The transporters were utilized for thirty years to deliver the space shuttles to Launch Complex-39 (LC-39). astronauts to points beyond low-Earth-orbit (LEO) for the first time in over four decades. This massive launch vehicle is designed to power U.S. The crawler-transporters are being renovated so that one of them can be used to deliver different spacecraft and launch vehicles to the launch pad – the other is being dedicated for use on NASA’s Space Launch System or SLS. ![]() The transporter’s massive treads are one of the vehicle’s elements that are currently experiencing these issues. Some companies that manufactured parts for the crawler-transporters no longer exist making the task of preparing them for future missions more challenging. The fact that these mammoths have been in service so long – is causing some issues during their refurbishment. These iconic vehicles are now undergoing renovations to prepare them to once again send humans beyond the confines of their homeworld. ![]() sent astronauts to the Moon, these ponderous vehicles have carried their own payloads out to Launch Complex 39. Photo Credit: Julian Leek/Blue Sawtooth Studios He is very familiar with the crawler-transporters - here is one of his images from Apollo 16. Julian Leek has been covering the space program for some time. They are NASA’s monstrous crawler-transporters. They have to – the cargo they carry is delicate and precious. We sent veteran aerospace photojournalist Julian Leek to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on a tour of one of the massive crawler-transporters that have been used by the space agency to deliver launch vehicles to Launch Complex 39 since the Apollo era.ĬAPE CANAVERAL, Fla – They move across the landscape at the staggering speed of one mile an hour. NASA's crawler-transporters have been around since the Apollo era and are now being prepared for future missions.
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