Our Console in Hangar AE
NASA’s MAVEN Launch Blog originates today inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida just down the beach from Space Launch Complex 41 where the Mars-bound spacecraft stands ready for launch. AE, as NASA folks call it, traces its history back to before astronauts flew. It was built in 1959 and has seen numerous modifications. It houses a mission director’s center and three Launch Vehicle Data Centers all complete with dozens of consoles that keep the launch teams and support staff connected in terms of data and voice communications. NASA’s Launch Services Program uses AE in day-to-day business.
The hangar also has a high bay and clean room that was used to process mission hardware including the Wake Shield Facility that flew on space shuttle Columbia on STS-80 and the Far Ultraviolet Spectrum Explorer, or FUSE.
