KSC-2011-7230

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's payload transportation canisters rest end-to-end outside the Reutilization, Recycling and Marketing Facility on Ransom Road, their mission accomplished. The two payload canisters are being decommissioned following the end of the Space Shuttle Program. The canisters delivered to the launch pad all space shuttle and space station cargo that required vertical installation into the shuttles' payload bays. Each canister weighs 110,000 pounds and is 65 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 18 feet, 7 inches high. The canisters were prescreened through NASA Headquarters as possible artifacts, but their size makes them difficult to transport to locations off the center. Federal and state agencies now will be given the opportunity to screen the canisters for potential use before a final decision is made on their disposition. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167403main_CRF-06.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann