What's The Answer?

May 11, 1986

Q. Why is Kennedy Space Center located in Brevard?

A. A county with a chain of small islands off its coast and a population of 23,000 people in 1950 made it an ideal spot for planners who wanted to launch and track rockets without endangering humans. Looking for an efficient means of testing and launching rockets led government officials to Brevard County after World War II. As an alternative to launch sites in Texas, Bumper, the first rocket launch from Brevard's coast on July 24, 1950, set the stage for future launches in Brevard. After the Apollo program, the space agency looked throughout the nation for alternative sites but kept Brevard because of economics and efficiency resulting from past years of testing.

Dick Young, public information analyst for KSC.

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