Building 4572 - Propulsion and Structural Test Facility

 place with historical importance, NASA, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historic landmark, missile launch facility, research and development centre, U.S. National Historic Landmark

Building 4572, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

It was initially used to conduct 487 tests involving the Army’s Jupiter missile. It contained two test positions, and because of its appearance was sometimes called the “T-Tower. It was designed to test rocket systems with a maximum thrust of 500,000 lb. In 1961, the test stand was modified to permit static firing of the Saturn I and Saturn IB stages, which produced a total thrust of 1.6 million pounds. The name of the stand was then changed to the S-IB Static Test Stand and it has also been referred to as the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility. The west side of the stand was used to test the S-I stage. The east side was used to the test the S-IB stage. A total of 24 tests were performed on 10 S-I stages while 32 tests were performed on 12 S-IB stages. The west side was also used to test the F-1 engine; 75 F-1 engine tests were performed through July 1968. In 1984, the west side of the test stand was again modified to permit structural tests on the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster. Since its original construction and activation in 1951, a total of 649 tests have been conducted at the facility. The 140-foot high facility was selected as a National Historic Landmark because it was the first test stand to fire rocket engines in a cluster. The name of the facility was later changed to the Hazardous Structural Test Complex.

www.loc.gov/pictures/item/al1195/

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP):

Built: 1957
Architect: Heinz Hilten (U.S. Army)
Area: less than 1 acre
Also known as: Solid Motor Structural Test Facility
Date added to NRHP: 10/3/1985
Other designations: U.S. National Historic Landmark