Space Shuttle Program History: Historical Documentation about the Jake Garn Mission Simulator And Training Facility, Building Five at the Johnson Space Center

This NASA document - converted for accurate flowing-text ebook format reproduction - provides a survey of the Jake Garn Mission Simulator and Training Facility (Building 5) at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

The Jake Garn Mission Simulator and Training Facility (MSTF) was designed in the early 1960s by a combination of A/E firms headed by Brown & Root, Inc. of Houston. It was built by the W.S. Bellows Construction Corporation, in conjunction with Peter Kiewit & Sons Corporation, both of Houston, Texas, under the direction of the ACOE, at a cost of roughly $1.6 million. Construction of the facility occurred between January 1964 and April 1965, as part of the second major phase of construction at JSC. As originally designed, the building's north wing contained astronaut training simulators for both Project Gemini and the Apollo Program; the south wing held the Gemini Translation & Docking Trainer.

Over the next few years, many modifications were made to the facility. After Project Gemini ended (ca. 1966), all of its simulators were replaced by ones needed for the Apollo Program. Around 1967, a Water Immersion Facility (WIF), essentially a large pool used for training astronauts to maneuver in a zero-gravity environment, was installed in the east end of the north wing. Additionally, some of the original open work areas were subdivided into smaller offices and laboratories. When Skylab (1973-74), an application of the Apollo Program, was implemented, simulators specific to its needs were placed in the south wing.

Between 1976 and 1978, the MSTF underwent renovations to support the Space Shuttle program. At this time, any remaining simulators from the previous programs were removed, and again, some open work areas were subdivided into smaller rooms. The north wing's high bay was prepared for the new shuttle simulators, which were installed in the northeast corner and center of the High Bay. In addition, following the completion of the new Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) in Building 29 in 1980, the WIF was removed from the MSTF and its old space was subdivided.

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