CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA on Monday issued a request for proposals for the construction of a lightning protection system at Launch Pad 39B in support of the Constellation Program and the next generation of space vehicles.
The request for proposals outlines work to be performed in fabricating and erecting three 600-foot-tall self-supporting structural steel towers, and installing a suspended overhead wire system with associated conductors and electrical grounds. The proposals are due to the Kennedy Space Center on June 6 and a contract is expected to be awarded in August.
The system will support launches of the Ares I and Ares V boosters, their spacecraft and cargos throughout the life of the program. The first Ares I launch from Pad 39B with the new system in place will be the second Ares I flight test in 2012.
This project, along with several other Constellation initiatives, was reviewed for environmental compliance as required under the National Environmental Policy Act and found to not produce significant environmental impacts. NASA published an environmental assessment in late March for public and regulatory agency review and received no adverse comments.
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http://www.nasa.gov/constellation
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