Been studying the configuration of the launch facilities for the Apollo program as part of a project for work. I don't need this info for the project, but it's been bugging me all the same, and none of my materials seem to really touch on the issue.

So they move the Saturn V, its platform, and the tower on this big crawler, right? My question is, how do they get the platform OFF the crawler? You know, if you go hauling your buddy's refrigerator on a dolly, the wheels make it easy to move from place to place, but you still have to lift the darn thing off the dolly in the end, right? So what kind of device hefts that huge structure off the crawler wheels?

Same question, in a slightly different light -- so they made two crawlers, so that one could be a backup, right? How do they move the launch assembly from one crawler to the other, assuming the thing gets half a mile or so outside the VAB and breaks down? Or can that even be done -- is the backup only for use inside the VAB (where I guess they could move everything over with cranes)?

Final question -- I've been seeing aerial photos of the launch pad complexes, and what looks like LH2 (LOX?) tanks in the vicinity. Can they really store fuel that close to the blast zone? Or, more accurately, how close can the fuel tanks get to the rocket? I know they fuel the thing while it sits on the pad, so there have to be tanks somewhere ... come to think of it, maybe those tanks are empty at ignition, eh?

:-? ... unrelated question: Am I dumb for posting these kind of questions here? I know I've been asking a lot about spacecraft lately, which isn't strictly astronomy. If there's a better spot for it, don't hesitate to let me know!

I've been wondering about that too.

Spaceflight is fair game in GA, so no worries about posting these questions. However, Apollo questions are often asked in LC since Apollo is the central topic of discussion there. It also has the advantage of getting a viewing by JayUtah, who will invariably have the answer. Jay doesn't tend to be seen outside LC.

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Freedom For Fission A breath of fresh Iodine-131

Once the crawler got to the pad, whacking hydraulic huge jacks simply lifted the launch platform (including gantry and Saturn V) straight up, and the crawler was driven out from underneath. I suspect that a breakdown was not a problem, since there are IIRC 4 separate power systems on the things. And even so, the place is littered with mechanics. If the crawler gets stuck, guys go to it and fix it.

The second crawler was used to move the mobile service structure. My screen background is a photo of Apollo 11 on the pad, with the MSS nearby. Here is a link.

The crawlers run on tracks, not wheels. Really, really BIG tracks.

Fred

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"For shame, gentlemen, pack your evidence a little better against another time."
-- John Dryden, "The Vindication of The Duke of Guise" 1684

The crawler-transporter has its own set of jacks for leveling the platform as it goes up the ramp. A laser-based alignment system controls the positioning of the platform for the last few feet of the trip. The platform is then gently set down on a set of pillars by the same jacking system and the crawler-transporter is backed out from underneath it. The alignment must be precise because there is an interface for connecting consumable supply lines in the fixed structure to corresponding lines in the mobile launch platform.

The crawler-transporter is a robust machine. It was based on mining equipment used by Bucyrus-Erie. But there have been recent problems with bearings -- after all, it was not designed to have lasted for nearly 40 years.

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"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams
Clavius Moon Base

Just out of curiosity, what's the ground pressure like under those tracks?

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Anyone who believes in the warning of the bible (prophecies concerning the end time which is now) shall be benefited from my invention. Because they won't be stupid enough to pass this! -Alex Chiu

http://www.apollosaturn.com/ml.htm

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...204/cover.html

Harald

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"Flying in space is risky business, but just staying on this planet is risky business too." - John Young, astronaut

I believe the crawler way was made of densely packed gravel that extended many many metres down into the ground.

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Freedom For Fission A breath of fresh Iodine-131

I don't think many meters down. The water table is pretty low at the launch facilities, less than 3ft below the surface. I could be wrong...

As for the pressure? Those tracks are huge! I've stood next to them before and they are absolutely massive! Whatever weight from the rocket is transfered to the tracks probably equates to a very small pressure. As a rough estimate each one is about 12 ft wide and 50 ft long qty of 8, fueled rocket weight of 7,000,000 lbf crawler weight of 1,000,000 lbf (just guessing here, probably close)....roughly 12psi (less than 100kPa), that's considerably less than the pressure underneath the human foot! Even for really rough numbers this seems acceptable.

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...what's so wrong with a little overkill?

From memory, each link in the crawlers track weighs 1 ton (tonne?)
but they are huge, so the weight must be spread over a large area. --- I still wouldn't want one on my foot!

I'm not sure about the Saturn V crawlerway, but the modern crawlerway from the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) to launch pads 39A and B is an average of 2 meters deep.
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/f...crawlerway.htm

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Matt Bisgaier
http://www.mattster.com/

So can we run the crawler over Bart Sibrel? :-?

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Anyone who believes in the warning of the bible (prophecies concerning the end time which is now) shall be benefited from my invention. Because they won't be stupid enough to pass this! -Alex Chiu

I can tell you that the pressure is high enough that it would crush a standard roadway, hence the special crawlerway.

The crawler has 8 tracks each 41.25 feet long by 7.5 feet wide. That's about 309 square feet each, so we'll say a total area of 355968 square inches. Anyways, the whole assembly (crawler, launchpad, and shuttle) weighs in at a hefty 18.25 million lbs. A bit of math gives me about 51 lbs/sq in.

What? And get crushed Sibrel all over it? Can you imagine the costs of cleaning the gunk of someone that fat?

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Freedom For Fission A breath of fresh Iodine-131

Thanks for the more accurate calculation! I guess I severely underestimated the weight of the crawler itself....anyway, I'll see if I can get a friend of mine who works on the shuttle to answer anymore questions for you...

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...what's so wrong with a little overkill?

You might want to check out the website dedicated to preserving the Apollo launch towers, since they've got some of the blueprints for the crawler on the site as well. http://savethelut.org/