Vertical tail - The first vertical tail for the Space Shuttle orbiter arrives at Palmdale, California in 1975 to be mated to the fuselage of the orbiter. The vertical tail, 27 feet high and 22 feet long at the base, was built by Fairchild Republic Company, Long Island, New York. Rockwell International Corporation's Space Division in Downey, California, built the orbiter and integrated the complete Space Shuttle transportation system for NASA's Johnson Space Center.