KSC-05pd-0179

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers accompany the Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight as it demonstrates its readiness for weight bearing by carrying an unloaded 8,230,000-pound Mobile Launch Platform along the crawlerway. Its first road test on Jan. 21, following the replacement of all its shoes, was a success. Cracks appeared in the crawlers' shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program. Each crawler has 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds.