Editing Vehicle Assembly Building (section)

== Exterior ==
[[File:VAB aerial 1977.jpg|thumbnail|VAB in 1977, with the [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial Star]] opposite the flag. The Bicentennial Star was painted over with the NASA insignia in 1998. Note the [[Space Shuttle Landing Facility]] at upper left.]]
The [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] painted on the building was the largest in the world when added in 1976 as part of [[United States Bicentennial]] celebrations, along with the star logo of the anniversary, later replaced by the [[NASA insignia]] in 1998. It is {{convert|209|ft|m|1}} high and {{convert|110|ft|m|1}} wide. Each of the stars on the flag is {{convert|6|ft|m|2}} across, the blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court, and each of the stripes is {{convert|9|ft|m|2}} wide.<ref name="nasa-sn-20050527">{{Cite magazine |last1=Stuckey |first1=Jeff |date=May 27, 2005 |title=Vehicle Assembly Building's American flag flies again |url=https://www3.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/116563main_may27color.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219081729/https://www3.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/116563main_may27color.pdf |archive-date=February 19, 2024 |magazine=Spaceport News |publisher=[[NASA]] |volume=44 |number=12}}</ref>
{{anchor|Hurricane}}Work began in early 2007 to restore the exterior paint on the immense facility. Special attention was paid to the enormous American flag and NASA "meatball" insignia. The work repaired visible damage from years of storms and weathering. The flag and logo had been previously repainted in 1998 for NASA's 40th anniversary.<ref name="flag">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/vab_flag.html |title=Restoring Old Glory and a Massive Meatball |access-date=July 11, 2007 |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=11 January 2007 |last=Mansfield |first=Cheryl L. |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304110808/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/vab_flag.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Vehicle Assembly Building damage from Hurricane Frances night view.jpg|thumb|Repair work after Hurricane Frances]]
The most extensive exterior damage occurred during the storm season of 2004, when [[Hurricane Frances]] blew off 850 {{convert|14|x|6|ft|adj=on}} [[aluminum]] panels from the building, resulting in about {{convert|40000|sqft|m2|-2}} of new openings in the sides.<ref name="flag" /><ref name="cnn">{{Cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Miles |date=September 6, 2004 |title=Frances tears panels from NASA shuttle hangar |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/09/06/nasa.frances.cnn/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220190206/https://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/09/06/nasa.frances.cnn/index.html |archive-date=December 20, 2022 |access-date=September 23, 2007 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Twenty-five additional panels were blown off the east side by the winds from [[Hurricane Jeanne]] just three weeks later. Earlier in the season, [[Hurricane Charley]] caused significant but less serious damage, estimated to cost $700,000 to repair. Damage caused by these hurricanes was still visible in 2007. Some of these panels are "punch-outs", designed to detach from the VAB when a large pressure differential is created on the outside vs. the inside. This allows for equalization, and helps protect the structural integrity of the building during rapid changes in pressure such as in tropical cyclones.

The building has been used as a backdrop in several Hollywood movies including ''[[Marooned (1969 film)|Marooned]]'', ''[[SpaceCamp]]'', ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'', ''[[Contact (1997 American film)|Contact]]'', and others.