The crawler-transporter is a tracked vehicle used to transport the Saturn V rocket, the Saturn IB rocket during Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and now the Space Shuttle, from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage the S-IVB. Skylab was the first Space station the United States launched into orbit and the second space station ever visited by a human crew NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program VABConstructionjpg|thumbnail|right|VAB during its early steel construction phase (1963 along with the Mobile Launcher Platform and tower assemblies for the Saturn V rocket The Crawlerway is a wide double pathway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA Launch Complex 39 (LC-39 is a Rocket launch site at the John F
The two crawler-transporters were designed by Bucyrus International and built by the Marion Power Shovel Co. at a cost of US$14 million each. Bucyrus International Inc is a manufacturer of heavy mining equipment Marion Power Shovel was a Marion Ohio based manufacturer of earth moving shovels and Draglines mainly used in construction and resource extraction The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been When they were built, they were the largest in the world. [1] The German Bagger 288 excavator is now the largest tracked vehicle in the world. The Bagger 288 (Excavator 288 built by the German company Krupp for the energy and mining firm Rheinbraun, is a Bucket-wheel excavator. An excavator is an Engineering vehicle consisting of an articulated arm (boom stick bucket and Cab mounted on a Pivot (a rotating platform like a While it is larger than the crawler-transporter, it is externally-powered and is more correctly described as a mining machine which can be moved. The crawler-transporters are self-powered, load-carrying vehicles, and they remain the world's largest self-powered tracked vehicles.
Specifications
The crawler-transporter weighs 6 million pounds (2,700 t) and has eight tracks, two on each corner. This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. Each track has 57 shoes, and each shoe weighs approximately 900 kg (about one short ton). The short ton ( S/T) is a unit of mass equal to 2000 lb (around 907 The vehicle measures 131 feet by 114 feet (40 m by 35 m). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The height from ground level to the platform is adjustable from 20 to 26 ft (6 to 8 m), 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, with the tip of the external tank vertical within plus or minus 10 minutes of arc, while moving along the 5% upgrade to the launch site. The Mobile Launcher Platform or MLP is a two-story structure used by NASA, along with the Crawler-Transporter, to transport the Space Shuttle A Space Shuttle External Tank ( ET) is the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the Liquid hydrogen fuel and Liquid oxygen [2] 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. [3]
The crawler has 16 traction motors, powered by four 1,000 kW generators, in turn driven by two 2,750 hp (2,050 kW) Alco diesel engines. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco (or less frequently ALCo) was a builder of Railroad Locomotives in Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum Two 750 kW generators, driven by two 1,065 hp (794 kW) engines, are used for jacking, steering, lighting, and ventilating. Two 150 kW generators are also available to power the Mobile Launcher Platform. The crawler's tanks hold 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel (19 m³), and it burns 150 gal/mi (350 L/km). A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries [1]
The crawler is controlled from two control cabs located at either end of the vehicle, and travels along the 3. 5 mile (5. 6 km) Crawlerway at a maximum speed of one mile per hour (1. 6 km/h) loaded, or two miles per hour (3 km/h) unloaded. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. The average trip time from the VAB along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39 is about five hours. [1]
Kennedy Space Center has been using the same two crawlers since their initial delivery in 1965. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. In their lifetime, they have traveled more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km). [1] NASA will continue to use crawlers when the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010 and the Ares I and Ares V take its place. Ares I is the crew Launch vehicle being developed by NASA as a component of Project Constellation. The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. Due to their age and need to support the heavier Ares V (with its launch umbilical tower), NASA will modify the crawler's engines in order to have the ability to carry the heavier loads envisioned for the Ares V for both its lunar and, later, planetary roles.
References
- ^ a b c d Crawler-Transporter System. KSC Facilities. The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on NASA (2003-04-21). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ Photo KSC-05PD-1322. Kennedy Space Center Media Gallery. The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on NASA (2005-06-15). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ KSC Transporters. KSC Facts Online. The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on NASA (2002-08-28). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
External links
- Satellite view of Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center
- Apollo Maniacs: Crawler Transporter
- Kennedy Space Center Crawler/Transporter Model, a LEGO reconstruction of the crawler
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