Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center
Channel: Angela Brett
Date: 2011-02-23

This is video from my tour of Kennedy Space Center on December 31, 2010.

Transcript: Most of you have heard of the Johnson Space Center, right? Mission Control, where the astronauts train... well, the astronauts fly down here to Kennedy before launch, and they stay at Operations and Checkout. In a few moments you're going to see a bridge that connects the two sections of the building. I'd like you to look below the bridge, bottom right side. Anyone familiar with that footage of the astronauts walking out on launch days in their orange launch and entry suits, waving to the cameras? That's where it happens. There's the bridge; look below the bridge, bottom-right side, right by the handrails. That's where the astronauts walk out, right by the handrails. Their crew quarters are located on the third floor, right-hand side. They walk out, they wave, they get into the van, the van takes them out to the pad where the shuttle's waiting. That's also where the Apollo astronauts used to walk out from before their trips to the moon, late 60s, early 70s, Operations and Checkout. 

And back to the left, you'll see Headquarters. Headquarters is kind of like our City Hall, here at the Kennedy Space Center. This is where the administrative offices for NASA and their contractors are located. Now, don't get the wrong idea; this isn't NASA headquarters. NASA is headquartered in Washington DC.

You can find out more about the Operations and Checkout building at http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/oc.html, or on wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_and_Checkout_Building