#crawlertransporter

Crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporters, formally known as the Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities, are a pair of tracked vehicles used to transport spacecraft from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. They were originally used to transport the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets during the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs. They were then used to transport Space Shuttles from 1981 to 2011. The crawler-transporters carry vehicles on the Mobile launcher platforms used by NASA, and after each launch return to the pad to take the platform back to the VAB. The crawler-transporter has a mass of 2,721 tonnes (6 million pounds) (3000 tons) and has eight tracks, two on each corner. Each track has 57 shoes, and each shoe weighs 900 kg (1,984 lb). The vehicle measures 40 by 35 meters (131 by 114 ft). The height from ground level to the platform is adjustable from 6.1 to 7.9 m (20 to 26 ft), and each side can be raised and lowered independently of the other. The crawler uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system to keep the Mobile Launcher Platform level within 10 minutes of arc (0.16 degrees; about 30 cm (1 ft) at the top of the Saturn V), while moving up the 5 percent grade to the launch site. A separate laser docking system provides pinpoint accuracy when the crawler-transporter and Mobile Launch Platform are positioned in the VAB or at the launch pad. A team of nearly 30 engineers, technicians and drivers operate the vehicle, centered on an internal control room, and the crawler is driven from two control cabs located at either end. Before the launch the crawler-transporter is removed. Follow us! @engineeringandarchitecture . . #nasa #spaceman #transporter #crawlertransporter #space #astronomy #planet #galaxy #machine #science #universe #engineer #civilengineering #engineers #engenharia #engenhariacivil #civil #mechanical #civilengineer #mechanicalengineering #vehicle #hubble #science #spacex #machineoperator #skylab #apollo #machinery #architecture #Construction #houstonrockets https://www.instagram.com/p/CDRZfPWF6Dd/?igshid=1btcpmrbxa6zv

#Crawlerway close to #launchpad. #Repost @globallearningnews ・・・ Launch Pad 39B and #CrawlerWay. #kennedyspacecenter #exploringflorida #nasa #crawlertransporter #globallearning2017 @kennedyspacecenter @nasa (at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)

Launch Pad 39B and #CrawlerWay. #kennedyspacecenter #exploringflorida #nasa #crawlertransporter #globallearning2017 @kennedyspacecenter @nasa (at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39)

NASA’s massive Crawler Transporter-2, also known as CT-2, was moved on Monday, Feb. 23, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to test the completed modifications that will allow it to transport NASA’s next heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for manned trips to space. This marks 50 years since the iconic crawler became an integral part of the agency’s manned space program. Back-dropped by the massive 113-foot-long and 114-foot-wide CT-2, NASA crawler project manager Mary Hanna explained some of the history behind the iconic crawler and described the changes made to modify it for NASA’s next generation spacecraft, Orion, and heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System. FULL REPORT - http://www.americaspace.com/?p=77604 WATCH THE VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaBvjgh7U14 #NASA #CrawlerTransporter #History #Space #ExploreSpace #AmericaSpace #News #SpaceCoast #Technology #engineering