surveyor, Mariner and Pioneer space probes launched from here.
History
The construction work for the Launch Complex 36 began in February 1961. Those days was initially only Pad A built. It took some years until finally early 1963 Pad B was built.
By the end of 1989, the ramps were under the leadership of NASA. During this time started from the complex essential research missions: After some tests with models Surveyor was launched on May 30, 1966 Surveyor 1, followed by the other probes in this series. Between February 1969 and November 1973, the Mariner missions 6 to 10 were launched into space. Next, we launched a series of Intelsat satellites and Pioneer 10, 11 and the two Pioneer Venus probes.
After that, NASA handed over the ramps to the U.S. Air Force and General Dynamics, which they used for military and commercial projects. The first commercial rocket launched on December 7, 1991, the first military satellite on February 11, 1992.
The launches from LC -36 were closed in October 2005 and on 16 June 2007, the two launch pads were blasted with 55 kg of dynamite.
On August 7, 2008, there Space Florida, a federal organization for the promotion of space in Florida, announced that it has signed a contract with the USAF to rebuild LC -36 and commercially marketable.
The complex
LC -36 consisted of two very similar launch pads: There was a mobile service tower ( Mobile Service Tower ( MST) ) and a smaller auxiliary Sturm ( Umbilical Tower (UT )), which provided the Atlas rocket until just before the start and was not movable. The towers were 56.38 m and 63.7 m high.
How many service tower contained the MST a crane, with the upper stage and payload could be mounted. The first stage was, however, connected with ropes that were not attached to the crane and placed along with the trailer of the truck.
The control bunker indicated even after the turn of the century suggests that the towers were built a few decades ago: He is brown with rounded roof and is located very close to the ramps.