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Titan Cape I-T-L Finale



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 19th 05, 04:16 PM
Ed Kyle
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Default Titan Cape I-T-L Finale

The upcoming Titan IVB launch is the last flight planned
from Cape Canaveral's 40-year old Space Launch Complex 40.
It will also be the final launch processed at the original
far-flung Titan IIIC I-T-L (Integrate - Transfer - Launch)
complex. The complex, completed in 1965, was a rail-mobile
based site that was originally designed to handle as many
as 50 launches per year. But the maximum launch rate was
more like 4 per year after the cancellation of the Manned
Orbiting Lab (MOL) project. According to:
"https://www.patrick.af.mil/heritage/LaFacility/CPX40-41.htm",
the upcoming launch will be the 82nd Titan launch from the
ITL site (27 from Pad 41, 55 from Pad 40).

Core Titan vehicles were stacked on one of several mobile
launchers in the four-bay Vertical Integration Facility
(VIF), then rolled - pushed actually - by twin locomotives
to the Solid Motor Assembly Building (SMAB) where twin
segmented solid motors were added. The final move would
position the rocket either on SLC 40 or SLC 41. I-T-L was
the Air Force equivalent of NASA's Launch Complex 39, but
the secrecy surronding its operations meant that it garnered
little attention.

SLC 41 supported Titan IIIE during the 1970s, which launched
the Viking and Voyager probes. A new solid motor assembly
building, named SMARF, was constructed during the early
1990s to process the new Titan IVB solid motors. Titan IVB
performed a final NASA launch when it orbited Cassini from
SLC 40 in 1997.

SLC 41 is slightly more than four miles from the VIF. Most
of the complex is built on 6.5 million cubic yards of landfill
that was dredged from the bottom of the Banana River. A third
pad (LC 42) was planned, but never built.

What will happen to the site after the last Titan launch? It
seems possible that many of the structures will find other
uses. SLC 41 has already been converted for use by Atlas V,
but with its own new VIF near the pad. A solid motor
processing building has been converted into an Atlas V
checkout and launch control center. It is believed that
defense payloads are still tested somewhere on the site prior
to launch. But the "Titan Railroad" is about to be mothballed
and the VIF and SMARF, along with SLC 40, appear to have no
immediate future use. It will be interesting to see if one
of NASA's CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle) bidders proposes use
of the site.

- Ed Kyle
"www.geocities.com/launchreport/weblog.html"

  #2  
Old April 19th 05, 04:44 PM
Herb Schaltegger
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:16:58 -0500, Ed Kyle wrote
(in article . com):

The upcoming Titan IVB launch is the last flight planned
from Cape Canaveral's 40-year old Space Launch Complex 40.


(Snipped good stuff)

Thanks for that post. That was fascinating.

--
Herb Schaltegger, GPG Key ID: BBF6FC1C
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759
http://www.individual-i.com/

  #3  
Old April 19th 05, 04:58 PM
Ed Kyle
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Ed Kyle wrote:
Core Titan vehicles were stacked on one of several mobile
launchers in the four-bay Vertical Integration Facility
(VIF)


Sorry. Make that Vertical Integration Building (VIB).

- Ed Kyle

  #4  
Old April 19th 05, 06:11 PM
Damon Hill
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Default

Herb Schaltegger wrote in
.com:

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:16:58 -0500, Ed Kyle wrote
(in article . com):

The upcoming Titan IVB launch is the last flight planned
from Cape Canaveral's 40-year old Space Launch Complex 40.


(Snipped good stuff)

Thanks for that post. That was fascinating.


Likewise. Good job, Ed.

--Damon
  #5  
Old April 24th 05, 12:22 AM
gb
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"Ed Kyle" wrote in message
ups.com...

The upcoming Titan IVB launch is the last flight planned
from Cape Canaveral's 40-year old Space Launch Complex 40.
It will also be the final launch processed at the original
far-flung Titan IIIC I-T-L (Integrate - Transfer - Launch)
complex. The complex, completed in 1965, was a rail-mobile
based site that was originally designed to handle as many
as 50 launches per year.

[snip]
But the "Titan Railroad" is about to be mothballed
and the VIB and SMARF, along with SLC 40, appear to have no
immediate future use. It will be interesting to see if one
of NASA's CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle) bidders proposes use
of the site.

- Ed Kyle
"www.geocities.com/launchreport/weblog.html"


Ed -

Thanks for that.
I was closest to the VIB for both shuttle launches that I observed in the
1990s (Discovery & Columbia).
The "Titan heydays" before the Saturn V launches, movie clips from Marooned,
what could have been and might be some day (CEV) from the SLC 40 facility.

gb


  #6  
Old April 29th 05, 03:10 PM
Ed Kyle
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Default

Ed Kyle wrote:
The upcoming Titan IVB launch is the last flight planned
from Cape Canaveral's 40-year old Space Launch Complex 40.
It will also be the final launch processed at the original
far-flung Titan IIIC I-T-L (Integrate - Transfer - Launch)
complex. ...


I've added an interesting photo of the Titan
launch site that was taken from ISS a few weeks
back. It is a small part of the image made
that showed Discovery in mid-rollout.

"www.geocities.com/launchreport/weblog.html"

There is quite a contrast in the image between
the far-flung Titan launch site and the newer
EELV pads.

Those interested might want to read the story
at spaceflightnow.com that discusses the several
hundred job losses that will follow tonight's
(4/29/05) final Cape Canaveral Titan IVB launch.

- Ed Kyle

 




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