Book Description

The "Missile Launch Complex 39A Site" was originally listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 24, 1973, for its association with the Man in Space Program. It was reevaluated in 1996 in the context of the Apollo Program, ca. 1961 through 1975, and on January 21, 2000, the newly defined Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District was listed in the NRHP. The Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District has since gained importance in the context of the Space Shuttle Program, ca. 1969 to 2010. As currently defined, the historic district contains twenty-one contributing resources and twenty-three noncontributing resources within its boundary. It is considered eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A and C in the areas of Space Exploration and Engineering, respectively. Because it has achieved significance within the past 50 years, Criteria Consideration G applies. The period of significance for the Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District, with regards to the Space Shuttle Program, is from 1980, when the first Space Shuttle vehicle arrived at the launch pad, through 2010, the designated end of the Space Shuttle Program. The Space Shuttle Program is the longest running American space program to date. Unlike the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, the emphasis was on cost effectiveness and reusability, as well as the construction of a space station. The district is one of two sites at the Kennedy Space Center specially designed and constructed to launch the Space Shuttle vehicle; the other site is the Launch Complex 39: Pad B Historic District, also listed in the NRHP on January 21, 2000. It has facilitated nationally significant events associated with space travel, and has been integral to the launching of the Space Shuttle. As such, the Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District is of exceptional importance to the Space Shuttle Program.Please note that photographs referenced in this report were not available for this reproduction. As a bonus, this compilation also includes the 11-part Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 2016 Activities.