Editing Michoud Assembly Facility (section)

== Buildings ==
[[File:SLS Liquid Oxygen Tank Hardware in Welding.jpg|thumb|right|Welding of the SLS liquid oxygen tank in the South Vertical Assembly Building]]
The facility consists of various buildings in one complex:

*  The main manufacturing building (Building number 103), and the North and South Vertical Assembly Buildings (Building numbers 115 and 110 respectively). The North VAB was constructed in 2011, initially to add new vertical welding equipment. The main manufacturing building is where the majority of preliminary fabrication and welding activities take place - the Space Launch System core stage (and previously the [[Space Shuttle External Tank]], [[Manufacturing of the International Space Station|ISS modular components]], and the [[S-IC|Saturn V first stage]]) were manufactured here. Engine installation for the SLS core stage for [[Artemis 1]] and [[Artemis 2|2]] occurs here.<ref>{{cite web | title=SLS Rockets for Artemis 3 and 4 Being Assembled | website=Futuramic | date=August 2, 2022 | url=https://futuramic.com/sls-rockets-for-artemis-3-and-4-being-assembled-at-the-nasas-michoud-assembly-facility/ | access-date=June 24, 2023}}</ref> The building stretches 512 by 340 meters in dimensions, and contains over 40 sub-areas for different manufacturing and structural assembly operations. A series of internal roads made from polished concrete provide ease of access by factory vehicles, trams, and overhead cranes to move components around. They run the whole length of the factory building. Factory floor office buildings and engineering rooms located in various ends of the main manufacturing building. Near the South VAB is an [[electric arc furnace]] and casting equipment.<ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4206/ch7.htm NASA.gov]</ref> In front of the main manufacturing building is the administration offices, lobby, restaurants and engineering conference rooms. There is also a gym, media lab, a medical area and a  cafeteria provided for the workers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mafspace.msfc.nasa.gov/amenities/|title=Michoud Assembly Facility Amenities|access-date=November 12, 2022|publisher=NASA}}</ref>  Facing north is a factory floor museum display area, with mission patches, flags and memorials.<ref>{{cite web|title=All About Visiting Michoud Assembly Facility (NASA's Rocket Factory)|date=February 1, 2021|url=https://spacetourismguide.com/michoud-assembly-facility/|access-date=November 12, 2022|publisher=SpaceTourismGuide.com}}</ref>
*   An external building that is used to manufacture smaller components and space station equipment, for example small components for the [[International Space Station]]. It also supplies various small components such as fasteners to the main building. {{citation needed|date=October 2023}} 
*  Another external building for various manufacturing processes, and contains a laboratory, office space and technical storage areas.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
*   Adjacent to the main manufacturing building are more foam application workshops, power transformers for the arc furnace and other facilities, and large amounts of open space.<ref>{{cite web|title=MAF facilities|url=https://mafspace.msfc.nasa.gov/facilities/|access-date=November 7, 2023}}</ref> In front of the South VAB, rocket parts are moved from this building to the side internal workshops across the plaza for inspection and checks.<ref>{{cite web|title=Building Specifications, including PDF floorplans|date=December 2022|url=https://mafspace.msfc.nasa.gov/building-specifications/|access-date=November 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Michoud Fitness Center|url=https://mafspace.msfc.nasa.gov/maf-fitness-center/|access-date=November 7, 2023}}</ref>
*   The [[National Finance Center]] (NSF) - was formerly located west of the complex; housed offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and contained several large conference rooms, a restaurant and a ballroom for NASA employees and visitor events. The building was badly damaged by a tornado in 2017, which rendered the building irreparable. It was subsequently demolished in 2019 and a new replacement is yet to be built.

The shipping port is located 600 meters southwest of the main manufacturing building. Transporting vehicles carrying manufactured SLS components move down Saturn Blvd, past large open fields, to the pier - where the Pegasus Barge is docked. This is where the components are shipped to either their final destination - [[Kennedy Space Center]], or rarely back to the main [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] in Huntsville, Alabama, or the [[John C. Stennis Space Center]] in Mississippi for testing.