On Christmas Eve, when Santa Claus slips into NASA-Kennedy Space
Center airspace under cover of darkness, a radar controller at the
Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) will be following his every move
from a brand new, state-of-the-art traffic control tower.
"We've been in contact with Santa, although for security reasons I
can't elaborate," said Ron Feile, lead air traffic controller with
Space Gateway Services (SGS). "Santa knows about the control tower,
and he's very pleased that he can help us give it a
shakedown."
SLF employees look forward to working in the new facility. It
replaces a control tower that has been in use since 1987. Located
just south of the SLF's midpoint, the old tower stands only 20 feet
above the runway surface, too low to see the launch pads to the
east.