Launch padFacility from which rockets are launched Launch pad at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B on Merritt Island, Florida Part of a series onSpaceflight History History of spaceflight Space Race Timeline of spaceflight Space probes Lunar missions Mars missions Applications Communications Earth observation Exploration Espionage Military Navigation Colonization Habitation Exploration Telescopes Tourism Spacecraft Robotic spacecraft Satellite Space probe Cargo spacecraft Crewed spacecraft Apollo Lunar Module Space capsules Space Shuttle Space stations Spaceplanes Vostok Space launch Spaceport Launch pad Expendable and reusable launch vehicles Escape velocity Non-rocket spacelaunch Spaceflight types Sub-orbital Orbital Interplanetary Interstellar Intergalactic List of space organizations Space agencies Space forces Companies Spaceflight portalvte A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched.
Kennedy Space CenterThe John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the ten field centers of NASA. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and Artemis programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC.
Launch vehicleA launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage rocket, but the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling.
Space launchA space launch is the phase of a spaceflight mission during which a launch vehicle reaches space. The launch may be sub-orbital or the launch may continue until the vehicle reaches orbit. A space launch begins at a launch pad, which may be on land or at sea, or when the launch vehicle is released mid-air from an aircraft.Umbilical cableAn umbilical cable or umbilical is a cable and/or hose that supplies required consumables to an apparatus, like a rocket, or to a person, such as a diver or astronaut. It is named by analogy with an umbilical cord. An umbilical can, for example, supply air and power to a pressure suit or hydraulic power, electrical power and fiber optics to subsea equipment and divers.
RocketVehicle propelled by ejection of gasesA Soyuz-FG rocket launches from "Gagarin's Start" (Site 1/5), Baikonur CosmodromeA rocket (from Italian: rocchetto, lit. ''bobbin/spool'', and so named for its shape) is an elongated flying vehicle that uses a rocket engine to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed.
Rocket engineNon-airbreathing engine used to propel a missile or vehicleRS-68 being tested at NASA's Stennis Space CenterViking 5C rocket engine used on Ariane 1 through Ariane 4A rocket engine is a reaction engine, producing thrust in accordance with Newton's third law by ejecting reaction mass rearward, usually a high-speed jet of high-temperature gas produced by the combustion of rocket propellant stored inside the rocket.
TowerA tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifically distinguished from buildings in that they are built not to be habitable but to serve other functions using the height of the tower.
NASAAmerican space and aeronautics agencyThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program, as well as research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the US and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Science.
ScaffoldingScaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other human-made structures. Scaffolds are widely used on site to get access to heights and areas that would be otherwise hard to get to. Unsafe scaffolding has the potential to result in death or serious injury.
SteelAlloy of iron and carbonSteel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to its high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the most commonly manufactured materials in the world.
AstronautAn astronaut (from the Ancient Greekἄστρον (astron), meaning 'star', and ναύτης (nautes), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and space tourists.
gantryRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.