First coatings testing located at the Cape Kennedy launch pads during the Gemini/Apollo Programs for long-term protective coatings for atmospheric protection of carbon steel. The NASA Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site was established to test materials, coatings, and maintenance procedures near the launch pads.

Apollo-Saturn 201 lifts off from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34, Florida on Feb. 26, 1966. The AS-201 mission was an unmanned suborbital flight to test the Saturn 1B launch vehicle and the Apollo Command and Service Modules. This was the first flight of the S-IB and S-IVB stages, including the first flight test of the liquid-hydrogen/liquid oxygen-propelled J-2 engine in the S-IVB stage.

NASA began large-scale testing of coatings for carbon steel in a seacoast launch environment to protect ground and launch support equipment at KSC.

Photo of KSC Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site in 1969 with Saturn V in the background.

Corrosion conditions at the launch pads became even more severe due to solid rocket booster (SRB) exhaust products from the Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle’s Solid Rocket Boosters introduced acidic deposition products into the local launch pad atmosphere, producing 70 tons of 0.1M hydrogen chloride per launch. NH4ClO4(s) + Al(s) → (binder is Fe2O3) Al2O3(s) + HCl(g) + H2O(g) + NOx(g)

STS-1, Space Shuttle Columbia launches from Pad 39A on April 12, 1981.

Numerous studies at the NASA Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site required an expansion to 600 feet parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. Studies included environmentally friendlier coatings, zinc-rich primers and inorganic topcoats, and silicone ablative coatings. The majority of the testing identified materials, coatings, and maintenance procedures for launch hardware and equipment exposed to the highly corrosive environment at the launch pad.

Accelerated corrosion testing began with salt fog chamber and electrochemical laboratory testing. NASA began accelerated testing to screen coatings with inhibitors and monitor changes in coatings and new metallic materials as a function time.

• Salt fog chambers
• Early electrochemical testing equipment

Computerized corrosion damage management system created to maintain an organized list of 3,600+ critical components (totaling to 7-8 million ft2) for the Administration’s usage.

NASA Technical Standard NASA-STD-5008 for Protective Coatings of Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, and Aluminum on Launch Structures, Facilities, and Ground Support Equipment is approved. This also established zones of exposure for specific environments. New customers, including the DoD, began testing coatings at the Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site.

Site was upgraded to include a weather station, new permanent building with laboratory and machine shop, and a remote camera system. New forms of testing were developed in order to conduct more unique studies. The Alternating Seawater Spray Test (ASST) was created as an attempt to improve data that supports the correlation between accelerated test methods and long-term atmospheric exposure. The Seawater Immersion test system was created to simulate natural tidal conditions. New large-scale coatings studies were implemented for NASA ground support. KSC began testing materials for customers outside of NASA.

The latest expansion included 300 linear feet of space at the south end of the current test site. 70 tons of fines that were recycled from the Crawler way rock were used for the fill and surface of the new section and new driveways. A 6-foot wide sidewalk that spans the entire 900 feet was installed to better secure the racks and stands and to create a more secure environment for worker safety and stability. Electrochemical and salt fog chamber equipment were upgraded.