NASA KSC has been performing atmospheric corrosion testing since the 1960’s. Currently there are multiple sites across the Kennedy Space Center to measure corrosion rate and salt concentration as a function of both distance from the Atlantic Ocean and exposure time. Each test site uses carbon steel test panels as a calibration material for accurate site-by-site comparison. Each site exposes the corrosion rate panels for a year before removal; however, panels are initially exposed at the sites on a monthly or quarterly schedule depending on the location to understand the seasonal effects on the corrosion rates. The NASA KSC Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site is also a larger testbed for materials qualification and corrosion testing of components for a multitude of customers.
Interact with the map by clicking on a location number to see a visual representation of the activities going on there.