NASA's two crawler transporters have the heavy job of lugging fully assembled space shuttles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. They were originally built in the mid-1960s for the Apollo moon program, and they're still going strong today. On January 13, current and former employees gathered at Kennedy Space Center, along with the grown children of the crawlers' designers, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the vehicles. After several tests throughout 1965, the enormous transporters made their first move in January 1966, hauling a 10.6-million-pound launch umbilical tower a quarter of a mile. 'They've put in more than 35-hundred total miles. They've carried numerous different space vehicles, from Saturn V, Saturn 1B. They were used to do the fit check of the Enterprise vehicle, as well as supporting all five shuttles that have been in space.' Viewed from above, each crawler is about the size of a baseball diamond. Instead of wheels, the crawler moves on four double-tracked tread belts -- each of which contains 57 'shoes.' These machines are remarkably agile for their size, and can move to within a fraction of an inch of where they're needed. Thanks to a hydraulic jacking, equalizing and leveling system, the shuttle stays almost perfectly vertical on the 3- to 4-mile ride to the launch pad. It's an ingenious design that has served NASA well. 'The crawlers have changed very little externally. Internally, the operating systems, the control networks, the way the systems operate is somewhat different than the original. But basically, the crawler is still the same crawler we started with back in 1965.' With such a great track record, the crawlers aren't likely to retire anytime soon. In the future, they may be called on to support NASA's return to the moon, and journeys to Mars and beyond.
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NASA ID
ksc_011806_crawlers40th
Date Created
January 16, 2006
Center
KSC
Media Type
video
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, moves away from the Vehicle Assembly Building, with a Mobile Launcher Platform on top, on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds.
Aug 18, 2003
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 shows the cab (left, above the tracks) that recently underwent modifications. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) on a test run to the pad. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.
Aug 18, 2003
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transportation (CT) number 2 shows the new muffler system on the vehicle. The CT also recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.
Aug 18, 2003
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the cab of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, driver Sam Dove, with United Space Alliance, operates the vehicle on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.
Aug 18, 2003