Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Tallest of all

1. WORLD TALLEST CONTROL TOWER (AIRPORT)




The 132.2-metre high control tower at Suvarnabhumi Airport is the world’s tallest and provides the best visual coverage of overall airside. To facilitate smooth air traffic control, the air traffic control centre is fully equipped with state-of-the-art aircraft navigation and guiding systems and is one of the most advanced facilities in modern aviation. It has the capacity to manage approximately 76 flights per hour.



2. WORLD TALLEST LIGHTHOUSE



Jeddah Light is an active lighthouse in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With a height of approximately 436 feet (133 m) it has a credible claim to be the world's tallest lighthouse. It is located at the end of the outer pier on the north side of the entrance to Jeddah Seaport.


3. WORLD TALLEST COASTER


The fierce Kingda Ka is the tallest coaster in the World, fastest in North America. This remarkable thrill ride breaks all world records for coaster speed and height, zooming from
0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds and catapulting you 45 stories into the sky.

KINGDA KA BY THE NUMBERS

Height Restrictionsmin. 54"
Ride CategoryThrill (MORE LIKE THIS)
Flash PassYes
Top speedWorld Record at 128 mph
ManufacturerIntamin
ElevationWorld Record at 456 feet (45 stories)
Length3,118 feet
Duration59 seconds
Capacity4 trains of 18 riders each
IntroducedMay 20, 2005



4. WARLD TALLEST INDUSTRY HALL


    The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was originally built for assembly of Apollo/Saturn vehicles and was later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. High Bays 1 and 3 are used for integration and stacking of the complete Space Shuttle vehicle. High Bay 2 is used for external tank (ET) checkout and storage and as a contingency storage area for orbiters. High Bay 4 is also used for ET checkout and storage, as well as for payload canister operations and solid rocket boster (SRB) contingency handling.
    The Low Bay area contains Space Shuttle main engine maintenance and overhaul shops, and serves as a holding area for SRB forward assemblies and aft skirts.
    During Space shuttle build-up operations inside the VAB, integrated SRB segments are transfered from nearbay SRB assembly and checkout facilities, hoisted onto a Mobile Launcher Platform in High Bays 1 or 3 and mated together to form two complete SRBs. The ET, after arrival by barge, is inspected and checked out in High Bays 2 or 4 and then transfered to High Bay's 1 or 3 to be attached to the SRBs already in place. 
    The orbiter is then towed over from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB transfer aisle, raised to a vertical position, lowered onto the Mobile Launcher Platform and then mated to the rest of the stack. When assembly and checkout is complete, the crawler-transporter enters the High Bay, picks up the platform and assembled shuttle vehicle and carries them to the launch pad.
    The VAB covers 3.25 hectares (8 acres). It is 160 meters (525 ft) tall, 218 meters (716 ft) long and 158 meters (518 ft) wide. It encloses 3,664,883 cubic meters (129,428,000 cubic feet) of space.
    • Flag & Bicentennial Emblem: Added in 1976, required 6,000 gallons of paint. The flag is 64 x 33.5 meters (209 x 110 ft) in size. Each strip on the flag is as big as the tour buses used to transport visitors around KSC
    • Steel: 89,421 metric tons (98,590 tons)
    • Concrete: 49,696 cubic meters (65,000 cubic yards)
    • Piling: 4,225 open-end steel pipe piles, 0.4 meters (16 inchs) in diameter were driven 49 meters (160 ft) into bedrock.
    • Air Conditioning: 9,070 metric tons (10,000 tons), 125 ventilators.
    • Lifting Devices: 71 cranes; two 227 metric ton (250 ton) bridge cranes.
    • Siding: 100,800 sq meters (1,085,000 sq ft) insulated aluminum panels; 6,503 sq meters (70,000 sq ft) plastic panels.
    • Doors: There are 4 High Bay doors. Each opening is 139 meters (456 ft) high. The north entry to the transfer aisle was widened 12.2 meters (40ft) to permit entry of the Orbiter, and slotted at the center to accommodate its vertical stabilizer.