KSC-2013-2297

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An aerial view shows the Launch Pad 39B area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the Atlantic Ocean to the right in the background. A new elevator has been constructed on the surface of the pad and the crawlerway leading up to the surface is being repaired. Repairs also are being made to the crawler track panels and catacomb roof below on either side of the flame trench. Also in view are the water tower and the three tall lightning towers that surround the pad. To the north of the pad, smoke can be seen from a small fire burning in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Upgrades are underway at Pad B and other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program office at Kennedy is leading the center’s transformation from a historically government-only launch complex to a spaceport that can safely handle a variety of rockets and spacecraft, including NASA’s Space Launch System. For more information about GSDO, visit: http:__go.nasa.gov_groundsystems. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett