Bricks in Space

Launch Complex 39a – Shuttle Era

Launch Complex 39a – Shuttle Era

LEGO Designer:


Designed: June 2020

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Following the joint U.S-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission of July 1975, Launch Complex 39a was modified to support Space Shuttle operations. For the Space Shuttle, two permanent service towers were installed at each pad for the first time, the Fixed Service Structure and the Rotating Service Structure. On April 12, 1981, Shuttle operations commenced at Pad A with the launch of Columbia on STS-1. After 23 more successful launches from A, the first Space Shuttle to lift off from Pad B was the ill-fated Challenger in January 1986. Pad B was designated for the resumption of Shuttle flights in September 1988, followed by the reactivation of Pad A in January 1990.

Just as for the first 24 shuttle flights, Launch Complex 39a supported the final shuttle flights, starting with STS-117 in June 2007 and ending with the retirement of the Shuttle fleet in July 2011. Prior to the SpaceX lease agreement, the pad remained as it was when Atlantis launched on the final shuttle mission on July 8, 2011, complete with a mobile launcher platform.

82 of the 135 launches of the Space Shuttle occurred from Launch Complex 39a, including Columbia STS-107 in 2003.

~ NASA


Main Features

Designer Notes

This model works with this Mobile Launch Platform and this Space Shuttle or this Space Shuttle.

I have two versions of the instructions. First the “anno 1980 – v2”, which is finished for now. But since the color scheme changes completely to the next model, I’ve also uploaded the instructions for the “anno 1990 – v0.1” variant. It is the same model, but I changed all the colors to LBG instead of red and DBG as the 1980 version has. This is only done as a service for anyone that feels like they want to build a later version of the complex, but don’t want to wait for me or anyone else to complete the rest of the structures needed for the 1990 build. Use it with care, it is in no way finished.

I have also been busy with making some alternative builds for the base and the northern pipe bridge. Since the original design for these two parts of the complex are quite expensive to build, I created alternatives that should be simpler and cheaper to build. If you want to use these extra builds, you must create the instructions yourself.

Part count: 13672 bricks, 576 lots.

Unit width length height
Studs 115.0 144.0 122.2
Centimetres 92.0 115.2 97.8
Inches 36.2 45.4 38.5

Further Information and References

Designer Notes

Part count:  bricks, lots.

Unit width length height
Studs
Inches
Centimetres

Related Posts

  1. Mobile Launcher Platform
  2. NASA Crawler
  3. Space Shuttle