Hypergol Maintenance Facility
Encyclopedia
Hypergol Maintenance Facility (HMF) is a rocket fuel and engine center located in an isolated location in the Kennedy Space Center
industrial area. It was constructed in 1964 to support the Apollo program and upgraded in 1985 to support the Space Shuttle program
. The facility is used for storage an processing of hypergolic propellants used in reaction control system
s to maneuver space shuttle orbiter in space and auxiliary power units which provide electricity (and water) to the orbiter. The facility was previously used for cryogenic testing during the Apollo program, Solid Rocket Booster
aft skirt hot-testing. Maintenance on the space shuttle orbiter's Orbital Maneuvering System is conducted at the HMF as well.
The facility includes:
A full name for the facility is Hypergol Maintenance Facility Hazardous Waste South Staging Area.
(TCFM) and aluminum. Tests in 2002 found vinyl chloride
soil content to be above acceptable levels and 400000 pounds (181,436.9 kg) of soil was removed as a temporary solution.
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
industrial area. It was constructed in 1964 to support the Apollo program and upgraded in 1985 to support the Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
. The facility is used for storage an processing of hypergolic propellants used in reaction control system
Reaction control system
A reaction control system is a subsystem of a spacecraft whose purpose is attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters. An RCS system is capable of providing small amounts of thrust in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing torque to allow...
s to maneuver space shuttle orbiter in space and auxiliary power units which provide electricity (and water) to the orbiter. The facility was previously used for cryogenic testing during the Apollo program, Solid Rocket Booster
Solid rocket booster
Solid rocket boosters or Solid Rocket Motors, SRM, are used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from the launchpad up to burnout of the SRBs. Many launch vehicles include SRBs, including the Ariane 5, Atlas V , and the NASA Space Shuttle...
aft skirt hot-testing. Maintenance on the space shuttle orbiter's Orbital Maneuvering System is conducted at the HMF as well.
The facility includes:
- multiple Hypergol storage buildings
- a Hazardous Waste Staging Shelter,
- a Hazardous Waste Staging Area (formerly the Liquid Oxygen Fuel Pad)
- a Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Pad (no longer used)
- Temporary Storage and Disposal Facility, (from 1981-1998, now used for equipement storage)
- leaching ponds and equipment shelters.
A full name for the facility is Hypergol Maintenance Facility Hazardous Waste South Staging Area.
Contamination
Soil tests in 1998 found surface soil to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichlorofluoromethaneTrichlorofluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane, also called freon-11, CFC-11, or R-11, is a chlorofluorocarbon. It is a colorless, nearly odorless liquid that boils at about room temperature.- Uses :It was the first widely used refrigerant...
(TCFM) and aluminum. Tests in 2002 found vinyl chloride
Vinyl chloride
Vinyl chloride is the organochloride with the formula H2C:CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer, VCM or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride . At ambient pressure and temperature, vinyl chloride...
soil content to be above acceptable levels and 400000 pounds (181,436.9 kg) of soil was removed as a temporary solution.