"This is the first comprehensive history of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA's famous launch facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Vehicle Assembly Building and launchpads dominate the flat terrain of the Cape and attract more than 1.4 million visitors annually, but few members of the public are aware of the many years of planning and hard work that take place before a rocket is lit." "In clear, lively detail, Kenneth Lipartito and Orville Butler describe how the methods and technology for preparing, testing, and launching spacecraft have evolved over the last 45 years. A History of the Kennedy Space Center covers the Mercury and Gemini missions, the Apollo lunar program, the Space Shuttle, scientific missions and robotic spacecraft, and the International Space Station, as well as the tragic accidents of Challenger and Columbia. Throughout, the authors reveal the unique culture of the men and women who work there and make KSC distinct from other parts of NASA. They make it abundantly clear that the processes performed by ground operations are absolutely vital to a mission's success." "With unprecedented access to a wide variety of sources, including the KSC archives, other NASA centers, the National Archives, and individual and group interviews and collections, Lipartito and Butler open a new perspective on humankind's efforts to conquer the final frontier."--BOOK JACKET.