The Aero-Space Transport Division Specialty Conference, held at Cocoa Beach, Florida, on November 17-19, 1965, had as its theme “Space Age Facilities.” The civil engineering aspects of our space and missile efforts were described. Papers on the Development of Space Launch Facilities, Lunar Landing Systems, Techniques for Transporting Space Vehicles, Aquaspace, and the Quality Requirements for Space Exploration were presented.

The concept of erection and pre-launch checkout of a complete space launch vehicle on its launcher within an assembly building and then transporting the assembled vehicle and launcher to launch site is discussed. Reference is made to the launch complexes for the Saturn I and Saturn IB launch vehicles as examples of launch complex growth and a brief review of the development of the mobile launcher concept is given. The tracked crawler mode of transportation is mentioned and details of the design and operating characteristics of the crawler-transporters are described. The loads and environmental conditions which the Saturn V mobile launchers are subjected to are briefly reviewed and the effects of these loads on the design of the various parts of the structure and its support systems are considered. Dimensions and weights of the completed structure and of certain major members therein are described in order to convey an idea of the magnitude of the mobile launch structure. The materials used in the structure and the reasons for their selection are reviewed briefly and pertinent details of fabrication and erection are described.

In August 1961, Merritt Island, Florida, was selected as the launch area for the Apollo/Saturn V lunar landing program. Eight possible locations had been investigated. Criteria used in selection included tentative master plan site layouts of launch pads and support facilities, and estimated costs of construction, utilities and instrumentation. The launch operations concept, criteria and considerations for siting individual facilities at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA, were based on the best data available at the time. A general site plan included provisions for launch complexes, support facilities and an industrial area. The spaceport was zoned into four basic functional areas: Launch zone, launch support zone, general support zone, and industrial zone. Zoning was based on launch hazard criteria: Blast, acoustical, toxic, and nuclear. Siting of facilities was based on explosive and noise hazard exposures. Instrumentation and utilities systems were also sited.

Structural design of large space environmental chambers offer serious problems to the engineer because of the virtual nightmare of various cryogenic piping, solar simulators, diffusion pumps, and other complex operational equipment. The paper points out the more interesting and critical aspects of the design of large vacuum chambers from a structural point of view using as examples the larger chambers around the country. Included are materials, safety factors, methods of analysis, loading conditions, and operational or proof testing. The conclusion is reached that the structural design of large space environmental chambers is a major design task that required the application of advanced theories from analysis through design coupled with prudent judgment in the establishment of operational guidelines.

The Mobile-Launcher is a component of Complex 39, Cape Kennedy, Florida. The structure is composed of a 380-ft high Umbilical Tower resting on a launch platform 137 ft wide by 160 ft long by 25 ft high. The platform houses two interior floors of mechanical, electrical and instrumentation equipment. The entire unit is mobile, built to carry the Saturn V to a distant pad and support the vehicle launch. Structural design includes stringent requirements for geometry, deflection and vibration of the vehicle during both transport and launch conditions. The Mobile-Launcher is also capable of resisting hurricane winds during the erection stage in an unprotected environment. Special design problems include temperature expansion, acoustic protection, dynamic analysis, and differential deflections at the vehicle hold-down arms. The launcher platform is designed by computer analysis as a system of deep intersecting plate girders enclosed by top and bottom plates. The entire unit is air-and-water tight. Model testing confirms the structural analysis. Supporting Mount-Mechanisms can take either compressive or uplift loads as a single unit, allow expansion-contraction and are adjustable to provide tolerance in mating to the Mobile-Launcher.

Many independent cities with airline service have lost such service since 1960 under CAB criteria. A classification system for categorizing these cities as potential losers of service was developed empirically. A Bayesian approach permits a determination of whether such a classification system improves the probability of forecasting the loss of airline service, and provides a probability measure associated with the use of the classification system.

The effect of decreased accessibility on passenger usage of the Detroit airport is investigated using techniques of statistical inference. The purpose is to demonstrate the usefulness, even necessity, of these techniques for the proper analysis of many of the data that arise in transportation engineering problems. The great variability inherent in growth rates for individual city-pairs makes isolation of the accessibility effect at Detroit difficult. However, after certain adjustments to the data, an analysis of variance strongly indicates the presence of an accessibility effect on 1946 to 1947 growth. Conversely, the data do not offer any evidence of further accessibility effects on growth rates in later years. A point estimate of the percentage of passengers lost because of relocation is 28.7%, and 95% confidence limits are 12.4% to 41.9%.

The performance of 20-yr-old concrete airport pavements is examined at ten selected United States civil airports. The report defines and establishes the importance of the condition survey and includes terms for rating airport pavements. Conclusions verify up-to-date methods of concrete airport design and construction on the basis of condition survey observations.