| Spacecraft Assembly |
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A spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle is one of the most complicated pieces of machinery ever built. A lot of work and time must go into it before it becomes operational. There are millions of different parts that must be put together and tested independently and as a whole.
Spacecraft parts, from individual nuts and bolts to advanced carbon-carbon tiles, are made by many different producers, sometimes even from many different parts of the world. Companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and others are used by NASA as contractors to build the different parts of spacecraft. There are 16 different countries working on the International Space Station.
The components of a spacecraft are made to custom specifications for a particular mission. They are tested thoroughly for defects. The different components are put together at spacecraft processing facilities such as the ones at Cape Canaveral, where components for the shuttle and the international space station are put together. Spacecraft are being assembled in special uncontaminated rooms that are as clean and sterilized as hospital operating rooms.
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