Nishkian Dean
The tower in Cape Canaveral, Florida provides a means for astronauts to access Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft which sits 200 feet above the launch pad atop the Atlas V launch vehicle. In an emergency, the astronauts can rapidly egress a safe distance away. The CCtCap is located next to the Atlantic Ocean and is in a launch environment where 1,200,000 pounds of rocket thrust is unleashed monthly. The position of the tower was constrained which required the foundation to be partly supported on the existing concrete launch duct and a portion on new concrete caissons. On top of that, the 200-foot-tall structure was built with a 10:1 height-to-width aspect ratio. The tower had to sustain hurricane loading for a Category III structure and is exposed to a severe coastal environment. An automated washdown system was incorporated into the system to protect the structure from the corrosion it would sustain. One of the largest challenges was that construction occurred on an active launch pad over a period where 17 launches look place. In the end, the project successfully provides astronauts with state-of-the-art means to reliably and safely begin their journey to the International Space Station.