Shuttle main engine test site was selected because it was thinly populated and it was possible to create barge access to it — the rocket motors to be tested for Apollo were too large for overland transport. The chosen site also had to be between the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, where the rockets were made, and the launch facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida. With the end of the Apollo program, use of the base decreased, with economic impact to the surrounding communities. Over the years other government organizations have moved to the facility, providing a major economic benefit to the communities. Two 250,000 gallon water tanks at the facility, used to test equipment for the Navy, were used to film the underwater sequences in the film Double Jeopardy. The facility was damaged in late August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina but seems to be in full operation now.
