Technicians in the Vehicle Assembly Building are jacking crawler-transporter-2 four feet off the floor to facilitate removal of the roller bearing assemblies. After inspections, new assemblies will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser The crawler-transporter modifications are part of NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) efforts to upgrade Kennedy’s infrastructure to support the 21st-century spaceport. Read the full story here. |
Mary Hanna of the Vehicle Integration and Launch Branch of Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, describes modifications being made to crawler-transporter-2 to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden during his visit to the Kennedy Space Center last August. Hanna is the crawler-transporter project manager overseeing upgrades to the mammoth vehicle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett For more information visit www.nasa.gov. |
Crawler-transporter-2 (CT-2) is on its way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Park Site west of the building. The crawler-transporters were an integral part of the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. For more than 45 years the crawlers were used to transport the mobile launcher platforms and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. At the end of 2011, engineers began modifying CT-2 to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as NASA’s Space Launch System. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
Recent work on crawler-transporter-2 includes preparations to install upgraded roller bearing assemblies. The area where the assemblies are located is circled in blue. Photo credit: NASA |
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense