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Crawlerway

Coordinates: 28°36′13″N 80°37′39″W / 28.60361°N 80.62750°W / 28.60361; -80.62750
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Crawlerway
Aerial view of Launch Complex 39. The Crawlerway is the pathway between the Vehicle Assembly Building and Pads 39A and 39B.
Crawlerway is located in Florida
Crawlerway
Crawlerway is located in the United States
Crawlerway
LocationBrevard County, Florida  United States
Nearest cityMerritt Island
Coordinates28°36′13″N 80°37′39″W / 28.60361°N 80.62750°W / 28.60361; -80.62750
Built1964
MPSJohn F. Kennedy Space Center MPS
NRHP reference No.99001641[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 2000

The Crawlerway is a 130-foot (40 m) wide[2] double pathway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It runs between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. It has a length of 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to Pad 39A and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) to Pad 39B. A seven-foot (2 m) bed of stones lies beneath a layer of asphalt and a surface made of Tennessee river rocks.

The Crawlerway was designed to support the weight of a Saturn V rocket and payload, plus its Launch Umbilical Tower and Mobile Launcher Platform, atop a Crawler-transporter during the Apollo Program. It was used from 1981–2011 to transport the lighter Space Shuttles to their launch pads.

Construction of the Crawlerway connected Merritt Island with the mainland, forming a peninsula. The main vehicle access road to and from the launch pads, the Saturn Causeway, runs alongside the crawlerway.

Construction

The crawlerway is composed of two 40 feet (12 m) wide lanes, separated by a 50 feet (15 m) median. The top layer is of Tennessee river gravel 4in thick on the straight sections and 8in thick on curves. Tennessee river rock was chosen due to its anti spark properties. Beneath that is 4 ft of graded, crushed stone, resting on two layers of fill.[2] As of 2013 a project to repair and upgrade the crawlerway is in process, the first time since it was constructed that the foundation will be repaired. Additional rock has been added to the surface on June 2014.[3]

  • Crawlerway under construction in December 1963
    Crawlerway under construction in December 1963
  • Apollo 14 rolls to Pad 39A in November 1970
    Apollo 14 rolls to Pad 39A in November 1970
  • STS-98 is moved back to the VAB in January 2001
    STS-98 is moved back to the VAB in January 2001
  • Close up of Crawlerway in April 2005; originally smooth, the rocks have been crushed after many passages by the crawler-transporters
    Close up of Crawlerway in April 2005; originally smooth, the rocks have been crushed after many passages by the crawler-transporters

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "NASA Facts Online, John F. Kennedy Space Center". Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Upgrades Will Prepare Crawlerway for Space Launch System". 2013-02-22. Retrieved 13 December 2013.

Media related to Crawlerway at Wikimedia Commons


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