Crawlerway

Crawlerway
Crawlerway at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Location Brevard County, Florida  United States
Nearest city Merritt Island
Coordinates 28°36′13″N 80°37′39″W / 28.60361°N 80.62750°WCoordinates: 28°36′13″N 80°37′39″W / 28.60361°N 80.62750°W
Built 1964
Governing body NASA
MPS John F. Kennedy Space Center MPS
NRHP Reference # 99001641[1]
Added to NRHP January 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 Alabama river rocks.

The Crawlerway was designed to support the weight of a Saturn V rocket and payload, plus its Launch Umbilical Tower and Mobile Launch 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 river gravel 4in thick on the straight sections and 8in thick on curves. 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 will be added to the surface as well. The project is planned to finish by June 2014.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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.

External links

Gallery