Discovery Launch
Discovery was named after two ships; Henry Hudson's who discovered Hudson Bay and Captain
Cook's who discovered the Hawaiian Islands. This orbiter was the third to be constructed
and tested.
Atlantis on Launch Pad
The space shunts Atlantis was named after a two-masted ketch operated for the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institute. On its first voyage, it recorded one of the quickest turnarounds
of the program. It returned in almost perfect shape and was prepared for a second mission
two months later.
VAB Building
The tallest part of the Vehicle Assembly Building has four bays in which different
elements of the Space Shuttle are assembled and readied for flight. Various sections of
the solid rocket boosters are checked in the shorter portion of the building. In the
Launch Control Center, adjacent to the VAB, there are two filing rooms. |