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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
Facilities and geographic features of Kennedy Space Center
Map
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4km
2.5miles
24
24 Space Systems Processing Facility
24 Space Systems Processing Facility
23
23 Multi-Payload Processing Facility
23 Multi-Payload Processing Facility
22
22 Launch Complex 39 Press Site
22 Launch Complex 39 Press Site
21
21 Orbiter Processing Facility 3
21 Orbiter Processing Facility 3
20
20 Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2
20 Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2
19
19 Launch Control Center
19 Launch Control Center
18
18 Crawlerway
18 Crawlerway
17
17 Blue Origin Ransom Road facility
17 Blue Origin Ransom Road facility
16
16 Exploration Park
16 Exploration Park
15
15 SpaceX Roberts Road Operations Center
15 SpaceX Roberts Road Operations Center
14
14 Launch Complex 48
14 Launch Complex 48
13
13 Operations and Checkout Building
13 Operations and Checkout Building
12
11
10
10 Astronaut Beach House
10 Astronaut Beach House
9
9 KSC Headquarters Building
9 KSC Headquarters Building
8
8 Indian River
8 Indian River
7
7 Banana River
7 Banana River
6
6 Apollo/Saturn V Center
6 Apollo/Saturn V Center
5
5 Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
5 Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
4
4 Shuttle Landing Facility
4 Shuttle Landing Facility
3
3 Vehicle Assembly Building
3 Vehicle Assembly Building
2
2 Launch Complex 39 (LC-39B)
2 Launch Complex 39 (LC-39B)
1
1 Launch Complex 39 (LC-39A)
1 Launch Complex 39 (LC-39A)

Facilities and geographical features of Kennedy Space Center:
1
Launch Complex 39 (LC-39A)
2
Launch Complex 39 (LC-39B)
3
Vehicle Assembly Building
4
Shuttle Landing Facility
5
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
6
Apollo/Saturn V Center
7
Banana River
8
Indian River
9
KSC Headquarters Building
10
Astronaut Beach House
11
Banana Creek
12
Cochran Cove
13
Operations and Checkout Building
14
Launch Complex 48
15
SpaceX Roberts Road Operations Center
16
Exploration Park
17
Blue Origin Ransom Road facility
18
Crawlerway
19
Launch Control Center
20
Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2
21
Orbiter Processing Facility 3
22
Launch Complex 39 Press Site
23
Multi-Payload Processing Facility
24
Space Systems Processing Facility

The Crawlerway is a 130-foot-wide (40 m)[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 3.4 and 4.2 miles (5.5 and 6.8 km) to Pad 39A and Pad 39B, respectively. 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 originally designed to support the weight of the Saturn V rocket and its payload, plus the Launch Umbilical Tower and mobile launcher platform, atop a crawler-transporter during the Apollo program. It was also used from 1981 to 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

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The Crawlerway is composed of two 40-foot-wide (12 m) lanes, separated by a 50-foot (15 m) median. The top layer is Alabama river rock, 4 inches (10 cm) thick on the straight sections and 8 inches (20 cm) thick on curves. Alabama river rock was chosen for many properties, including hardness, roundness, sphericity and LA abrasion test score.[3] Beneath that is 4 feet (1.2 m) of graded, crushed stone, resting on two layers of fill.[2] By 2013, a project to repair and upgrade the Crawlerway was undertaken, the first time since it was constructed that the foundation had been repaired. Additional rock was added to the surface in June 2014.[4]

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  • 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
  • The prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise begins its journey down the Crawlerway from Pad 39A to the VAB in July 1979 following a series of fit-checks
    The prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise begins its journey down the Crawlerway from Pad 39A to the VAB in July 1979 following a series of fit-checks
  • The Space Shuttle Atlantis is moved back to the VAB in January 2001 after the launch of STS-98 was scrubbed
    The Space Shuttle Atlantis is moved back to the VAB in January 2001 after the launch of STS-98 was scrubbed
  • 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

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Mobile Launcher Platform". NASA Facts. Countdown! NASA Launch Vehicles and Facilities. NASA. October 1991. PMS 018-B. Archived from the original on January 9, 2008.
  3. ^ Vaughan, Robert. "NASA Crawlerway Foundation and Compatibility Study". Jones Edmunds. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. ^ Herridge, Linda (February 22, 2013). "Upgrades Will Prepare Crawlerway for Space Launch System". NASA. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
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Media related to Crawlerway at Wikimedia Commons

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