"The Dynamic Test Stand (Building 4550) rises more than twice as high as the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility and for good reason-it was built to fit a fully assembled Saturn V (363 feet or 111 meters tall) for mechanical and vibrational trials. Described once as the tallest building in the state, the stand later was used to form the first complete space shuttle stack with a winged orbiter (the prototype "Enterprise"), external fuel tank, and solid rocket boosters."
""While it is hard to let them go, they've earned their retirement," said Rae Ann Meyer, the acting director of the Marshall Space Flight Center."
""These structures are not safe," said Meyer."
""Strategic demolition is a necessary step in shaping the future of NASA's mission to explore, innovate and inspire. By removing these structures that we have not used in decades, we are saving money on upkeep of facilities we can't use. We also are making these areas safe to use for future NASA exploration endeavors and investments.""
NASA evaluated the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility for use with the Constellation program and Ares rockets before that program was canceled in 2010. The Dynamic Test Stand (Building 4550) was constructed to accommodate a fully assembled Saturn V and later supported assembly of the prototype shuttle "Enterprise" stack; it was later used as a drop tower for microgravity testing and listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Landmark in 1985. Marshall identified 19 sites for removal, including the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, Dynamic Test Facility, and the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. Marshall leadership cited safety concerns, ongoing upkeep costs, and the need to free space for future NASA exploration and investment as reasons for strategic demolition.
Read at Ars Technica
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