John C. Stennis Space Center

Test of the space shuttle main engine on test bench A-1

30.362766666667 -89.6002Coordinates: 30 ° 22 ′ N , 89 ° 36 ′ W

The John C. Stennis Space Center ( SSC ) is the largest rocket motor testing facility operated by NASA . It is located in Hancock County, Mississippi, on the border between the US states of Mississippi and Louisiana .

history

Construction work on the 55 km² area began in October 1961. The rocket propulsion systems for the Apollo program were tested here. From 1975 the focus was then on the engines for the space shuttle , and in the 1990s one finally turned to experimental types of propulsion. The hybrid drive of the SpaceShipOne was tested here, for example.

The facility has been renamed several times in its short history. The Mississippi Test Facility (1965) became the National Space Technology Laboratories (1974). In 1988 the center was given its current name in honor of longtime Mississippi Senator John C. Stennis , who always supported the US space program.

organization

The premises include u. a.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's National Data Buoy Center
A location of the Naval Research Laboratory
The Lockheed Martin Mississippi Space and Technology Center
The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
The Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS), a training facility of the US Navy Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWC)
The Special Boat Team 22 of the US Navy , a special unit for inland waters warfare that the Naval Special Warfare Command is under
The University of Southern Mississippi's High Performance Visualization Center

Web links

Commons : John C. Stennis Space Center - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files

Official website (English)
High Performance Visualization Center (English)
National Data Buoy Center (English)