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KSC Technical Capabilities

O&C Altitude Chambers

The altitude chambers in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) building were originally built in 1966 to support Apollo Lunar Excursion Module and Command Service Module operations. The chambers were man rated to an altitude of 250,000 feet. Both chambers were deactivated in 1975 at the end of the Apollo/Soyuz program, but the west chamber was refurbished in 1998 to support the test and checkout of International Space Station (ISS) pressurized elements.

altitude chamber floor layout

Facility Capabilities

altitude chamber ground level view

The chambers were built with a one-inch thick stainless steel exterior skin. It has characteristics that include:

  • Interior dimensions of 33' diameter, 50' height
  • A volume of approximately 48,000 cubic feet
  • Chamber lids contain an integral groove for seals
  • Contains a personnel access door located at the highbay floor level
  • Max test element is 27.5 tons
  • Can test an element that has a max height of 37.5 feet due to the physical crane hook height
  • The chambers are no longer man rated

Success Stories

  • Was utilized to test the LEM and CM during the Apollo program
  • Was successfully utilized to perform element leak tests on multiple ISS pressurized modules







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