Oct 21 1984
From The Space Library
The first Space Shuttle external fuel tank for use at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, arrived there after a 5,000-mile journey, marking a major milestone in activation of the West Coast space launch complex. Plans called for the initial launch from the new complex in October 1985.
Most of the major facilities at Space Launch Complex-Six were completed, including the facility for storage and preparation of the external tank. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been responsible since 1979 for building and facility construction at the launch site, while Martin Marietta Aerospace had responsibility for design, procurement, installation, and checkout of Space Shuttle ground support systems. Space Shuttle missions from Vandenberg would carry both DOD and NASA payloads.
At the facility, the tank would undergo a thorough four-week inspection by the Air Force and its Shuttle processing contractors. Early in 1985, it would be mated with two inert solid-fuel rocket boosters and the Shuttle orbiter Enterprise for testing and compatibility between the Space Shuttle and ground facilities.
Martin Marietta Aerospace manufactured the tank at MSFC's Michoud Assembly Facility. (MSFC Release 84-85)
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