Dawn of a New Space Era Evident at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Dawn of a New Space Era is Evident at the Kennedy Space Center

I was lucky enough to tour the active facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the place is buzzing with activity surrounding America’s next generation spaceship called the SLS, or Space Launch System. It will carry a crew of four astronauts on deep space missions that might explore our Moon, Mars, other planetary moons like Phobos, or other celestial bodies like asteroids and comets. Most of the experiments onboard OA-6 and facilities we toured on our March 21-22 launch event centered around this new theme of deep space exploration.

The revamped Crawler, now capable of carrying the SLS Launch Tower and SLS Rocket

We were able talk to and meet all the project managers currently involved in getting the Crawler ready for it’s next mission, to move the SLS. To my surprise they let us examine the amazing machine up close and then see the Crawler Transporter in action. It weighs about 6 million pounds empty and is capable of moving an 18 million pound cargo. Being a geologist I was naturally drawn to the Crawler Trackway and its long paths of neatly raked quartz pebbles. Amazingly the suspension system of the vehicle actually incorporates the gravel as part of the machine. As the Crawler travels it literally crushes the specially picked stone. If the stone does not break the ride will have too many vibrations, if the stone is too soft the Crawler will sink and get stuck. The size, strength, and mineralogy of the chosen stone is perfect, not too strong but not too soft. Each time the Crawler passes water trucks spray the tracks and wash away the powdered rock. It must pass over fresh raked stone each time. One of the project managers told us one day during the Space Shuttle days one of the tracks did sink (there was a heavy rainstorm) and for a few moments he was concerned about it getting stuck. He said if it gets stuck, there is nothing on the planet powerful enough to unstuck it. I thought that was a great comment and really made me realize what a powerful machine I was watching slowly roll down the trackway. Some interesting statistics they told us is that it burns about 1 gallon of diesel every 32 feet the Crawler travels and it normally travels less than one mile per hour. As if the lifting and moving power of the Crawler is not impressive enough, they explained how the platform of the Crawler remains completely level, even when the topography changes. So when it goes up the small hill as it approaches the launch pad the back end of the Crawler raises, so as to not tip over the rocket it is carrying. Rockets are notoriously top heavy until they reach the launch pad where the final liquid fuels are added.

Here are a few of the pictures and a video, although I don’t think any of them really convey the experience of what it is like to stand right next to it as it passes by, hearing the quartz pebbles shatter with each trackway step.

Can lift 18 million pounds.

NASA Crawler in Action

Space Launch System (SLS) Crew Access Arm

Solid Rocket Booster Facility

Moving the volitile solid rocket boosters.

Vehicle Assembly Building, Getting Ready for the SLS