KSC-2009-1566

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An aerial view of a mobile launcher platform that is parked in the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform, which is a moveable base for the launch of space shuttle, is a two-story steel structure 25 feet high, 160 feet long and 135 feet wide. It is constructed of welded steel up to 6 inches thick. The platform rests on six 22-foot-tall pedestals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-1568

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An aerial view of a mobile launcher platform that is parked in the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform, which is a moveable base for the launch of space shuttle, is a two-story steel structure 25 feet high, 160 feet long and 135 feet wide. It is constructed of welded steel up to 6 inches thick. The platform rests on six 22-foot-tall pedestals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-29 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, roll out to KSC LC Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

In the early morning hours, STS-29 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, mated to the external tank (ET) and solid rocket boosters (SRBs) is rolled out to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B atop the mobile launcher platform. Trees, shrubs, and a light mist surround the mobile launcher platform as it makes its way to LC Pad 39B. OV-103 will fly on Mission STS-29 scheduled for launch in mid-March. View provided by KSC with alternate KSC number KSC-89PC-50.

KSC-2009-2537

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The sound suppression system is tested on the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2009-2538

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The sound suppression system is tested on the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis roars into the clear blue sky from the billows of smoke below after launch on mission STS-112, the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39B occurred at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station.

KSC-04PD-2561

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In a Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay, workers monitor the movement of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) aft center segment as it is lowered toward an aft segment already secured to a Mobile Launch Platform. These segments are part of the right SRB for the Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission, STS-114. Two SRBs are stacked on a Mobile Launch Platform for each Shuttle flight and later joined by an External Tank. The twin 149-foot tall, 12-foot diameter SRBs provide the main propulsion system during launch. They operate in parallel with the Space Shuttle main engines for the first two minutes of flight and jettison away from the orbiter with help from the Booster Separation Motors, about 26.3 nautical miles above the Earths surface.

KSC-04PD-2562

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In a Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay, workers check the alignment of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) aft center segment as it is lowered toward an aft segment already secured to a Mobile Launch Platform. These segments are part of the right SRB for the Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission, STS-114. Two SRBs are stacked on a Mobile Launch Platform for each Shuttle flight and later joined by an External Tank. The twin 149-foot tall, 12-foot diameter SRBs provide the main propulsion system during launch. They operate in parallel with the Space Shuttle main engines for the first two minutes of flight and jettison away from the orbiter with help from the Booster Separation Motors, about 26.3 nautical miles above the Earths surface.

KSC-04PD-2565

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In a Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay, workers check the alignment of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) aft center segment which has been lowered onto an aft segment already secured to a Mobile Launch Platform. These segments are part of the right SRB for the Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission, STS-114. Two SRBs are stacked on a Mobile Launch Platform for each Shuttle flight and later joined by an External Tank. The twin 149-foot tall, 12-foot diameter SRBs provide the main propulsion system during launch. They operate in parallel with the Space Shuttle main engines for the first two minutes of flight and jettison away from the orbiter with help from the Booster Separation Motors, about 26.3 nautical miles above the Earths surface.

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS I. Sheet A17 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS II. Sheet A18 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. ISOMETRIC: EXISTING ML NO. 3 LAUNCHER. Sheet A1 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, on the mobile launcher platform heads to KSC LC pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-30 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, riding atop the mobile launcher platform and the crawler transporter approaches Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. This backlit view highlights OV-104's profile, the external tank (ET), and one of the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) as it moves up LC pad 39B incline.

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS IV. Sheet A20 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. ISOMETRIC VIEW: MLP NO. 1. Sheet A10 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

KSC-98pc1180

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-09-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At left, the payload canister for Space Shuttle Discovery is lifted from its canister movement vehicle to the top of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39-B. Discovery (right), sitting atop the Mobile Launch Platform and next to the Fixed Service Structure, is scheduled for launch on Oct. 29, 1998, for the STS-95 mission. That mission includes the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3), the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, and the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, ELEVATION – SIDE 1 & 2. Sheet A15 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK A. Sheet A13 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, ELEVATION – SIDE 3 & 4. Sheet A16 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK B. Sheet A14 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK 0. Sheet A12 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

KSC-98pc1044

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-06

In this aerial view the Crawler Transporter Maintenance Building (center) sits between two crawler transporters. The KSC crawlers are the largest tracked vehicles known. Once used to move assembled Apollo/Saturn from the VAB to the launch pad, they are now used for transporting Shuttle vehicles. They move the Mobile Launcher Platform into the Vehicle Assembly Building and then to the Launch Pad with an assembled space vehicle. Maximum speed is 1.6 km (one mile) per hour loaded, about 3.2 km (2 miles) per hour unloaded. Launch Pad to VAB trip time with the Mobile Launch Platform is about 5 hours. The crawler burns 568 liters (150 gallons) of diesel oil per mile. KSC's two crawlers have accumulated 1,243 miles since 1977. Including the Apollo years, the transporters have racked up 2,526 miles, about the same distance as a one-way trip from KSC to Los Angeles by interstate highway or a round trip between KSC and New York City

Aerial view of the KSC crawler transporters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In this aerial view the Crawler Transporter Maintenance Building (center) sits between two crawler transporters. The KSC crawlers are the largest tracked vehicles known. Once used to move assembled Apollo/Saturn from the VAB to the launch pad, they are now used for transporting Shuttle vehicles. They move the Mobile Launcher Platform into the Vehicle Assembly Building and then to the Launch Pad with an assembled space vehicle. Maximum speed is 1.6 km (one mile) per hour loaded, about 3.2 km (2 miles) per hour unloaded. Launch Pad to VAB trip time with the Mobile Launch Platform is about 5 hours. The crawler burns 568 liters (150 gallons) of diesel oil per mile. KSC's two crawlers have accumulated 1,243 miles since 1977. Including the Apollo years, the transporters have racked up 2,526 miles, about the same distance as a one-way trip from KSC to Los Angeles by interstate highway or a round trip between KSC and New York City.

KSC-08pd3270

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Despite the incline, space shuttle Atlantis remains on a level plane as it rolls off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. The crawler-transporter underneath the mobile launcher platform maintains the level plane through a leveling system designed to keep the top of the space shuttle vehicle vertical. This system also provides the leveling operations required to negotiate the 5-percent ramp leading to the launch pads. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

Work is underway to secure the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

3. AERIAL VIEW OF MOBILE LAUNCHER. ON TOP OF LUT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. AERIAL VIEW OF MOBILE LAUNCHER. ON TOP OF LUT SITS A 25 TON HAMMERHEAD CRANE. STRUCTURE ON LEFT SIDE OF LAUNCH PLATFORM IS KNOWN AS A 'MILK STOOL' AND ALLOWS A SATURN 1B ROCKET TO BE USED IN PLACE OF THE SATURN V ROCKET. - Mobile Launcher One, Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, Brevard County, FL

STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery rollout to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

As daylight creeps over the horizon, STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery, on the Mobile Launch Platform, arrives at Launch Complex Pad 39B after a 4.2-mile trip taking approximately 6 hours. At the left is the 'white room,' attached to the orbiter access arm. The white room is an environmental chamber that mates with the orbiter and holds six persons. At the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off Oct. 29. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar- observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

Mobile Launch Platform Vehicle Assembly Area (SWMU 056) Biosparge Expansion Interim Measures Work Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcham, Michael S.; Daprato, Rebecca C.

2016-01-01

This document presents the design details for an Interim Measure (IM) Work Plan (IMWP) for the Mobile Launch Platform/Vehicle Assembly Building (MLPV) Area, located at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The MLPV Area has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit Number 056 (SWMU 056) under KSC's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. This report was prepared by Geosyntec Consultants (Geosyntec) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under contract number NNK09CA02B and NNK12CA13B, project control number ENV1642. The Advanced Data Package (ADP) presentation covering the elements of this IMWP report received KSC Remediation Team (KSCRT) approval at the December 2015 Team Meeting; the meeting minutes are included in Appendix A.

KSC-02pd1890

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A where it will undergo preparations for launch. The STS-107 research mission comprises experiments ranging from material sciences to life sciences, plus the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. Mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch Jan. 16, 2003.

KSC-2014-2615

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter rolls toward Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, from the pad to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2622

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter carries Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, away from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP is being moved to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-02pd1894

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia sits on Launch Pad 39A, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. The STS-107 research mission comprises experiments ranging from material sciences to life sciences, plus the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. Mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch Jan. 16, 2003.

ML Construction Progress

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-17

Modifications continue on the Mobile Launcher, or ML, at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Scaffolding, or work platforms, have been installed around the base of the tower on the ML to continue upgrades and modifications to the structure. The ML is being modified and strengthened to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, and Orion spacecraft. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. The ML will carry the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B for its first uncrewed mission, Exploration Mission-1, in 2018.

DETAIL VIEW OF COMPUTER PANELS, ROOM 8A Cape Canaveral ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL VIEW OF COMPUTER PANELS, ROOM 8A - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, moves away from the Vehicle Assembly Building, with a Mobile Launcher Platform on top, on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, moves away from the Vehicle Assembly Building, with a Mobile Launcher Platform on top, on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds.

ARC-1980-AC80-0107-19

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-06

Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise mated to an external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters on top of a Mobil Launcher Platform, undergoes fit and function checks at the launch site for the first Space Shuttle at Launch Complex 39's Pad A. The dummy Space Shuttle was assembled in the Vehicle Assembly Building and rolled out to the launch site on May 1 as part of an exercise to make certain shuttle elements are compatible with the Spaceport's assembly and launch facilities and ground support equipment, and help clear the way for the launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia.

ARC-1980-AC80-0107-14

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-06

SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER ENTERPRISE MATED TO AN EXTERNAL FUEL TANK AND TWO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS ON TOP OF A MOBIL LAUNCHER PLATFORM, UNDERGOES FIT AND FUNCTION CHECKS AT THE LAUNCH SITE FOR THE FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39'S PAD A. THE DUMMY SPACE SHUTTLE WAS ASSEMBLED IN THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING AND ROLLED OUT TO THE LAUNCH SITE ON MAY 1 AS PART OF AN EXERCISE TO MAKE CERTAIN SHUTTLE ELEMENTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SPACEPORT'S ASSEMBLY AND LAUNCH FACILITIES AND GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, AND HELP CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER COLUMBIA.

ARC-1980-AC80-0107-17

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-02-06

SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER ENTERPRISE MATED TO AN EXTERNAL FUEL TANK AND TWO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS ON TOP OF A MOBIL LAUNCHER PLATFORM, UNDERGOES FIT AND FUNCTION CHECKS AT THE LAUNCH SITE FOR THE FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39'S PAD A. THE DUMMY SPACE SHUTTLE WAS ASSEMBLED IN THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING AND ROLLED OUT TO THE LAUNCH SITE ON MAY 1 AS PART OF AN EXERCISE TO MAKE CERTAIN SHUTTLE ELEMENTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SPACEPORT'S ASSEMBLY AND LAUNCH FACILITIES AND GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, AND HELP CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER COLUMBIA.

KSC-2014-2617

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter begins its climb toward Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, on the hardstand at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move the MLP to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2623

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The flame trench comes into view on Launch Pad 39A as a crawler-transporter hauls Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, off the pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP is being moved to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2619

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter nears the Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, positioned over the flame trench at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move the MLP to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2616

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter begins its climb to the hardstand at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, from the pad to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2618

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter creeps toward Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, on the hardstand at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move the MLP to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2620

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter rolls under the Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, positioned over the flame trench at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move the MLP to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2624

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, rolling away from Launch Pad 39A atop a crawler-transporter, was positioned over the pad's flame trench only moments before. The MLP is being moved to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2621

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a truck sprays water along the crawlerway to reduce dust ahead of the crawler-transporter moving Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, from Launch Pad 39A to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2626

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a truck sprays water along the crawlerway to reduce dust ahead of the crawler-transporter moving Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, from Launch Pad 39A, in the background, to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2627

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The crawler-transporter transporting Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, from Launch Pad 39A creeps along the crawlerway toward the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP is being moved to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The STS-93 external tank and booster stack sits at the Mobile Launcher Platform park site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The STS-93 stack of solid rocket boosters and external tank sits at the Mobile Launcher Platform park site waiting for lightning shield wires to be installed on the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in the background. The stack is being temporarily stored outside the VAB while Space Shuttle Discovery undergoes repair to hail damage in High Bay 1. Discovery was rolled back from Pad 39B to the VAB for repairs because access to all of the damaged areas was not possible at the pad. The STS-93 stack will be moved under the wires at the VAB for protection until Discovery returns to the pad, later this week. The scheduled date for launch of mission STS-96 is no earlier than May 27. STS-93 is targeted for launch on July 22, carrying the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

KSC-06pd1710

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the bright light of day, Space Shuttle Atlantis nears the hard stand on Launch Pad 39B. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was 1:05 a.m. The shuttle sits on top of the mobile launcher platform, which in turn rests on the crawler-transporter. At right is the 290-foot high, 300,000- gallon water tank that aids in sound suppression during launch. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the shuttle engines and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds, pouring into 16 nozzles atop the flame deflectors and from outlets in the main engines exhaust hole in the mobile launcher platform. The slow speed of the crawler results in a 6-hour trek to the pad approximately 4 miles away. Atlantis' launch window begins Aug. 27 for an 11-day mission to the International Space Station. The STS-115 crew of six astronauts will continue construction of the station and install their cargo, the Port 3/4 truss segment with its two large solar arrays. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

ML Construction Progress

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-17

Modifications continue on the Mobile Launcher, or ML, at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A crane is being used to move scaffolding, or work platforms, around the base of the tower on the ML to continue upgrades and modifications to the structure. The ML is being modified and strengthened to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, and Orion spacecraft. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. The ML will carry the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B for its first uncrewed mission, Exploration Mission-1, in 2018.

STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, at KSC Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, sits atop the mobile launcher platform at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. Profile of OV-104 mounted on external tank and flanked by solid rocket boosters (SRBs) is obscured by a flock of seagulls in the foreground. The fixed service structure (FSS) with rotating service structure (RSS) retracted appears in the background. Water resevoir is visible at the base of the launch pad concrete structure.

STS-107 Columbia rollout to Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia, framed by trees near the Banana River, rolls towards Launch Pad 39A, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, which in turn is carried by the crawler-transporter underneath. The STS-107 research mission comprises experiments ranging from material sciences to life sciences (many rats), plus the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. Mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch Jan. 16, 2003.

Cabana Multi-User Spaceport Tour of KSC

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-17

Members of the news media view the 10 levels of new work platforms in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) during a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with Center Director Bob Cabana. The final platform, A north, was recently installed. The platforms will surround the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on the mobile launcher during processing to prepare for the first test flight. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.

DETAIL VIEW OF THE POWER CONNECTIONS (FRONT) AND COMPUTER PANELS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL VIEW OF THE POWER CONNECTIONS (FRONT) AND COMPUTER PANELS (REAR), ROOM 8A - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

DETAIL VIEW OF A VIDEO CAMERA POSITIONED ALONG THE PERIMETER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL VIEW OF A VIDEO CAMERA POSITIONED ALONG THE PERIMETER OF THE MLP - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

KSC-98pc1179

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-09-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At left, the payload canister for Space Shuttle Discovery is lifted from its canister movement vehicle to the top of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39-B. Discovery (right), sitting atop the Mobile Launch Platform and next to the Fixed Service Structure (FSS), is scheduled for launch on Oct. 29, 1998, for the STS-95 mission. That mission includes the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3), the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, and the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. At the top of the FSS can be seen the 80-foot lightning mast . The 4-foot-high lightning rod on top helps prevent lightning current from passing directly through the Space Shuttle and the structures on the pad

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) clears the platform. SIRTF will be attached to the Delta II rocket and encapsulated in its fairing before launch. Consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, SIRTF is one of NASA’s largest infrared telescopes to be launched. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) clears the platform. SIRTF will be attached to the Delta II rocket and encapsulated in its fairing before launch. Consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, SIRTF is one of NASA’s largest infrared telescopes to be launched. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

STS-112 Pilot Melroy suits up for launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Pilot Pamela Melroy finishes suiting up for launch. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. .

STS-112 M.S. Magnus suits up before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus finishes suiting up before launch. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

KSC-2012-1679

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin the work to secure a new engine and generator inside crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1670

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, new engines and generators have arrived for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1680

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin the work to secure a new engine and generator inside crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1343

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare an Apollo era diesel engine inside crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) for removal. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1671

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a new engine and generator have arrived for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1672

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare a new engine and generator for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC VAB Aeroacoustic Hazard Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). Several platform levels are used to perform processing operations and will too be reused and/or modified. Each HB is...I/V Flight Vehicles and the VAB The shell is made up of hundreds of aluminum “punch-out” panels which are designed to fail above approximately 100...into several slices which are converted to monopole sources (see figure below). Figure 3: Plume conversion into acoustic sources [2] The

KSC-2014-2625

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, is glimpsed across the water as it departs Launch Pad 39A atop a crawler-transporter. A pad on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is in view in the background. The MLP is being moved to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39. The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities. For more information on Launch Pad 39A, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167416main_LC39-08.pdf. For learn more about the crawler-transporter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167402main_crawlertransporters07.pdf. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4610

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, the Ares I-X rocket is being assembled on the mobile launcher platform. Super Stack 4 has just been mated to Super Stack 3 on top. Five super stacks make up the upper stage that will be integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-4609

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, the Ares I-X rocket is being assembled on the mobile launcher platform. Super Stack 4 has just been mated to Super Stack 3 on top. Five super stacks make up the upper stage that will be integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-02pd1885

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia rolls towards Launch Pad 39A, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, which in turn is carried by the crawler-transporter underneath. The STS-107 research mission comprises experiments ranging from material sciences to life sciences (many rats), plus the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. Mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch Jan. 16, 2003.

Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle Modal Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehrle, Ralph D.; Templeton, Justin D.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.; Gaspar, James L.; Bartolotta, Paul A.; Parks, Russel A.; Lazor, Daniel R.

2010-01-01

The first test flight of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle, called Ares I-X, was launched on October 28, 2009. Ares I-X used a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Flight test data will provide important information on ascent loads, vehicle control, separation, and first stage reentry dynamics. As part of hardware verification, a series of modal tests were designed to verify the dynamic finite element model (FEM) used in loads assessments and flight control evaluations. Based on flight control system studies, the critical modes were the first three free-free bending mode pairs. Since a test of the free-free vehicle was not practical within project constraints, modal tests for several configurations during vehicle stacking were defined to calibrate the FEM. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X flight test vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This report describes the test requirements, constraints, pre-test analysis, test execution and results for the Ares I-X flight test vehicle modal test on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Initial comparisons between pre-test predictions and test data are also presented.

Payload canister for Discovery is lifted in place for transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

At left, the payload canister for Space Shuttle Discovery is lifted from its canister movement vehicle to the top of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39-B. Discovery (right), sitting atop the Mobile Launch Platform and next to the Fixed Service Structure (FSS), is scheduled for launch on Oct. 29, 1998, for the STS-95 mission. That mission includes the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3), the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the Spartan solar- observing deployable spacecraft, and the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. At the top of the FSS can be seen the 80-foot lightning mast . The 4- foot-high lightning rod on top helps prevent lightning current from passing directly through the Space Shuttle and the structures on the pad.

Photography by KSC Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise mated to an external fuel tank and two solid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Photography by KSC Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise mated to an external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters on top of a Mobil Launcher Platform, undergoes fit and function checks at the launch site for the first Space Shuttle at Launch Complex 39's Pad A. The dummy Space Shuttle was assembled in the Vehicle Assembly Building and rolled out to the launch site on May 1 as part of an exercise to make certain shuttle elements are compatible with the Spaceport's assembly and launch facilities and ground support equipment, and help clear the way for the launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KSC SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER ENTERPRISE MATED TO AN EXTERNAL FUEL TANK AND TWO SOLID

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KSC SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER ENTERPRISE MATED TO AN EXTERNAL FUEL TANK AND TWO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS ON TOP OF A MOBIL LAUNCHER PLATFORM, UNDERGOES FIT AND FUNCTION CHECKS AT THE LAUNCH SITE FOR THE FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39'S PAD A. THE DUMMY SPACE SHUTTLE WAS ASSEMBLED IN THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING AND ROLLED OUT TO THE LAUNCH SITE ON MAY 1 AS PART OF AN EXERCISE TO MAKE CERTAIN SHUTTLE ELEMENTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SPACEPORT'S ASSEMBLY AND LAUNCH FACILITIES AND GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, AND HELP CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER COLUMBIA.

General view of a fully assembled Solid Rocket Booster sitting ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of a fully assembled Solid Rocket Booster sitting atop the Mobile Launch Platform in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

KSC-2009-6225

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program grows as the fourth section is lowered into position. The tower will be approximately 345 feet tall when completed and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The ML is being built at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Mobile Launch Platform Vehicle Assembly Building Area (SWMU 056) Hot Spot 3 Bioremediation Interim Measures Work Plan, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitney L. Morrison; Daprato, Rebecca C.

2016-01-01

This Interim Measures Work Plan (IMWP) presents an approach and design for the remediation of chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) groundwater impacts using bioremediation (biostimulation and bioaugmentation) in Hot Spot 3, which is defined by the area where CVOC (trichloroethene [TCE], cis-1,2-dichloroethene [cDCE], and vinyl chloride [VC]) concentrations are greater than 10 times their respective Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Natural Attenuation Default Concentration (NADC) [10xNADC] near the western Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) structure. The IM treatment area is the Hot Spot 3 area, which is approximately 0.07 acres and extends from approximately 6 to 22 and 41 to 55 feet below land surface (ft BLS). Within Hot Spot 3, a source zone (SZ; area with TCE concentrations greater than 1% solubility [11,000 micrograms per liter (micrograms/L)]) was delineated and is approximately 0.02 acres and extends from approximately 6 to 16 and 41 to 50 ft BLS.

STS-112 M.S. Wolf suits up for launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist David Wolf suits up for launch, just hours away. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. .

STS-112 M.S. Sellers suits up for launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During suitup for launch, STS-112 Mission Specialist Piers Sellers smiles in anticipation of his first Shuttle flight. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

KSC-2012-1676

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane lifts a new engine and generator high overhead for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1349

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift an Apollo era diesel engine away from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1674

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lifts a new engine and generator for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1350

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift an Apollo era diesel engine away from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1675

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane is used to lift a new engine and generator high overhead for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1678

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lowers a new engine and generator for installation inside crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1337

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane begins to lift part of an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1351

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift an Apollo era diesel engine away from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1336

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is lowered toward crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) so that the Apollo era diesel engine can be removed. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1346

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane begins to lift an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1340

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane operator lifts part of an Apollo era diesel engine away from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1673

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane begins to lift a new engine and generator for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1338

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane begins to lift part of an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1352

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift an Apollo era diesel engine away from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1344

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ––Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress as a crane begins to lift an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1677

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane lifts a new engine and generator high overhead for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1334

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is lowered toward crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) so that the Apollo era diesel engine can be removed. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1348

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress as a crane lifts an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1345

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare an Apollo era diesel engine to be lifted by crane from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1339

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lifts part of an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1347

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane lifts an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

SSV Launch Monitoring Strategies: HGDS Design and Development Through System Maturity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shoemaker, Marc D.; Crimi, Thomas

2010-01-01

This poster presentation reviews the design and development of the Hazardous Gas Detection System (HGDS). It includes a overview schematic of the HGDS, pictures of the shuttle on the Mobile Launch platform, the original HGDS, the current HGDS and parts of the original and current system. There are charts showing the dynamics of the orbiter during external tank loading, and transient leaks observed on HGDS during Power Reactant Storage and Distribution (PRSD) load.

View of the Endeavour moving towards it launch pad

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-06-06

STS077-S-044 (16 April 1996) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour atop the Mobile Launcher Platform and Crawler-Transporter (MLP/CT) slowly lumbers past a tree alongside the crawlerway, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B will take about five to six hours to complete. Once hard down at the pad, preparations will continue to ready Endeavour for its upcoming spaceflight on STS-77.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A high-flying bird takes a closer look at the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it as it crawls toward Launch Pad 39A, in the background. The crawler is moving along the crawlerway at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A high-flying bird takes a closer look at the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it as it crawls toward Launch Pad 39A, in the background. The crawler is moving along the crawlerway at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KSC-02pd0537

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Orbiter Processing Facility, spectators watch as Endeavour is rolled out of the bay on top of a transporter. The orbiter is being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for mating to the External Tank/Solid Rocket Boosters atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. Endeavour is targeted to launch May 30, 2002, on mission STS-111 to the International Space Station. Mission goals include delivering and installing the Mobile Base System to complete the Canadian Mobile Service System and carrying the Expedition 5 crew to the Station for rotation with Expedition 4.

KSC-2010-4358

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Constellation Program Manager Dale Thomas talks to employees at a completion ceremony for NASA's new mobile launcher, or ML, support structure. The ceremony was held underneath the structure's launch mount opening. It took about two years to construct the launcher in the Mobile Launcher Park site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The 355-foot-tall structure will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. The next step will be to add ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2010-4359

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Constellation Senior Project Manager Larry Schultz talks to employees at a completion ceremony for NASA's new mobile launcher, or ML, support structure. The ceremony was held underneath the structure's launch mount opening. It took about two years to construct the launcher in the Mobile Launcher Park site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The 355-foot-tall structure will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. The next step will be to add ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

STS-45 Atlantis, OV-104, lifts off from KSC Launch Complex (LC) Pad

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-03-24

STS-45 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lifts off from a Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad at 8:13:40:048 am (Eastern Standard Time (EST)). Exhaust billows out the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) as OV-104 atop its external tank (ET) soars above the mobile launcher platform and is nearly clear of the fixed service structure (FSS) tower. The diamond shock effect produced by the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) is visible. The glow of the SRB/SSME firings is reflected in a nearby waterway. An exhaust cloud covers the launch pad area.

KSC-02pd0390

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis is revealed as the Rotating Service Structure rolls back into launch position. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. The structure has access platforms at five levels to provide access to the payload bay. The Shuttle rests on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), which straddles the flame trench below. The flame trench is part of the Flame Deflector System that insulates pad structures from the intense heat of the launch. Above the golden external tank is the vent hood (known as the "beanie cap") at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm. Vapors are created as the liquid oxygen in the external tank boil off. The hood vents the gaseous oxygen vapors away from the Space Shuttle vehicle. Mission STS-110 is scheduled to launch April 4 on its 11-day mission to the International Space Station

KSC-2013-4208

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A truck sprays water along the crawlerway to reduce dust ahead of crawler-transporter 1 as it continues its trek to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New jacking, equalizing and leveling, or JEL, hydraulic cylinders were installed on CT-1 and will be tested for increased load carrying capacity and reliability. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy continues to upgrade the crawler-transporter as part of its general maintenance. CT-1 could be available to carry a variety of launch vehicles to the launch pad. Two crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-4202

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A truck sprays water along the crawlerway to reduce dust ahead of crawler-transporter 1 as it begins its trek to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New jacking, equalizing and leveling, or JEL, hydraulic cylinders were installed on CT-1 and are being tested for increased load carrying capacity and reliability. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy continues to upgrade the crawler-transporter as part of its general maintenance. CT-1 could be available to carry a variety of launch vehicles to the launch pad. Two crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-02pd0130

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sir David Attenborough (center) works with a film crew on Launch Pad 39A. Space Shuttle Columbia, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, is seen in the background. At left are the Rotating Service Structure, which is open, and the Fixed Service Structure. Attenborough is filming commentary for a documentary

KSC-2010-1102

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-01-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane hoists the eighth tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, off the ground toward the launcher's growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6660

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program grows as the fifth tower segment is balanced in position. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6792

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program continues to grow as the sixth tower segment is balanced in position. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2010-1101

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-01-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the eighth tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, begins its ascent to the top of the growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6892

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the seventh tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, begins its ascent to the top of the growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6894

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane hoists the seventh tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, off the ground toward the launcher's growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2010-1105

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-01-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction of the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program progresses with placement of the eighth tower segment on the growing structure. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-02pd0815

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-05-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A at 2:48 a.m. EDT, the Rotating Service Structure (left) begins rolling back from Space Shuttle Endeavour to allow launch preparations. At the lower left corner is seen the driver of one of the motor-driven trucks that move along circular twin rails installed flush with the pad surface. Endeavour rests on the Mobile Launcher Platform that straddles the flame trench below. The trench is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. STS-111 is the second Utilization Flight to the International Space Station, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the Mobile Base System (MBS), and a replacement wrist/roll joint for the Canadarm 2. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is the Expedition 5 crew who will replace Expedition 4 on board the Station. The MBS will be installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab Destiny to the MSS and travel along the truss to work sites. Expedition 4 crew members will return to Earth with the STS-111 crew on Endeavour. Launch is scheduled at 7:44 p.m. EDT, May 30, 2002

KSC-02pd1285

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-09-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After lifting to vertical, the orbiter Atlantis is moved toward the solid rocket booster and external tank below, on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform, for mating before rollout to the launch pad for mission STS-112. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Oct. 2 for the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Atlantis will carry the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, which will be attached to the central truss segment, the S0 truss, during the mission.

KSC-02pd1286

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-09-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Suspended from an overhead crane, the orbiter Atlantis is lowered toward the solid rocket booster and external tank below, on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform, for mating before rollout to the launch pad for mission STS-112. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Oct. 2 for the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Atlantis will carry the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, which will be attached to the central truss segment, the S0 truss, during the mission.

KSC-2015-1295

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, or MMS, is in position on the launch platform in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MMS will study the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively releasing energy via a process known a magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical spacecraft that work together to provide the first three-dimensional view of this fundamental process, which occurs throughout the universe. Launch is set for March 12. To learn more about MMS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mms. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2015-1294

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, or MMS, is positioned on the launch platform in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MMS will study the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively releasing energy via a process known a magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical spacecraft that work together to provide the first three-dimensional view of this fundamental process, which occurs throughout the universe. Launch is set for March 12. To learn more about MMS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mms. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1356

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an Apollo era diesel engine is secured onto the flatbed of a truck after it was removed from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1341

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ––– Outside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lower part of an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) onto the flatbed of a truck. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1342

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Outside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lower part of an Apollo era diesel engine from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) onto the flatbed of a truck. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1335

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker helps guide a crane as it is lowered toward crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) so that the Apollo era diesel engine can be removed. New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1355

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help secure an Apollo era diesel engine onto the flatbed of a truck after it was removed from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1109

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, dawn reveals the arrival of space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, at Launch Pad 39A to begin prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1106

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, arrives at Launch Pad 39A to begin prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1105

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This aerial view of NASA's Kennedy Space Center shows space shuttle Discovery, secured atop a mobile launch platform as it is moved into position at Launch Pad 39A to prepare for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1110

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the sun rises upon the arrival of space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, at Launch Pad 39A to begin prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-2012-6175

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a space shuttle era mobile launcher platform, on the left, sits on pedestals outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. To the right is the mobile launcher that will support the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transportation (CT) number 2 shows the new muffler system on the vehicle. The CT also recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transportation (CT) number 2 shows the new muffler system on the vehicle. The CT also recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, moves away from the Vehicle Assembly Building with a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on top on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, moves away from the Vehicle Assembly Building with a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on top on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 nears the launch pad with a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on top. After recent modifications to the cab and muffler system, the CT was taken on a test run. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 nears the launch pad with a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on top. After recent modifications to the cab and muffler system, the CT was taken on a test run. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 shows the cab, at left, that recently underwent modifications. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) on a test run to the pad. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 shows the cab, at left, that recently underwent modifications. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) on a test run to the pad. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 shows the cab (left, above the tracks) that recently underwent modifications. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) on a test run to the pad. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2 shows the cab (left, above the tracks) that recently underwent modifications. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) on a test run to the pad. The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

KSC-2009-4425

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform, space shuttle Discovery straddles the flame trench, which channels the flames and smoke exhaust of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters away from the space shuttle during liftoff, on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Traveling from the Vehicle Assembly Building, the shuttle took nearly 12 hours on the journey as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. Discovery was secured, or "hard down" to Launch Pad 39A at 1:50 p.m. EDT. "Hard down" means that the mobile launcher platform, or MLP, is sitting on the pedestals on the pad, and the crawler has been jacked down, thus transferring the weight of the MLP from the crawler to the pad pedestals. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-2009-1617

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the turn basin at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a tug boat keeps the barge in place for the offloading of the girder for the new mobile launcher. The new mobile launcher will be the base for the Ares rockets to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new mobile launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Vehicle Support Posts Installation onto Mobile Launcher

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-11

Construction workers on the deck of the mobile launcher at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepare a platform for installation of a vehicle support post. A total of eight support posts will be installed to support the load of the Space Launch System's (SLS) solid rocket boosters, with four posts for each of the boosters. The support posts are about five feet tall and each weigh about 10,000 pounds. The posts will structurally support the SLS rocket through T-0 and liftoff, and will drop down before vehicle liftoff to avoid contact with the flight hardware. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the support posts to prepare for the launch of the Orion spacecraft atop the SLS rocket.

KSC-08pd0606

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane moves the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, to the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

KSC-08pd0608

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, moves nearer to the payload canister where it will be installed for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

KSC-08pd0604

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, moves across the facility via an overhead crane to the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

KSC-08pd0607

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, moves closer to the payload canister where it will be installed for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

KSC-07pd1834

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Endeavour rests on Launch Pad 39A after rolling out from the Vehicle Assembly Building over night. First motion out of the VAB was at 8:10 p.m. July 10, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 3:02 a.m. July 11. The shuttle sits on top of the mobile launcher platform. At far left is the rotating service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the shuttle for access during processing. Behind it is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80-foot-tall lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tank, which provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. STS-118 will be the first flight since 2002 for Endeavour, which has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to orbiters Discovery and Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the cab of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, driver Sam Dove, with United Space Alliance, operates the vehicle on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the cab of crawler-transporter (CT) number 2, driver Sam Dove, with United Space Alliance, operates the vehicle on a test run to the launch pad. The CT recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

The Power of a Mouse!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wash, Pamela D.

2012-01-01

Student response systems (SRS) or clickers have become the norm in K-12 classrooms as an assessment tool as well as a means to increase class participation. Like most technologies, there are varying platforms and manufacturers of SRS mobile devices ranging in cost from approximately $1500 to $3000. In spring 2010, Microsoft launched a free…

STEM TIPS: Supporting the Beginning Secondary STEM Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Griff; Dana, Thomas; LaFramenta, Joanne; Adams, Thomasenia Lott; Arnold, Jason Dean

2016-01-01

The STEM TIPS mobile-ready support platform gives institutions or school districts the ability to provide immediate and customized mentoring to teachers through multiple tiers of web-based support and resources. Using the results of a needs assessment, STEM TIPS was created and launched in partnership with 18 Florida school districts. Further…

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The rising sun and some scattered clouds provide a picturesque backdrop for the Space Shuttle Discovery as it travels along the crawlerway toward Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-82 mission. The Shuttle is on a Mobile Launcher Platform, and the entire assemblage is being carried by a large, tracked vehicle called the crawler transporter. A seven-member crew will perform the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the 10-day STS-82 flight, whcih is targeted for a Feb. 11 liftoff.

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-01-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The rising sun and some scattered clouds provide a picturesque backdrop for the Space Shuttle Discovery as it travels along the crawlerway toward Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-82 mission. The Shuttle is on a Mobile Launcher Platform, and the entire assemblage is being carried by a large, tracked vehicle called the crawler transporter. A seven-member crew will perform the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the 10-day STS-82 flight, whcih is targeted for a Feb. 11 liftoff.

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

A 250-ton crane is used to lower the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like a star balanced on a stem of smoke, Space Shuttle Atlantis shoots through the clear blue sky after launch on mission STS-112, the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39B occurred at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

KSC01pp0565

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from across the turn basin at Launch Complex 39 area, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 (open door) atop a Mobile Launcher Platform and begins rolling to Launch Pad 39A via a crawler-transporter. The combined height of the Shuttle, MLP and transporter is 235.2 ft. (71.6 m). Once at the pad, routine launch pad validations will commence, verifying all vehicle and facility interfaces. Endeavour is expected to lift off on mission STS-100 on April 19, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, to the International Space Station

KSC01padig173

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from across the turn basin at Launch Complex 39 area, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 (open door) atop a Mobile Launcher Platform and begins rolling to Launch Pad 39A via a crawler-transporter. The combined height of the Shuttle, MLP and transporter is 235.2 ft. (71.6 m). Once at the pad, routine launch pad validations will commence, verifying all vehicle and facility interfaces. Endeavour is expected to lift off on mission STS-100 on April 19, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, to the International Space Station

KSC-08pd2541

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2542

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis passes through the gate and approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-5929

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the third section of the tower for a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program into place atop the growing structure. Installation of the first section was on Sept. 24, and the second, on Oct. 15. The tower will have multiple platforms for personnel access and be approximately 345 feet tall. The launcher is being built at the mobile launcher park site area located north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to support the Ares I rocket. The ML will provide a base to launch the Ares I, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6895

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the seventh tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, seems to hover above the ground as it is lifted by crane toward the launcher's growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-6893

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the seventh tower segment of a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program, is lifted above the heads of the workers monitoring its ascent to the top of the growing tower. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-5928

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the third section of the tower for a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program toward the growing structure. Installation of the first section was on Sept. 24, and the second, on Oct. 15. The tower will have multiple platforms for personnel access and be approximately 345 feet tall. The launcher is being built at the mobile launcher park site area located north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to support the Ares I rocket. The ML will provide a base to launch the Ares I, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2004

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Atlantis rolls up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. The crawler has a leveling system designed to keep the top of the space shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5-percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Also, a laser docking system provides almost pinpoint accuracy when the crawler and mobile launcher platform are positioned at the launch pad. At right are the open rotating service structure and the fixed service structure topped by the 80-foot lightning mast. The shuttle had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-06pd2003

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A late-day sun spotlights Space Shuttle Atlantis as it rolls up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. The crawler has a leveling system designed to keep the top of the space shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5-percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Also, a laser docking system provides almost pinpoint accuracy when the crawler and mobile launcher platform are positioned at the launch pad. At left are the open rotating service structure and the fixed service structure topped by the 80-foot lightning mast. The shuttle had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-06pd2002

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A late-day sun spotlights Space Shuttle Atlantis as it rolls up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. The crawler has a leveling system designed to keep the top of the space shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5-percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Also, a laser docking system provides almost pinpoint accuracy when the crawler and mobile launcher platform are positioned at the launch pad. At left are the open rotating service structure and the fixed service structure topped by the 80-foot lightning mast. The shuttle had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-112 M.S. Yurchikhin suits up for launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During suitup for launch, STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin shows he is ready for his first Shuttle flight. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

KSC-2012-1354

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a crane is used to lower an Apollo era diesel engine onto the flatbed of a truck after it was removed from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1353

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Just outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a crane is used to lower an Apollo era diesel engine onto the flatbed of a truck after it was removed from crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). New engines will be installed later this month. Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1113

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the rotating service structure, at left, at Launch Pad 39A has been rolled back for the delivery of space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, for final prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1101

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crawler transporter moves space shuttle Discovery, secured atop a mobile launch platform, along the crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1111

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, access arms from the fixed service structure at Launch Pad 39A are in place against space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, as final prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission begins at the pad. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1102

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery, secured atop a mobile launch platform, is reflected in water beside the crawlerway as it is moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd1200

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform, finally rests on the hard stand of Launch Pad 39A after an early morning rollout. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. Seen on either side of the main engine exhaust hole on the launcher platform are the tail service masts. Their function is to provide umbilical connections for liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen lines to fuel the external tank from storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad. Other umbilical lines carry helium and nitrogen, as well as ground electrical power and connections for vehicle data and communications. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-00padig055

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour approaches the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig055

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour approaches the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-2009-2277

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is moved toward High Bay 3 where the top of its external fuel tank can be seen. In the bay, the shuttle will be lowered and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for a targeted launch on May 12 on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-00pp0366

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis is close to its final position for mating with the external tank and solid rocket boosters behind it. The entire assembly sits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform below which will transport the Space Shuttle to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000

KSC00pp0366

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis is close to its final position for mating with the external tank and solid rocket boosters behind it. The entire assembly sits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform below which will transport the Space Shuttle to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000

STS-56 Discovery, OV-103, lifts off from KSC LC Pad 39B into darkness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

STS-56 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B into the early morning darkness at 1:29 am (Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)). OV-103, atop its external tank (ET) and flanked by solid rocket boosters (SRBs), rises above the mobile launcher platform. Exhaust plumes trail from the SRBs. The glow of the SRB / space shuttle main engine (SSME) firings illuminate the fixed service structure (FSS) tower. Trees are silhouetted against the launch fireworks in the foreground.

Pre-flight views of orbiter Endeavour on way to launch pad for STS-77

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-05-01

S96-07957 (16 April 1996) --- A road sign points to Launch Pad 39B, the final earthly destination for the Space Shuttle Endeavour and its final stepping stone into space. Endeavour began the slow journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at about 10:00a.m., April 16, 1996, perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform and carried by the Crawler-Transporter. Upcoming activities at the pad to prepare Endeavour for flight on STS-77 include installation of the payloads in the Orbiter?s payload bay.

Vehicle Support Posts Installation onto Mobile Launcher

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-11

A construction worker on the deck of the mobile launcher welds a portion of a platform for installation of a vehicle support post at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A total of eight support posts will be installed to support the load of the Space Launch System's (SLS) solid rocket boosters, with four posts for each of the boosters. The support posts are about five feet tall and each weigh about 10,000 pounds. The posts will structurally support the SLS rocket through T-0 and liftoff, and will drop down before vehicle liftoff to avoid contact with the flight hardware. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the support posts to prepare for the launch of the Orion spacecraft atop the SLS rocket.

Vehicle Support Posts Installation onto Mobile Launcher

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-11

Construction workers on the deck of the mobile launcher prepare the platforms for installation of vehicle support posts at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left, four of the support posts are installed. A total of eight support posts will be installed to support the load of the Space Launch System's (SLS) solid rocket boosters, with four posts for each of the boosters. The support posts are about five feet tall and each weigh about 10,000 pounds. The posts will structurally support the SLS rocket through T-0 and liftoff, and will drop down before vehicle liftoff to avoid contact with the flight hardware. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the support posts to prepare for the launch of the Orion spacecraft atop the SLS rocket.

KSC-08pd0605

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, moves across the facility via an overhead crane to the payload canister at right for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

M-HELP: a miniaturized total health examination system launched on a mobile phone platform.

PubMed

Yu, Yang; Li, Jingjing; Liu, Jing

2013-11-01

A timely health examination is of great significance for incipient disease detection and prevention. However, conventional examinations generally rely heavily on bulky and expensive instrumentation, which is not easily available. To address technical barriers, an innovative, highly miniaturized, and integrated health examination system-Mobile Health Examination Launched on the Phone (M-HELP)-was developed. Based on the design of a multifunctional Android® (Google, Mountain View, CA) application and the development of different wireless biomedical sensor modules, a mobile phone was incorporated into a central terminal for personal health examination. More than 12 parameters, including electrocardiogram, heart sound, and eye test, as well as others, covered the majority of the crucial parameters in a total health examination and have been successfully established and incorporated into the system. Unlike the conventional examination, the M-HELP system could generate electronic health records and send them to physicians via e-mails or multimedia messages. This significantly simplifies the general health examination with much lower cost and fewer temporal and spatial restrictions. For proof of concept, a bench-scale test recruiting 11 volunteer subjects showed that the average time spent on a total health examination with M-HELP system was about 28 min. This article clarifies the basic concept of a total health examination on the platform of a mobile phone, demonstrates the basic features of the M-HELP system with group tests, and suggests the practical future application of the new system and the scientific issues thus raised.

KSC-2009-5913

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure has been rolled back from the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, sitting atop its mobile launcher platform, during preparations for launch. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, and the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

General view of the Aft Rocket Motor mated with the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of the Aft Rocket Motor mated with the External Tank Attach Ring and Aft Skirt Assembly in the process of being mounted onto the Mobile Launch Platform in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Aerial view of Launch Complex 39

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In this aerial view looking south can be seen Launch Complex (LC) 39 area, where assembly, checkout and launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its External Tank and twin Solid Rocket Boosters take place. Central to the complex is the tallest building at the center, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). To the immediate left, from top to bottom, are the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) High Bay 3 and new engine shop (north side), OPF Modular Office Building, Thermal Protection System Facility, and a crawler-transporter (to its left). In front of the VAB are OPF 1 and OPF 2. At right is the Processing Control Center. West of OPF 3 is the Mobile Launch Platform. In the upper left corner is Launch Pad B; at the far right is the turn basin, with the Press Site located just below it to the right.

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket high above the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up for transfer into High Bay 3 for installation. The platform will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

KSC-05PD-0620

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the waning twilight, the service structures on Launch Pad 39B (left) and the Mobile Launcher Platform carrying Space Shuttle Discovery glow with lights. The Shuttle began rollout to the pad at 2:04 p.m. EDT from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, marking a major milestone in the Space Shuttle Programs Return to Flight. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station.

STS-32 Columbia, OV-102, is positioned on the hard stand at KSC LC Pad 39A

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-28

S89-51983 (18 Nov 1989) --- Roll-out of the Space Shuttle Columbia is completed as the vehicle, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, is positioned on the hard stand at Pad 39A. The approximately eight-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 2:32 a.m. EST. This marks the first time a Space Shuttle has been at Pad A at Launch Complex 39 since January 12, 1986, when Columbia was launched on mission 61C. Pad A will next be used for the launch of Columbia and a five person crew on the STS-32 mission, presently scheduled for no earlier than December 18, 1989.

The Z1 truss is transported to Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister at left draws closer to the Rotating Service Structure where it will be lifted to the Payload Changeout Room. There its cargo, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, will be removed and later transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery is at right, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. The Z1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. Along with its companion payload, the third Pressurized Mating Adapter, the Z1 is scheduled to be launched aboard Discovery Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT.

KSC-08pd3269

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis rolls through the open gate of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-1955

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians install new roller bearings on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-08pd1112

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, tread marks from the shoes on the crawler-transporter are visible along the crawlerway leading up to the hardstand on Launch Pad 39A. Space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, has just arrived for final prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-08pd1107

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, access arms from the fixed service structure at Launch Pad 39A are extended toward space shuttle Discovery, secured atop the mobile launch platform below, as final prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission gets under way at the pad. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd2045

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, rolls back into high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Pad 39A. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Photo credit: NASA/Jeff Wolfe

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

Preparations are underway to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted up and over the transfer aisle and then lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted up and over the transfer aisle and then lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-07

A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up and over the transfer aisle and will be lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

KSC-07pd1196

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a feather-painted sky, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, creeps up the ramp to Launch Pad 39A. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd1193

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a feather-painted sky, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, nears Launch Pad 39A. This is the second rollout for the shuttle. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A distant view creates a frame of leaves around the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-112. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss and CETA Cart A.

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis leaps from the steam and smoke billowing across Launch Pad 39B after an on-time liftoff of 3:46 p.m. EDT on mission STS-112. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The brilliance of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is reflected in nearby waters. Liftoff of the Shuttle on mission STS-112 occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- Space Shuttle Atlantis races toward space just after liftoff from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-112. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The afternoon sun casts a shadow on Space Shuttle Atlantis as it launches on its journey to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss and CETA cart.

KSC-00pp1622

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is ready to move from the Vehicle Assembly Building into the light of early morning on its rollout to Launch Pad 39B. The Space Shuttle sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00pp1622

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is ready to move from the Vehicle Assembly Building into the light of early morning on its rollout to Launch Pad 39B. The Space Shuttle sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-08pd2799

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-21

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the payload canister is in place at the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure. The canister contains four carriers holding various equipment for the STS-125 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. At right is Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the shuttle’s payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2292

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in high bay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6 feet wide and 154 feet tall. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2291

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in high bay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6 feet wide and 154 feet tall. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2289

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in high bay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2290

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in high bay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the space shuttle system at 27.6 feet wide and 154 feet tall. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2293

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in high bay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6 feet wide and 154 feet tall. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-01pp1274

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers clean the mobile launcher platform on which sits Space Shuttle Atlantis. They are standing in front of one of two tail service masts on either side of the Shuttle, in front of each wing. The masts support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Launch on mission STS-104 is scheduled for 5:04 a.m. July 12. The launch is the 10th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Along with a crew of five, Atlantis will carry the joint airlock module as primary payload

STS-104 Atlantis on pad after RSS rollback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers clean the mobile launcher platform on which sits Space Shuttle Atlantis. They are standing in front of one of two tail service masts on either side of the Shuttle, in front of each wing. The masts support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiters liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Launch on mission STS-104 is scheduled for 5:04 a.m. July 12. The launch is the 10th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Along with a crew of five, Atlantis will carry the joint airlock module as primary payload.

KSC-05PD-0633

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Space Shuttle Discovery lingers at the foot of Launch Pad 39B in the evening twilight. First motion from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 2:04 p.m. EDT April 6, and the Shuttle was hard down on the pad at 1:16 a.m. EDT April 7. The Shuttle sits atop a Mobile Launcher Platform transported by a Crawler-Transporter underneath. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-member crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews.

The Z1 truss is transported to Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister with the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 inside arrives at the spot under the Rotating Service Structure where the canister can be lifted to the Payload Changeout Room. There the Z1 truss will be removed and later transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery is at right, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. The Z1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. Along with its companion payload, the third Pressurized Mating Adapter, the Z1 is scheduled to be launched aboard Discovery Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT.

Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), with the Launch Control Center at its right. The curved road on the left in the photo is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSC's Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The crawlerway also extends from the east side out to the two launch pads, one visible close to the road on the left and one to the left of the VAB. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the crawlerway is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

KSC-2013-2892

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians position equipment and forklifts as work continues to install new roller shaft bearings in crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-3550

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician installs a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3556

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician completes the installation of a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3552

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician installs a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3553

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians install a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3555

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The installation of new bearings on crawler-transporter 2 is underway in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3549

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians install a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3554

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The installation of new bearings on crawler-transporter 2 is underway in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3559

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Steady progress is made on the installation of new bearings on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3558

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician completes the installation of a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3557

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians complete the installation of a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3551

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians install a new bearing on crawler-transporter 2 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2013-3548

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Preparations are underway to install new bearings on crawler-transporter 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Modifications underway on the crawler are designed to ensure its ability to transport launch vehicles currently under development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. Present modifications represent a redesign and upgrade to the roller bearings and assemblies originally installed on the crawler. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform carrying the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and 39B. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter_bearings_prt.htm. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Lightweight Energy Absorbers for Blast Containers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balles, Donald L.; Ingram, Thomas M.; Novak, Howard L.; Schricker, Albert F.

2003-01-01

Kinetic-energy-absorbing liners made of aluminum foam have been developed to replace solid lead liners in blast containers on the aft skirt of the solid rocket booster of the space shuttle. The blast containers are used to safely trap the debris from small explosions that are initiated at liftoff to sever frangible nuts on hold-down studs that secure the spacecraft to a mobile launch platform until liftoff.

General view taken inside of an assembly bay of the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view taken inside of an assembly bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. This view shows the Orbiter Discovery being lowered into position in preparation for being mated to the External Tank/Solid Rocket Booster assembly on the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

General view of the Solid Rocket Booster's (SRB) Solid Rocket ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of the Solid Rocket Booster's (SRB) Solid Rocket Motor Segments in the Surge Building of the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility at Kennedy Space Center awaiting transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building and subsequent mounting and assembly on the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

General view of the Aft Skirt Assembly and the Aft ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of the Aft Skirt Assembly and the Aft Solid Rocket Motor Segment mated together in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center and being prepared for mounting onto the Mobile Launch Platform and mating with the other Solid Rocket Booster segments. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

KSC-2009-5916

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the sun rises over Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure and the arms of the vehicle stabilization system have been retracted from around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, resting atop its mobile launcher platform, for launch. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, and the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it, atop the crawler-transporter, crawl to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. In the background are Launch Pads 39A (right) and 39B (left). The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it, atop the crawler-transporter, crawl to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. In the background are Launch Pads 39A (right) and 39B (left). The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen across the water of the Launch Complex 39 turn basin, a crawler-transporter, carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls out of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen across the water of the Launch Complex 39 turn basin, a crawler-transporter, carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls out of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

MLP-1 on Crawler Transporter 2 (CT-2)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

NASA's upgraded crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2), carrying mobile launcher platform 1, moves slowly along the crawlerway at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crawler's upgrades and modifications will be monitored and tested under loaded conditions during its travel to the crawlerway Pad A/B split and back to the crawler yard to confirm it is ready to support the load of the mobile launcher carrying the Space Launch System with Orion atop for the first test flight, Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is managing upgrades to the crawler.

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The brilliance of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is reflected in nearby waters. Liftoff of the Shuttle on mission STS-112 occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- Space Shuttle Atlantis leaves a billowingclouds of smoke and steam behind just after liftoff from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-112. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

KSC-00padig057

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour passes through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is the Fixed Service Structure and Rotating Service Structure. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-00pp1633

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Removal and replacement of the cracked cleat (shoe) on the crawler-transporter (seen here with the Mobile Launcher Platform and Space Shuttle Endeavour on top) is nearly complete. The cracked cleat was noticed during rollout of Endeavour to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-00padig056

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour is nearly through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is the Fixed Service Structure and Rotating Service Structure. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig057

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour passes through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is the Fixed Service Structure and Rotating Service Structure. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00pp1633

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Removal and replacement of the cracked cleat (shoe) on the crawler-transporter (seen here with the Mobile Launcher Platform and Space Shuttle Endeavour on top) is nearly complete. The cracked cleat was noticed during rollout of Endeavour to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig056

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour is nearly through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is the Fixed Service Structure and Rotating Service Structure. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC01padig075

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As Space Shuttle Discovery, on its Mobile Launcher Platform, nears Launch Pad 39B, fog rolls over the top of the external tank and solid rocket boosters. Discovery will be flying on mission STS-102 to the International Space Station. Its payload is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, a “moving van,” to carry laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle. The flight will also carry the Expedition Two crew up to the Space Station, replacing Expedition One, who will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch is scheduled for March 8 at 6:45 a.m. EST

Atlantis STS-135 Rollout

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-30

Crowds of people are seen watching the rollout of the space shuttle Atlantis in this image made atop of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) that is carrying Atlantis from High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39a for its final flight, Tuesday evening, May 31, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The 3.4-mile trek, known as "rollout," will take about seven hours to complete. Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The launch of STS-135 is targeted for July 8. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KSC-06pd2284

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers prepare to transfer the external tank from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2286

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is transferred from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2283

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers prepare to transfer the external tank from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2288

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is transferred from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-06pd2285

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers prepare to transfer the external tank from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

AXONOMETRIC, LAUNCH DOOR AND DOOR CYLINDER, LAUNCH PLATFORM ROLLER GUIDE, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

AXONOMETRIC, LAUNCH DOOR AND DOOR CYLINDER, LAUNCH PLATFORM ROLLER GUIDE, CRIB SUSPENSION SHOCK STRUT, LAUNCH PLATFORM - Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missle Site S-8, Launch Facility, Approximately 3 miles east of Winters, 500 feet southwest of Highway 1770, center of complex, Winters, Runnels County, TX

General view of the Aft Solid Rocket Motor Segment mated ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of the Aft Solid Rocket Motor Segment mated with the Aft Skirt Assembly and External Tank Attach Ring in the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility at Kennedy Space Center and awaiting transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be mounted onto the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

STS-106 orbiter Atlantis rolls over to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The orbiter Atlantis heads toward the open door of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on the north side. In the VAB it will be lifted to vertical and placed aboard the mobile launcher platform (MLP) for stacking with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 on mission STS-106, the fourth construction flight to the International Space Station, with a crew of seven.

Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-28

Sometimes these winds are interrupted by cool seasonal storms with southerly winds; dry offshore storms with southeasterly winds, called Santa Ana...winds; coastal eddies during the warm season with southeasterly winds over the inner waters; and alternating land and sea breezes that occur closer to...mean temperature of 14 oC (58 oF). Total annual precipitation averages 21.3 centimeters (8.4 inches). The dry season ranges from May to September and

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center looking at one of a pair of Aft Center Segments of the Solid Rocket Motor of the Solid Rocket Booster awaiting hoisting and mating to the Solid Rocket Booster's Aft Segment on the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center looking at one of a pair of Forward Segments of the Solid Rocket Motor of the Solid Rocket Booster awaiting hoisting and mating to the Solid Rocket Booster assembly on the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center looking at one of a pair of Forward Center Segments of the Solid Rocket Motor of the Solid Rocket Booster awaiting hoisting and mating to the Solid Rocket Booster assembly on the Mobile Launch Platform. - Space Transportation System, Solid Rocket Boosters, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

STS-106 orbiter Atlantis rolls over to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), overhead cranes move above the orbiter Atlantis in order to lift it to vertical. When vertical, the orbiter will be placed aboard the mobile launcher platform (MLP) for stacking with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 on mission STS-106, the fourth construction flight to the International Space Station, with a crew of seven.

Aft Skirt Electrical Umbilical (ASEU) and Vehicle Support Post (

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-12-09

Construction workers assist as a crane is used to lower a vertical support post for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) onto a platform at the Mobile Launcher Yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two ASEUs and the first of the vertical support posts underwent a series of tests at the Launch Equipment Test Facility to confirm they are functioning properly and ready to support the SLS for launch. The ASEUs will connect to the SLS rocket at the bottom outer edge of each booster and provide electrical power and data connections to the rocket until it lifts off from the launch pad. The eight VSPs will support the load of the solid rocket boosters, with four posts for each of the boosters. The center’s Engineering Directorate and the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program are overseeing processing and testing of the umbilicals.

ATLANTIS ROLLS OUT TO PAD 39A FOLLOWING HURRICANE FRAN THREAT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

A view from the flame trench looking up shows the Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on the Mobile Launcher Platform and Crawler- Transporter, as it arrives atop the hardstand at Launch Pad 39A. After the Shuttle and launch stand are in position, the crawler will be pulled back. This is the third time Atlantis has completed the journey to Launch Pad 39A in the STS-79 mission flow. The Shuttle was rolled back from the pad in July due to the threat from Hurricane Bertha, then rolled back again earlier this week because of Hurricane Fran. The targeted launch date for Atlantis on Mission STS-79 -- the fourth docking between the U.S. Shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir -- is now Sept. 16 at 4:54 a.m. EDT. The three rollout dates for Atlantis to Pad 39A are: July 1, Aug. 20 and Sept. 5.

KSC-08pd3268

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis rolls away from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. In the background are the open rotating service structure and the fixed service structure topped by its 80-foot-tall lightning mast. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-1951

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to remove the gear boxes on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads were removed to allow access to the gear boxes. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

GSDO Crawler Tread Removal

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a portion of the treads on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2, have been removed from the vehicle. The treads are being removed in order to gain access to remove the gear boxes. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

GSDO Crawler 2 Refurbishment

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a ground support technician assists with removal of bearings from the B truck tread of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. New roller bearing assemblies will be installed. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-1801

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an old bearing has been removed from the B truck tread of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2, and loaded onto a forklift for disposal. New roller bearing assemblies will be installed. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2217

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians prepare for removal of the outboard and inboard sprocket shaft assemblies on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads on the C truck were removed to allow access to the sprocket assemblies. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-08pd2539

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis has passed the bend in the crawlerway taking it to Launch Pad 39A, above left, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The crawlerway is flanked by the Banana River at right and Banana Creek at left. The Atlantic Ocean stretches across the horizon. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-112 crew arrives at KSC's SLF for launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is with the Russian Space Agency, shows his happiness at returning to KSC to prepare for launch. He will be making his first Shuttle flight. STS-112, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. The 11-day mission includes three spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for Oct. 2 betw een 2 and 6 p.m.

KSC-2009-5362

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers supervise space shuttle Atlantis as it is positioned next to an external fuel tank, at left, and pair of solid rocket boosters secured to a mobile launcher platform. Next, Atlantis will be attached, completing the stacking operation. Rollout of the completed shuttle stack to Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for Oct. 13. Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for 4:04 p.m. EST Nov. 12 during a 10-minute launch window. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-112 crew group photo at launch pad during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, the STS-112 crew poses for a group photo near the launch pad where Space Shuttle Atlantis waits for launch. Standing left to right are Mission Specialist Piers Sellers, Commander Jeffrey Ashby, Mission Specialist David Wolf, Pilot Pamela Melroy, and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is with the Russian Space Agency. The TCDT includes emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-112 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 2, between 2 and 6 p.m. EDT. STS-112 is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts.

KSC-08pd3271

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Next to the waters of the Banana River, space shuttle Atlantis rolls away from the rotating and fixed service structures on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At far right is Launch Pad 39B where space shuttle Endeavour is seen. First motion of Atlantis was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Launch Vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-09

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Launch Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC), currently used for Space Shuttle launches, will be revised to host the Ares launch vehicles. The fixed and rotating service structures standing at the pad will be dismantled sometime after the Ares I-X test flight. A new launch tower for Ares I will be built onto a new mobile launch platform. The gantry for the shuttle doesn't reach much higher than the top of the four segments of the solid rocket booster. Pad access above the current shuttle launch pad structure will not be required for Ares I-X because the stages above the solid rocket booster are inert. For the test scheduled in 2012 or for the crewed flights, workers and astronauts will need access to the highest levels of the rocket and capsule. When the Ares I rocket rolls out to the launch pad on the back of the same crawler-transporters used now, its launch gantry will be with it. The mobile launchers will nestle under three lightning protection towers to be erected around the pad area. Ares time at the launch pad will be significantly less than the three weeks or more the shuttle requires. This “clean pad” approach minimizes equipment and servicing at the launch pad. It is the same plan NASA used with the Saturn V rockets and industry employs it with more modern launchers. The launch pad will also get a new emergency escape system for astronauts, one that looks very much like a roller coaster. Cars riding on a rail will replace the familiar baskets hanging from steel cables. This artist's concept illustrates the Ares I on launch pad 39B.

MLP-1 on Crawler Transporter 2 (CT-2)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

Ground support technicians walk alongside NASA's upgraded crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2), carrying mobile launcher platform 1, as it slowly travels on the crawlerway at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crawler's upgrades and modifications will be monitored and tested under loaded conditions during its travel to the crawlerway Pad A/B split and back to the crawler yard to confirm it is ready to support the load of the mobile launcher carrying the Space Launch System with Orion atop for the first test flight, Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is managing upgrades to the crawler.

MLP-1 on Crawler Transporter 2 (CT-2)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

NASA's upgraded crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2), carrying mobile launcher platform 1, moves slowly along the crawlerway toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crawler's upgrades and modifications were monitored and tested during a loaded test to the crawlerway Pad A/B split. CT-2 will return to the crawler yard. The crawler is being tested to confirm it is ready to support the load of the mobile launcher carrying the Space Launch System with Orion atop for the first test flight, Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is managing upgrades to the crawler.

KSC-2010-4437

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The interior of NASA's new mobile launcher, or ML, support structure is outfitted with solid steel flooring, lights, air conditioning, electrical boxes and sprinkler piping at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 355-foot-tall structure will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. The next step will be to add ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2010-4436

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The interior of NASA's new mobile launcher, or ML, support structure is outfitted with solid steel flooring, lights, air conditioning, electrical boxes and sprinkler piping at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 355-foot-tall structure will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. The next step will be to add ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0283

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, space shuttle Endeavour is lowered into high bay 1 toward the external tank and solid rocket boosters already stacked on the mobile launcher platform. The stacking is in preparation for launch on the STS-123 mission, targeted for March 11. The mission will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Astrobee: A New Platform for Free-Flying Robotics on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Trey; Barlow, Jonathan; Bualat, Maria; Fong, Terrence; Provencher, Christopher; Sanchez, Hugo; Smith, Ernest

2016-01-01

The Astrobees are next-generation free-flying robots that will operate in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS). Their primary purpose is to provide a flexible platform for research on zero-g freeflying robotics, with the ability to carry a wide variety of future research payloads and guest science software. They will also serve utility functions: as free-flying cameras to record video of astronaut activities, and as mobile sensor platforms to conduct surveys of the ISS. The Astrobee system includes two robots, a docking station, and a ground data system (GDS). It is developed by the Human Exploration Telerobotics 2 (HET-2) Project, which began in Oct. 2014, and will deliver the Astrobees for launch to ISS in 2017. This paper covers selected aspects of the Astrobee design, focusing on capabilities relevant to potential users of the platform.

KSC00pp0408

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, begins the climb up the ramp to Launch Pad 39A. The crawler-transporter carries its cargo at 1 mph, taking about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. A leveling system on the crawler-transporter keeps the top of the Space Shuttle vertical, especially negotiating the ramp leading to the launch pads and when it is raised and lowered on pedestals at the pad. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda

KSC-00pp0408

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, begins the climb up the ramp to Launch Pad 39A. The crawler-transporter carries its cargo at 1 mph, taking about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. A leveling system on the crawler-transporter keeps the top of the Space Shuttle vertical, especially negotiating the ramp leading to the launch pads and when it is raised and lowered on pedestals at the pad. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda

OCO-2 Booster on Stand

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Work platforms are moved into place around the upper end of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, in the environmental enclosure, or clean room, at the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is scheduled for July 2014. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. To learn more about OCO-2, visit http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin

KSC00pp1624

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) which is atop the crawler-transporter, moving on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. To the left and right of the Space Shuttle can be seen both launch pads, 39B and 39A respectively. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-00pp1624

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) which is atop the crawler-transporter, moving on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. To the left and right of the Space Shuttle can be seen both launch pads, 39B and 39A respectively. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

OCO-2 Booster on Stand

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers in the environmental enclosure, or clean room, at the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California steady the upper end of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, as work platforms move into position around it. Launch is scheduled for July 2014. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. To learn more about OCO-2, visit http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin

Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This aerial photo shows the areas recently opened as part of KSC's Safe Haven project. The curved road in the center is the newly restored crawlerway leading around the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Orbiter Processing Facility 3 (OPF-3) into the VAB high bay 2 (open on the lower right), where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter currently sits. The Safe Haven project will enable the storage of orbiters during severe weather. OPF1 and OPF-2 are at the lower right. The crawlerway also extends from the east side of the VAB out to the two launch pads. Launch Pad 39A is visible to the left of the crawlerway. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the VAB is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

KSC-05PD-1177

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At NASAs Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform, rolls into high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The Shuttle is being rolled back from Launch Pad 39B. It will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2- mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

STS-99 Endeavour rolls out to Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Framed by branches of oak leaves in this photo, Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, is transferred to Launch Pad 39B via the crawler-transporter. The van behind it is barely noticeable next to the gigantic stature of the moving vehicle. Launch of STS-103 is targeted for Dec. 16 at 9:18 p.m. EST. The crew, comprising Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, also with ESA, will be servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, replacing gyros, insulation and equipment in up to three space walks. Landing is targeted for Dec. 26 about 6:56 p.m. at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.

STS-112 Launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis hurdles toward space from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the STS-112 mission. Liftoff occurred at 3:46pm EDT, October 7, 2002. Atlantis carried the Starboard-1 (S1) Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The S1 was the second truss structure installed on the International Space Station (ISS). It was attached to the S0 truss which was previously installed by the STS-110 mission. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future space walking astronauts. The 11 day mission performed three space walks to attach the S1 truss.

STS-112 M.S. Magnus in white room before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- In the White Room at Launch Pad 39B, STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandra H. Magnus, Ph.D., receives assistance with her spacesuit before boarding Space Shuttle Atlantis. Liftoff is schedued for 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis will carry the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

STS-112 M.S. Sellers in white room before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- In the White Room at Launch Pad 39B, STS-112 Mission Specialist Piers J. Sellers, Ph.D., receives assistance with his spacesuit before boarding Space Shuttle Atlantis. Liftoff is schedued for 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis will carry the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

KSC-00padig051

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the early morning light behind it, Space Shuttle Endeavour appears to fill the opening in the Vehicle Assembly Building as it begins rollout to Launch Pad 39B on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). At the bottom can be seen the crawler-transporter that moves the combined Shuttle and MLP. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-00pp1635

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

A new cleat, or shoe, for one of the tracks on the crawler-transporter sits on the ground near the vehicle (in the background). A cracked cleat was noticed on the crawler as it was rolling Space Shuttle Endeavour and the Mobile Launcher Platform out to Launch Pad 39B. The rollout is being suspended while the cleat is replaced. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-00pp1634

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, moves through the gate a second time to Launch Pad 39B. After a cracked cleat was noticed on one of the eight tracks on the crawler-transporter, the vehicle reversed direction to level ground where the cleat is being replaced. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00pp1634

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, moves through the gate a second time to Launch Pad 39B. After a cracked cleat was noticed on one of the eight tracks on the crawler-transporter, the vehicle reversed direction to level ground where the cleat is being replaced. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig051

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the early morning light behind it, Space Shuttle Endeavour appears to fill the opening in the Vehicle Assembly Building as it begins rollout to Launch Pad 39B on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). At the bottom can be seen the crawler-transporter that moves the combined Shuttle and MLP. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-05PD-0179

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Workers accompany the Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight as it demonstrates its readiness for weight bearing by carrying an unloaded 8,230,000-pound Mobile Launch Platform along the crawlerway. Its first road test on Jan. 21, following the replacement of all its shoes, was a success. Cracks appeared in the crawlers' shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program. Each crawler has 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds.

KSC-05PD-0177

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. The Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight demonstrates its readiness for weight bearing by carrying an unloaded 8,230,000-pound Mobile Launch Platform along the crawlerway. Its first road test on Jan. 21, following the replacement of all its shoes, was a success. Cracks appeared in the crawlers' shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program. Each crawler has 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds.

KSC-05PD-0178

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. New shoes adorn the Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight as it demonstrates its readiness for weight bearing by moving an unloaded 8,230,000-pound Mobile Launch Platform along the crawlerway. Its first road test on Jan. 21, following the replacement of all its shoes, was a success. Cracks appeared in the crawlers' shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program. Each crawler has 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds.

Replicas of the Santa Maria, Nina, Pinta sail by OV-105 on KSC LC Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Replicas of Christopher Columbus' sailing ships Santa Maria, Nina, and Pinta sail by Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, on Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B awaiting liftoff on its maiden voyage, STS-49. This view was taken from the water showing the three ships in the foreground with OV-105 on mobile launcher platform profiled against fixed service structure (FSS) tower and rectracted rotating service structure (RSS) in the background. Next to the launch pad (at right) are the sound suppression water system tower and the liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage tank. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-92PC-967.

Sporting Good Lubricants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Sun Coast Chemicals was originally contracted by Lockheed Martin Space Operations to formulate a spray lubricant free of environmental drawbacks for the Mobile Launch Platform used to haul the Space Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building to a launch pad. From this work, Sun Coast introduced Train Track Lubricant, Penetrating Spray Lube, and Biodegradable Hydraulic Fluid. Based on the original lubricant work, two more products have also been introduced. First, the X-1R Super Gun Cleaner and Lubricant protects guns from rust and corrosion caused by environmental conditions. Second, the X-1R Tackle Pack, endorsed by both fresh and saltwater guides and certain reel manufacturers, penetrates, cleans, reduces friction, lubricates, and provides extra protection against rust and corrosion.

KSC-07pd0565

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, rolls into the Vehicle Assembly Building after leaving Launch Pad 39A. In the VAB, the shuttle will be examined for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KSC-07pd0569

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After leaving Launch Pad 39A, Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform, comes to rest in high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

STS-112 M.S. Wolf in white room before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- In the White Room at Launch Pad 39B, STS-112 Mission Specialist David A. Wolf, M.D., receives assistance with his spacesuit before boarding Space Shuttle Atlantis. Liftoff is schedued for 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis will carry the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

KSC-02pd0818

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-05-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service Structure in the early morning hours, Space Shuttle Endeavour sits bathed in light on its Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A. Seen extending to the cockpit area of Endeavour is the orbiter access arm. At the end of the arm is the White Room, an environmental chamber. Below, on either side of Endeavour's tail, are the tail service masts that support fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. STS-111 is the second Utilization Flight to the International Space Station, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the Mobile Base System (MBS), and a replacement wrist/roll joint for the Canadarm 2. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is the Expedition 5 crew who will replace Expedition 4 on board the Station. The MBS will be installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab Destiny to the MSS and travel along the truss to work sites. Expedition 4 crew members will return to Earth with the STS-111 crew on Endeavour. Launch is scheduled for 7:44 p.m. EDT, May 30, 2002

Intelligent mobility for robotic vehicles in the army after next

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhart, Grant R.; Goetz, Richard C.; Gorsich, David J.

1999-07-01

The TARDEC Intelligent Mobility program addresses several essential technologies necessary to support the army after next (AAN) concept. Ground forces in the AAN time frame will deploy robotic unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in high-risk missions to avoid exposing soldiers to both friendly and unfriendly fire. Prospective robotic systems will include RSTA/scout vehicles, combat engineering/mine clearing vehicles, indirect fire artillery and missile launch platforms. The AAN concept requires high on-road and off-road mobility, survivability, transportability/deployability and low logistics burden. TARDEC is developing a robotic vehicle systems integration laboratory (SIL) to evaluate technologies and their integration into future UGV systems. Example technologies include the following: in-hub electric drive, omni-directional wheel and steering configurations, off-road tires, adaptive tire inflation, articulated vehicles, active suspension, mine blast protection, detection avoidance and evasive maneuver. This paper will describe current developments in these areas relative to the TARDEC intelligent mobility program.

PEGASUS - A Flexible Launch Solution for Small Satellites with Unique Requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, B. R.; Ferguson, M.; Fenn, P. D.

The financial advantages inherent in building small satellites are negligible if an equally low cost launch service is not available to deliver them to the orbit they require. The weight range of small satellites puts them within the capability of virtually all launch vehicles. Initially, this would appear to help drive down costs through competition since, by one estimate, there are roughly 75 active space launch vehicles around the world that either have an established flight record or are planning to make an inaugural launch within the year. When reliability, budget constraints, and other issues such as inclination access are factored in, this list of available launch vehicles is often times reduced to a very limited few, if any at all. This is especially true for small satellites with unusual or low inclination launch requirements where the cost of launching on the heavy-lift launchers that have the capacity to execute the necessary plane changes or meet the mission requirements can be prohibitive. For any small satellite, reducing launch costs by flying as a secondary or even tertiary payload is only advantageous in the event that a primary payload can be found that either requires or is passing through the same final orbit and has a launch date that is compatible. If the satellite is able to find a ride on a larger vehicle that is only passing through the correct orbit, the budget and technical capability must exist to incorporate a propulsive system on the satellite to modify the orbit to that required for the mission. For these customers a launch vehicle such as Pegasus provides a viable alternative due to its proven flight record, relatively low cost, self- contained launch infrastructure, and mobility. Pegasus supplements the existing world-wide launch capability by providing additional services to a targeted niche of payloads that benefit greatly from Pegasus' mobility and flexibility. Pegasus can provide standard services to satellites that do not require the benefits inherent in a mobile platform. In this regard Pegasus is no different from a ground- launched vehicle in that it repeatedly launches from a fixed location at each range, albeit a location that is not on land. However, Pegasus can also offer services that avoid many of the restrictions inherent in being constrained to a particular launch site, few of which are trivial. They include inclination restrictions, large plane changes required to achieve low inclination orbits from high latitude launch sites, politically inopportune launch locations, and low frequency launch opportunities for missions that require phasing. Pegasus has repeatedly demonstrated this flexibility through the course of 31 flights, including 17 consecutive successes dating back to 1996, originating from seven different locations around the world including two outside the United States. Recently, Pegasus launched NASA's HETE-2 satellite in an operation that included satellite integration and vehicle mate in California, pre-launch staging operations from Kwajalein Island in the South Pacific, and launch operations controlled from over 7000 miles away in Florida. Pegasus has also used the Canary Islands as a launch point with the associated control room in Spain, and Florida as a launch point for a mission controlled from Virginia. This paper discusses the operational uniqueness of the Pegasus launch vehicle and the activities associated with establishing low-cost, flexible-inclination, low-risk launch operations that utilize Pegasus' greatest asset: its mobility.

KSC-98pc507

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at 2:19 p.m. EDT Apr. 17 to begin the nearly 17-day STS-90 Neurolab mission. A torrent of water is seen flowing onto the mobile launcher platform as several large quench nozzles, or "rainbirds," mounted on platform's surface operate as a sound suppression system. The crew members are Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., with the Canadian Space Agency, and Kathryn (Kay) Hire; and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system

KSC-08pd0284

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A view from above shows space shuttle Endeavour lowered onto the mobile launcher platform next to the external tank flanked by two solid rocket boosters. The shuttle will be mated to the tank and boosters in preparation for launch on the STS-123 mission, targeted for March 11. The mission will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler-transporter carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. From this perspective, the Launch Control Center (left) and the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (right) in the background appear dwarfed by the 184-foot-tall boosters. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler-transporter carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. From this perspective, the Launch Control Center (left) and the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (right) in the background appear dwarfed by the 184-foot-tall boosters. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A crawler-transporter carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. From this perspective, the Launch Control Center (left) and the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (right) in the background appear dwarfed by the 184-foot-tall boosters. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A crawler-transporter carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. From this perspective, the Launch Control Center (left) and the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (right) in the background appear dwarfed by the 184-foot-tall boosters. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KSC-00pp0407

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-25

Seen from across the backwaters of the Indian River Lagoon, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, nears Launch Pad 39A at 1 mph. The crawler-transporter takes about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. The crawler-transporter carries its cargo at 1 mph, taking about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. A leveling system on the crawler-transporter keeps the top of the Space Shuttle vertical, especially negotiating the ramp leading to the launch pads and when it is raised and lowered on pedestals at the pad. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda

KSC00pp0407

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-25

Seen from across the backwaters of the Indian River Lagoon, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, nears Launch Pad 39A at 1 mph. The crawler-transporter takes about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. The crawler-transporter carries its cargo at 1 mph, taking about five hours to cover the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. A leveling system on the crawler-transporter keeps the top of the Space Shuttle vertical, especially negotiating the ramp leading to the launch pads and when it is raised and lowered on pedestals at the pad. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda

KSC-2014-1797

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians apply heat to a casing that contains an old bearing on the B truck tread of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. The bearing will separate and out for removal. New roller bearing assemblies will be installed on CT-2. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

GSDO Crawler Tread Removal

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians attach crane lines to the treads on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2, so they can be lifted up and away. The treads are being removed in order to gain access to remove the gear boxes. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2224

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work continues to remove the sprocket shaft assembly from the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. The sprocket assemblies will be placed into shipping cradles on pallets and positioned on a flatbed trailer. They will be sent to a vendor for inspections and refurbishment. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2214

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians use a special work stand to guide a roller bearing shaft for insertion on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads on the C truck were removed to allow access to the bearings. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2213

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians use a special work stand to guide a roller bearing shaft for insertion on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads on the C truck were removed to allow access to the bearings. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2212

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians attach a roller bearing shaft to a forklift. The bearing is being prepared for insertion in the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads on the C truck were removed to allow access to the bearings. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2009-2296

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1, on top of the crawler-transporter, reaches the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2294

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1, on top of the crawler-transporter, nears the flame trench (lower left) on the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2290

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1 is moving to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2292

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1 nears the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2289

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1 is moving to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2295

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1, on top of the crawler-transporter, reaches the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd3265

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the early morning hours, space shuttle Atlantis begins to roll away from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. At left are the fixed service structure topped by its 80-foot lightning mast and the rotating service structure. At far left is the 300,000-gallon water tower, which contents are used for sound suppression during liftoff. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CATIA V5 Virtual Environment Support for Constellation Ground Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, Andrew

2009-01-01

This summer internship primarily involved using CATIA V5 modeling software to design and model parts to support ground operations for the Constellation program. I learned several new CATIA features, including the Imagine and Shape workbench and the Tubing Design workbench, and presented brief workbench lessons to my co-workers. Most modeling tasks involved visualizing design options for Launch Pad 39B operations, including Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) access and internal access to the Ares I rocket. Other ground support equipment, including a hydrazine servicing cart, a mobile fuel vapor scrubber, a hypergolic propellant tank cart, and a SCAPE (Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble) suit, was created to aid in the visualization of pad operations.

KSC-07pd2868

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, is lowered toward the base for installation. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Feasibility of a low-cost sounding rockoon platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okninski, Adam; Raurell, Daniel Sors; Mitre, Alberto Rodriguez

2016-10-01

This paper presents the results of analyses and simulations for the design of a small sounding platform, dedicated to conducting scientific atmospheric research and capable of reaching the von Kármán line by means of a rocket launched from it. While recent private initiatives have opted for the air launch concept to send small payloads to Low Earth Orbit, several historical projects considered the use of balloons as the first stage of orbital and suborbital platforms, known as rockoons. Both of these approaches enable the minimization of drag losses. This paper addresses the issue of utilizing stratospheric balloons as launch platforms to conduct sub-orbital rocket flights. Research and simulations have been conducted to demonstrate these capabilities and feasibility. A small sounding solid propulsion rocket using commercially-off-the-shelf hardware is proposed. Its configuration and design are analyzed with special attention given to the propulsion system and its possible mission-orientated optimization. The cost effectiveness of this approach is discussed. Performance calculation outcomes are shown. Additionally, sensitivity study results for different design parameters are given. Minimum mass rocket configurations for various payload requirements are presented. The ultimate aim is to enhance low-cost experimentation maintaining high mobility of the system and simplicity of operations. An easier and more affordable access to a space-like environment can be achieved with this system, thus allowing for widespread outreach of space science and technology knowledge. This project is based on earlier experience of the authors in LEEM Association of the Technical University of Madrid and the Polish Small Sounding Rocket Program developed at the Institute of Aviation and Warsaw University of Technology in Poland.

Mars Mobile Lander Systems for 2005 and 2007 Launch Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabahi, D.; Graf, J. E.

2000-01-01

A series of Mars missions are proposed for the August 2005 launch opportunity on a medium class Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) with a injected mass capability of 2600 to 2750 kg. Known as the Ranger class, the primary objective of these Mars mission concepts are: (1) Deliver a mobile platform to Mars surface with large payload capability of 150 to 450 kg (depending on launch opportunity of 2005 or 2007); (2) Develop a robust, safe, and reliable workhorse entry, descent, and landing (EDL) capability for landed mass exceeding 750 kg; (3) Provide feed forward capability for the 2007 opportunity and beyond; and (4) Provide an option for a long life telecom relay orbiter. A number of future Mars mission concepts desire landers with large payload capability. Among these concepts are Mars sample return (MSR) which requires 300 to 450 kg landed payload capability to accommodate sampling, sample transfer equipment and a Mars ascent vehicle (MAV). In addition to MSR, large in situ payloads of 150 kg provide a significant step up from the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) and Mars Polar Lander (MPL) class payloads of 20 to 30 kg. This capability enables numerous and physically large science instruments as well as human exploration development payloads. The payload may consist of drills, scoops, rock corers, imagers, spectrometers, and in situ propellant production experiment, and dust and environmental monitoring.

KSC-2009-2293

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1 nears the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Seen around the service structures on the pad are the new 600-foot lightning towers and masts erected for the Ares launches. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-2291

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1 is moving to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Seen around the service structures on the pad are the new 600-foot lightning towers and masts erected for the Ares launches. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-00pp1296

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The morning sun spotlights Launch Pad 39A and Space Shuttle Discovery atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. To its left is the Rotating Service Structure in its open position, at the top of the ramp that the Shuttle must negotiate on the crawler-transporter. Above Discovery looms the 80-foot fiberglass lightning mast. At the far left is the Vehicle Assembly Building, where a Space Shuttle begins its voyage to the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-92 Oct. 5 at 9:30 p.m. EDT. Making the 100th Space Shuttle mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Discovery will carry two pieces of hardware for the International Space Station, the Z1 truss, which is the cornerstone truss of the Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. Discovery also will be making its 28th flight into space, more than any of the other orbiters to date

KSC00pp1296

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The morning sun spotlights Launch Pad 39A and Space Shuttle Discovery atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. To its left is the Rotating Service Structure in its open position, at the top of the ramp that the Shuttle must negotiate on the crawler-transporter. Above Discovery looms the 80-foot fiberglass lightning mast. At the far left is the Vehicle Assembly Building, where a Space Shuttle begins its voyage to the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-92 Oct. 5 at 9:30 p.m. EDT. Making the 100th Space Shuttle mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Discovery will carry two pieces of hardware for the International Space Station, the Z1 truss, which is the cornerstone truss of the Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. Discovery also will be making its 28th flight into space, more than any of the other orbiters to date

Replacement for a Flex Hose Coating at the Space Shuttle Launch Pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitten, Mary; Vinje, Rubiela; Curran, Jerome; Meneghelli, Barry; Calle, Luz Marina

2009-01-01

Aerocoat AR-7 is a coating that has been used to protect stainless steel flex hoses at NASA's Kennedy Space Center launch complex and hydraulic lines of the mobile launch platform (MLP). This coating has great corrosion control performance and low temperature application. AR-7 was developed by NASA and produced exclusively for NASA but its production has been discontinued due to its high content of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and significant environmental impact. The purpose of this project was to select and evaluate candidate coatings to find a replacement coating that is more environmentally friendly, with similar properties to AR-7. No coatings were identified that perform the same as AR-7 in all areas. Candidate coatings failed in comparison to AR-7 in salt fog, beachside atmospheric exposure, pencil hardness, Mandrel bend, chemical compatibility, adhesion, and ease of application tests. However, two coatings were selected for further evaluation.

KSC-08pd2308

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-08-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier from a mobile platform to move it to another stand in the high bay. The MULE is part of the payload for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, STS-125. The MULE carrier will join the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2309

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-08-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier from a mobile platform to move it to another stand in the high bay. The MULE is part of the payload for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, STS-125. The MULE carrier will join the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-08pd2310

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-08-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier from a mobile platform to move it to another stand in the high bay. The MULE is part of the payload for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, STS-125. The MULE carrier will join the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The curved road on the near side is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter currently sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSC's Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The road circles around the Orbiter Processing Facility 3 (OPF-3) at left center. OPF1 and OPF-2 are just below the curving road. The crawlerway also extends from the east side of the VAB out to the two launch pads, only one visible to the left of the VAB. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the far crawlerway is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

KSC-06pd1957

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter No. 2 makes its way toward Launch Pad 39B (in the background). The crawler is being moved nearby in the event the mission management team decides to roll back Space Shuttle Atlantis due to Hurricane Ernesto. The hurricane has been forecast on a heading north and east from Cuba, taking it along the eastern coast of Florida. NASA's lighted launch window extends to Sept. 13, but mission managers are hoping to launch on mission STS-115 by Sept. 7 to avoid a conflict with a Russian Soyuz rocket also bound for the International Space Station. The crawler is 131 feet long, 113 feet wide and 20 feet high. It weights 5.5 million pounds unloaded. The combined weight of crawler, mobile launcher platform and a space shuttle is 12 million pounds. Unloaded, the crawler moves at 2 mph. Loaded, the snail's pace slows to 1 mph. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-05PD-1148

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Dwarfing the accompanying vehicles, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform atop the Crawler/Transporter, heads along the crawlerway to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Discovery is rolling back from Launch Pad 39B (in the background). Once inside the VAB, Discovery will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

KSC-05PD-1175

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform, turns the corner on the crawlerway as it rolls back from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Once inside the VAB, it will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

KSC-99pp1417

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is viewed atop the mobile launcher platform on its way to Launch Pad 39A for launch of mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. SRTM will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from its payload bay, to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. STS-99 is scheduled for launch in January 2000

The RSS rolls back revealing STS-102 Discovery on Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, Space Shuttle Discovery is revealed, poised for launch on mission STS-102 at 6:42 a.m. EST March 8. It sits on the Mobile Launcher Platform, which straddles the flame trench below that helps deflect the intense heat of launch. Made of concrete and refractory brick, the trench is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. Situated above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm with the '''beanie cap,''' a vent hood. On this eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, Discovery carries the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the primary delivery system used to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo will deliver up to 10 tons of laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies for outfitting the newly installed U.S. Laboratory Destiny.

KSC-08pd2116

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-23

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This elevated view of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center shows workers filling steel grid structures, welded to the wall of the flame trench, with a heat-resistant concrete called Fondue Fyre, developed during NASA's Apollo lunar program. At left are the pad's "rainbirds." These nozzles are part of the pad sound suppression system which protects the orbiter and its payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the mobile launcher platform during liftoff. Damage to the trench occurred during the May 31 launch of Discovery on the STS-124 mission. A 75- by 20-foot section of the east wall was destroyed and debris scattered as far as the pad perimeter fence. Repairs are expected to be completed before the targeted Oct. 8 launch of Atlantis on the NASA Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle: Stack 5 Modal Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehrle, Ralph D.; Templeton, Justin D.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.; Gaspar, James L.; Bartolotta, Paul A.; Parks, Russel A.; Lazor, Danel R.

2010-01-01

Ares I-X was the first flight test vehicle used in the development of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle. The Ares I-X used a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Three modal tests were defined to verify the dynamic finite element model of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X flight test vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This report focuses on the first modal test that was performed on the top section of the vehicle referred to as Stack 5, which consisted of the spacecraft adapter, service module, crew module and launch abort system simulators. This report describes the test requirements, constraints, pre-test analysis, test operations and data analysis for the Ares I-X Stack 5 modal test.

STS-103 Discovery crawls to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery makes the turn toward Launch Pad 39B on its 4.2-mile (6.8 kilometer) trek atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. Once at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency.

KSC-07pd3624

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks test wiring spliced into an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system. The test wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3623

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks test wiring spliced into an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system. The test wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-00pp1626

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from across the turn basin at KSC, Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) which is atop the crawler-transporter, moving on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig053

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed across the turn basin from the Press mound, Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B (on the horizon) via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) which is atop the crawler-transporter, moving on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC-02pd1379

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-09-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus is happy to return to KSC to prepare for launch. She will be making her first Shuttle flight. STS-112, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. The 11-day mission includes three spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for Oct. 2 between 2 and 6 p.m.

KSC-07pd1774

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The main engines on the orbiter Endeavour (upper right) are seen as Endeavour is lowered into high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking with the external tank (seen at left) and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Endeavour will be launched on mission STS-118, its first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

STS-81 Rollout to Pad 39B (turtle in foreground)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Will the Space Shuttle Atlantis or the turtle reach Launch Pad 39B first? Carried atop the Mobile Launch Platform on the 6- million-pound Crawler Transporter, Shuttle Atlantis departs the Vehicle Assembly Building en route to Pad B at a maximum speed of 1 mile per hour. No one clocked the turtle, which seems to be heading in the same direction. Atlantis is tentatively scheduled to lift off on a nine-day mission on Jan. 12. STS-81 will be the fifth Shuttle-Mir docking. The six-member crew at liftoff will include Mission Specialist J.M. Linenger, who will transfer to the Russian Mir Space Station for an extended stay, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha, who will return to Earth on Atlantis.

KSC-07pd3625

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks test wiring spliced into an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system. The test wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1967-11-01

This is a view of the the first test flight of the Saturn V vehicle (SA-501) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex 39A. The thrust chambers of the first stage's five engines extend into the 45-foot-square hole in the mobile launcher platform. Until liftoff, the flames impinged downward onto a flame deflector that diverted the blast lengthwise in the flame trench. Here, a flame deflector, coated with a black ceramic, is in place below the opening, while a yellow (uncoated) spare deflector rests on its track in the background. It took a tremendous flow of water (28,000 gallons per minute) to cool the flame deflector and trench. The Apollo 4 was launched on November 9, 1967 from KSC.

KSC-2010-4716

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-09-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Bathed in bright xenon lights, space shuttle Discovery makes its nighttime trek, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will take the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, about six hours to complete the move atop a crawler-transporter. Rollout sets the stage for Discovery's STS-133 crew to practice countdown and launch procedures during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in mid-October. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2010-4707

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-09-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Bathed in bright xenon lights, space shuttle Discovery makes its nighttime trek, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will take the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, about six hours to complete the move atop a crawler-transporter. Rollout sets the stage for Discovery's STS-133 crew to practice countdown and launch procedures during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in mid-October. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

STS-106 orbiter Atlantis rolls over to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The orbiter Atlantis is moved aboard an orbiter transporter from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 3 over to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). In the background (right) are OPF bays 1 and 2. In the VAB it will be lifted to vertical and placed aboard the mobile launcher platform (MLP) for stacking with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 on mission STS-106, the fourth construction flight to the International Space Station, with a crew of seven.

KSC-07pd3649

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3644

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician sets up wiring for the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3631

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician explains how test equipment -- the blue monitor -- will be used to validate the circuit on test wiring from the electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off system. The test wiring leads from the tail mast on the mobile launcher platform to the interior where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3651

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3648

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3647

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3632

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, technicians overlook wires and monitoring equipment that will be used to validate the circuit on the test wiring from the electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off system. The test wiring leads from the tail mast on the mobile launcher platform to the interior where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3650

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2397

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the top of external tank No. 120 is seen as the tank is lowered between the solid rocket boosters for mating on the mobile launcher platform. The external tank-SRB stack is being prepared for the orbiter Discovery, which will be mated to the stack in the VAB in two weeks. Space Shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 on mission STS-120 to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

STS-106 orbiter Atlantis rolls over to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

KSC employees accompany the orbiter Atlantis as it is moved aboard an orbiter transporter to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). In the background are OPF bays 1 and 2. In the VAB it will be lifted to vertical and placed aboard the mobile launcher platform (MLP) for stacking with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 on mission STS-106, the fourth construction flight to the International Space Station, with a crew of seven.

KSC-07pd3645

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a wiring board has been set up for the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-106 orbiter Atlantis rolls over to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Viewed from an upper level in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis waits in the transfer aisle after its move from the Orbiter Processing Facility. In the VAB it will be lifted to vertical and placed aboard the mobile launcher platform (MLP) for stacking with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 on mission STS-106, the fourth construction flight to the International Space Station, with a crew of seven.

Endeavour on way to Pad 39B for STS-77

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

A road sign points the way to Launch Pad 39B, the final earthly destination for the Space Shuttle Endeavour and its steppingstone into space. Endeavour began the slow journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at about 10 a.m., April 16, perched atop the mobile launcher platform and carried by the crawler-transporter. Upcoming activities at the pad to prepare Endeavour for flight on Mission STS-77 include installation of the payloads in the orbiter's payload bay.

Artist's Concept- Ares I On Launchpad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Launch Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC), currently used for Space Shuttle launches, will be revised to host the Ares launch vehicles. The fixed and rotating service structures standing at the pad will be dismantled sometime after the Ares I-X test flight. A new launch tower for Ares I will be built onto a new mobile launch platform. The gantry for the shuttle doesn't reach much higher than the top of the four segments of the solid rocket booster. Pad access above the current shuttle launch pad structure will not be required for Ares I-X because the stages above the solid rocket booster are inert. For the test scheduled in 2012 or for the crewed flights, workers and astronauts will need access to the highest levels of the rocket and capsule. When the Ares I rocket rolls out to the launch pad on the back of the same crawler-transporters used now, its launch gantry will be with it. The mobile launchers will nestle under three lightning protection towers to be erected around the pad area. Ares time at the launch pad will be significantly less than the three weeks or more the shuttle requires. This 'clean pad' approach minimizes equipment and servicing at the launch pad. It is the same plan NASA used with the Saturn V rockets and industry employs it with more modern launchers. The launch pad will also get a new emergency escape system for astronauts, one that looks very much like a roller coaster. Cars riding on a rail will replace the familiar baskets hanging from steel cables. This artist's concept illustrates the Ares I on launch pad 39B.

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KSC-07pd1835

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler way, in the foreground, still bears the tracks of the crawler-transporter that delivered Space Shuttle Endeavour to Launch Pad 39A, in the background. At far left is the rotating service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the shuttle for access during processing. Behind it is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80-foot-tall lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tank, which provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. STS-118 will be the first flight since 2002 for Endeavour, which has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to orbiters Discovery and Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

The Mars Hopper: a radioisotope powered, impulse driven, long-range, long-lived mobile platform for exploration of Mars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steven D. Howe; Robert C. O'Brien; William Taitano

Planetary exploration mission requirements are becoming more demanding. Due to the increasing cost, the missions that provide mobile platforms that can acquire data at multiple locations are becoming more attractive. Wheeled vehicles such as the MER rovers have proven extremely capable but have very limited range and cannot traverse rugged terrain. Flying vehicles such as balloons and airplanes have been proposed but are problematic due to the very thin atmospheric pressure and the strong, dusty winds present on Mars. The Center for Space Nuclear Research has designed an instrumented platform that can acquire detailed data at hundreds of locations duringmore » its lifetime - a Mars Hopper. The Mars Hopper concept utilizes energy from radioisotopic decay in a manner different from any existing radioisotopic power sources—as a thermal capacitor. By accumulating the heat from radioisotopic decay for long periods, the power of the source can be dramatically increased for short periods. The platform will be able to "hop" from one location to the next every 5-7 days with a separation of 5-10 km per hop. Preliminary designs show a platform that weighs around 52 kgs unfueled which is the condition at deployment. Consequently, several platforms may be deployed on a single launch from Earth. With sufficient lifetime, the entire surface of Mars can be mapped in detail by a couple dozen platforms. In addition, Hoppers can collect samples from all over the planet, including gorges, mountains and crevasses, and deliver them to a central location for eventual pick-up by a Mars Sample Return mission. The status of the Mars Hopper development project at the CSNR is discussed.« less

Throttleable GOX/ABS launch assist hybrid rocket motor for small scale air launch platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spurrier, Zachary S.

Aircraft-based space-launch platforms allow operational flexibility and offer the potential for significant propellant savings for small-to-medium orbital payloads. The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's Towed Glider Air-Launch System (TGALS) is a small-scale flight research project investigating the feasibility for a remotely-piloted, towed, glider system to act as a versatile air launch platform for nano-scale satellites. Removing the crew from the launch vehicle means that the system does not have to be human rated, and offers a potential for considerable cost savings. Utah State University is developing a small throttled launch-assist system for the TGALS platform. This "stage zero" design allows the TGALS platform to achieve the required flight path angle for the launch point, a condition that the TGALS cannot achieve without external propulsion. Throttling is required in order to achieve and sustain the proper launch attitude without structurally overloading the airframe. The hybrid rocket system employs gaseous-oxygen and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as propellants. This thesis summarizes the development and testing campaign, and presents results from the clean-sheet design through ground-based static fire testing. Development of the closed-loop throttle control system is presented.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (on the horizon) and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (on the horizon) and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (framed between the boosters), and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (framed between the boosters), and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler transporter slowly moves the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), carrying a set of twin solid rocket boosters, along the crawlerway in support of engineering analysis vibration tests on the crawler and MLP. In the distance, at left, is Launch Pad 39A. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler transporter slowly moves the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), carrying a set of twin solid rocket boosters, along the crawlerway in support of engineering analysis vibration tests on the crawler and MLP. In the distance, at left, is Launch Pad 39A. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, crawls away from the Vehicle Assembly Building in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, crawls away from the Vehicle Assembly Building in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch away from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch away from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KSC-07pd2871

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians help guide the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, into place for installation on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2863

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, is ready to be installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station ISS. Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2870

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians help guide the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, into place for installation on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2866

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, is moved across the facility. The arm will be installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-06-05

Aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, the STS-111 mission was launched on June 5, 2002 at 5:22 pm EDT from Kennedy's launch pad. On board were the STS-111 and Expedition Five crew members. Astronauts Kenneth D. Cockrell, commander; Paul S. Lockhart, pilot, and mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin were the STS-111 crew members. Expedition Five crew members included Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, commander, Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev, flight engineers. Three space walks enabled the STS-111 crew to accomplish mission objectives: the delivery and installation of a new platform for the ISS robotic arm, the Mobile Base System (MBS) which is an important part of the Station's Mobile Servicing System allowing the robotic arm to travel the length of the Station; the replacement of a wrist roll joint on the Station's robotic arm; and unloading supplies and science experiments from the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which made its third trip to the orbital outpost. Landing on June 19, 2002, the 14-day STS-111 mission was the 14th Shuttle mission to visit the ISS.

KSC-00padig058

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside the gate to Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Endeavour and the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) start up the incline to the top of the pad. The crawler-transporter beneath the MLP, which moves the Shuttle at about 1 mph, has a leveling system designed to keep the top of the Space Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the pad. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00pp1623

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour appears dwarfed by the structures inside the Vehicle Assembly Building as it begins rollout to Launch Pad 39B. The Shuttle rests on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Underneath (bottom of photo) is the crawler-transporter that will move the Shuttle and MLP to the pad on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00pp1625

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour appears to be framed by palms in this view across the turn basin at KSC. Endeavour is inching its way to Launch Pad 39B via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) which is atop the crawler-transporter, moving on four double-tracked crawlers. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

STS-55 Columbia, OV-102, mated to ET and SRBs, heads to KSC LC during rollout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

German payload processing team members watch as STS-55 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, mated to the external tank (ET) and solid rocket boosters (SRBs), heads to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39A. OV-102, the ET, and SRBs ride atop the mobile launch platform and the crawler transporter. A spectator in the foreground is wearing an STS-55 t-shirt. The German-managed Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) and the Unique Support Structure (USS) are already integrated in OV-102's payload bay as it makes its way to LC Pad 39A. OV-102 is targeted for liftoff on Space Shuttle Mission STS-55 in late February. View provided by KSC with alternate KSC number KSC-93PC-283.

KSC-06pd2287

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is transferred from the checkout cell for attaching to its twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launch platform in highbay 3 for mission STS-116. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. STS-116 will be mission no. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-07pd3629

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician prepares a cable from an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system leading into the tail mast. The test wiring leads from the tail mast to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3628

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, cables lead from an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system into the tail mast. The test wiring leads from the tail mast to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3627

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, cables lead from an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system into the tail mast. The test wiring leads from the tail mast to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-05PD-1142

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Under post-dawn cloudy skies, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform, rolls away from Launch Pad 39B via the Crawler/Transporter underneath. At left are the Rotating and Fixed Service Structures (RSS and FSS). Atop the FSS is the 80-foot lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tower that holds 300,000 gallons of water, part of the sound suppression system during a launch. Discovery is returning to the Vehicle Assembly Buildling where it will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

STS-110 Atlantis rolls out to Launch Pad 39-A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the foreground, white herons at the canal's edge pay scant attention the immense Space Shuttle towering above them. The Shuttle is inching its way to the top of the launch pad. In the background are seen the Rotating Service Structure (open) and the Fixed Service Structure, which holds the 80-foot lightning mast on top. The Shuttle sits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform, which rests on the crawler-transporter. Atlantis is scheduled for launch April 4 on mission STS-110, which will install the S0 truss, the framework that eventually will hold the power and cooling systems needed for future international research laboratories on the International Space Station. The Canadarm2 robotic arm will be used exclusively to hoist the 13-ton truss from the payload bay to the Station. The S0 truss will be the first major U.S. component launched to the Station since the addition of the Quest airlock in July 2001. The four spacewalks planned for the construction will all originate from the airlock. The mission will be Atlantis' 25th trip to space.

Mobility platform coupling device and method for coupling mobility platforms

DOEpatents

Shirey, David L.; Hayward, David R.; Buttz, James H.

2002-01-01

A coupling device for connecting a first mobility platform to a second mobility platform in tandem. An example mobility platform is a robot. The coupling device has a loose link mode for normal steering conditions and a locking position, tight link mode for navigation across difficult terrain and across obstacles, for traversing chasms, and for navigating with a reduced footprint in tight steering conditions.

KSC-99pp1405

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) are open for the transfer of Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, to Launch Pad 39A for mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), it involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled

KSC-2010-5333

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves a mobile launcher platform with two solid rocket boosters perched on top from the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) High Bay 1 to High Bay 3. Inside the VAB, the boosters will be joined to an external fuel tank next month in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch in February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2010-5334

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves a mobile launcher platform with two solid rocket boosters perched on top from the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) High Bay 1 to High Bay 3. Inside the VAB, the boosters will be joined to an external fuel tank next month in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch in February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-08pd0280

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Viewed from an upper level in the Vehicle Assembly Building, space shuttle Endeavour is slowly lifted to the top of high bay 1. Crossing the I-beam, the shuttle will then be lowered onto the mobile launcher platform for mating with the external tank and solid rocket boosters in preparation for launch on the STS-123 mission, targeted for March 11. The mission will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2010-5336

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves a mobile launcher platform with two solid rocket boosters perched on top from the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) High Bay 1 to High Bay 3. Inside the VAB, the boosters will be joined to an external fuel tank next month in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch in February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Ben Cooper

KSC-2010-5337

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves a mobile launcher platform with two solid rocket boosters perched on top from the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) High Bay 1 to High Bay 3. Inside the VAB, the boosters will be joined to an external fuel tank next month in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch in February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Ben Cooper

KSC-2010-5335

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves a mobile launcher platform with two solid rocket boosters perched on top from the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) High Bay 1 to High Bay 3. Inside the VAB, the boosters will be joined to an external fuel tank next month in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch in February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-07pd3646

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician checks the blue monitor that will be used to validate the circuit on test wiring during the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-112 crew walks out of O&C building before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-112 crew wave to spectators as they exit the Operations and Checkout Building for their ride to Launch Pad 39B and the launch scheduled 3:46 p.m. EDT. Leading the way are Pilot Pamela Melroy and Commander Jeffrey Ashby. In the second row are Mission Specialists David Wolf (left) and Sandra Magnus. Behind them are Mission Specialists Fyodor Yurchikhin and Piers Sellers. Sellers, Magnus and Yurchikhin are making their first Shuttle flights. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station.

STS-112 Crew exit O&C building before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-112 crew eagerly exit the Operations and Checkout Building for their ride to Launch Pad 39B and the launch scheduled 3:46 p.m. EDT. Leading the way are Pilot Pamela Melroy and Commander Jeffrey Ashby. In the second row are Mission Specialists David Wolf (left) and Sandra Magnus. Behind them are Mission Specialists Fyodor Yurchikhin and Piers Sellers. Sellers, Magnus and Yurchikhin are making their first Shuttle flights. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

KSC-06pd1959

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter No. 2 nears Launch Pad 39B (in the background, right). The tip of the orange external tank can be seen above the rotating service structure surrounding the shuttle. The crawler is being moved nearby in the event the mission management team decides to roll back Space Shuttle Atlantis due to Hurricane Ernesto. The hurricane has been forecast on a heading north and east from Cuba, taking it along the eastern coast of Florida. NASA's lighted launch window extends to Sept. 13, but mission managers are hoping to launch on mission STS-115 by Sept. 7 to avoid a conflict with a Russian Soyuz rocket also bound for the International Space Station. The crawler is 131 feet long, 113 feet wide and 20 feet high. It weights 5.5 million pounds unloaded. The combined weight of crawler, mobile launcher platform and a space shuttle is 12 million pounds. Unloaded, the crawler moves at 2 mph. Loaded, the snail's pace slows to 1 mph. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-06pd1958

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Crawler-transporter No. 2 makes its way toward Launch Pad 39B (in the background). The tip of the orange external tank can be seen above the rotating service structure surrounding the shuttle. The crawler is being moved nearby in the event the mission management team decides to roll back Space Shuttle Atlantis due to Hurricane Ernesto. The hurricane has been forecast on a heading north and east from Cuba, taking it along the eastern coast of Florida. NASA's lighted launch window extends to Sept. 13, but mission managers are hoping to launch on mission STS-115 by Sept. 7 to avoid a conflict with a Russian Soyuz rocket also bound for the International Space Station. The crawler is 131 feet long, 113 feet wide and 20 feet high. It weights 5.5 million pounds unloaded. The combined weight of crawler, mobile launcher platform and a space shuttle is 12 million pounds. Unloaded, the crawler moves at 2 mph. Loaded, the snail's pace slows to 1 mph. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-04PD-1063

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1064

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

STS-103 Discovery crawls to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter, nears the top of Launch Pad 39B after a 4.2-mile crawl from the Vehicle Assembly Building. At left are the Rotating Service Structure and the Fixed Service Structure, which will enable final preparations of the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency.

STS-103 Discovery crawls to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery stands poised in the open door of the Vehicle Assembly Building before its 4.2-mile (6.8 kilometer) crawl to Launch Pad 39B atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. Once at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency.

STS-103 Discovery crawls to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery clears the Vehicle Assembly Building (left) on its 4.2-mile (6.8 kilometer) crawl to Launch Pad 39B atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. Once at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency.

STS-103 Discovery crawls to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

With the American flag flapping in the morning breeze, Space Shuttle Discovery across the turn basin makes its 4.2-mile (6.8 kilometer) crawl to Launch Pad 39B (background, left) atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. Once at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency.

KSC-04PD-1075

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water recedes from the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after the water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1062

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

STS-96 Space Shuttle Discovery rolls back to Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery makes the climb to Launch Pad 39B aboard the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. The crawler is able to keep its cargo level during the move up the five percent grade, not varying from the vertical more than the diameter of a soccer ball. At right are the rotating and fixed service structures which will be used during prelaunch preparations at the pad. Earlier in the week, the Shuttle was rolled back to the VAB from the pad to repair hail damage on the external tank's foam insulation. Mission STS-96, the 94th launch in the Space Shuttle Program, is scheduled for liftoff May 27 at 6:48 a.m. EDT. STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-shared experiment.

KSC-04pd1063

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1065

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1075

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water recedes from the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after the water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1064

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1062

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

Urban search mobile platform modeling in hindered access conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barankova, I. I.; Mikhailova, U. V.; Kalugina, O. B.; Barankov, V. V.

2018-05-01

The article explores the control system simulation and the design of the experimental model of the rescue robot mobile platform. The functional interface, a structural functional diagram of the mobile platform control unit, and a functional control scheme for the mobile platform of secure robot were modeled. The task of design a mobile platform for urban searching in hindered access conditions is realized through the use of a mechanical basis with a chassis and crawler drive, a warning device, human heat sensors and a microcontroller based on Arduino platforms.

KSC-07pd2867

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, is moved toward the base, in the background. The arm will be installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2869

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians aid with the lowering of the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, toward the base. The arm will be installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2864

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians adjust the cables of an overhead crane on the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre. The arm will be moved to and installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station ISS. Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd2865

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians begin raising the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, for its move across the facility. The arm will be installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station ISS. Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, crawl out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. In the background is another MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, crawl out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. In the background is another MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler transporter slowly moves the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), carrying a set of twin solid rocket boosters, away from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of engineering analysis vibration tests on the crawler and MLP. On either side of the boosters on the horizon can be seen the two launch pads. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler transporter slowly moves the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), carrying a set of twin solid rocket boosters, away from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in support of engineering analysis vibration tests on the crawler and MLP. On either side of the boosters on the horizon can be seen the two launch pads. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Kennedy Space Center technician monitors the performance of a crawler-transporter as it moves Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, to the intersection in the crawlerway during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A, and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Kennedy Space Center technician monitors the performance of a crawler-transporter as it moves Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, to the intersection in the crawlerway during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A, and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it, atop the crawler-transporter, inches along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The MLP is viewed from the KSC News Center across the turn basin. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it, atop the crawler-transporter, inches along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The MLP is viewed from the KSC News Center across the turn basin. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Kennedy Space Center technician walks towards the intersection of the crawlerway beside a crawler-transporter moving Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A, and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Kennedy Space Center technician walks towards the intersection of the crawlerway beside a crawler-transporter moving Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A, and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (on the horizon at right; Pad 39B is at far left), and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 and a set of twin solid rocket boosters, atop the crawler-transporter, inch along the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A (on the horizon at right; Pad 39B is at far left), and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KSC-2009-4416

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform, space shuttle Discovery arrives on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Traveling from the Vehicle Assembly Building, the journey took nearly 12 hours as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-07pd1827

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The dawn sky over the Atlantic Ocean reveals Space Shuttle Endeavour sitting on Launch Pad 39A. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 8:10 p.m. July 10, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 3:02 a.m. July 11. The orbiter access arm is already extended to the orbiter from the fixed service structure. Peering just above the solid rocket booster on the left is the 290-foot-tall water tank. It provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. STS-118 will be the first flight since 2002 for Endeavour, which has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to orbiters Discovery and Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd1826

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The rising sun, at right, reveals Space Shuttle Endeavour sitting on Launch Pad 39A. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 8:10 p.m. July 10, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 3:02 a.m. July 11. On the left is the fixed service structure with the orbiter access arm already extended to the orbiter. The top of the 290-foot-tall water tank is seen to the right of the shuttle. It provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. STS-118 will be the first flight since 2002 for Endeavour, which has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to orbiters Discovery and Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Vice President Pence Visits NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-06

Vice President Mike Pence got a first-hand look at the public-private partnerships at America’s multi-user spaceport on Thursday, July 6, during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking in the center’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, the Vice President thanked employees for their commitment to America’s continued leadership in the space frontier, before taking a tour showcasing both NASA and commercial work that will soon lead to U.S.-based astronaut launches and eventual missions into deep space. The Vice President started his visit at Shuttle Landing Facility, the former space shuttle landing strip now leased and operated by Space Florida. He also visited the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where the Orion spacecraft is being prepped for its first integrated flight with the Space Launch System (SLS) in 2019. A driving tour showcased the mobile launch platform being readied for SLS flights as well as two commercial space facilities: Launch Complex 39A, the historic Apollo and shuttle pad now leased by SpaceX and used for commercial launches, and Boeing’s facility, where engineers are prepping the company’s Starliner capsule for crew flights to the space station in the same facility once used to do the same thing for space shuttles.

Ares I-X Launch Vehicle Modal Test Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehrle, Ralph D.; Bartolotta, Paul A.; Templeton, Justin D.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.; Gaspar, James L.; Parks, Russell A.; Lazor, Daniel R.

2010-01-01

The first test flight of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle, called Ares I-X, is scheduled for launch in 2009. Ares IX will use a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Flight test data will provide important information on ascent loads, vehicle control, separation, and first stage reentry dynamics. As part of hardware verification, a series of modal tests were designed to verify the dynamic finite element model (FEM) used in loads assessments and flight control evaluations. Based on flight control system studies, the critical modes were the first three free-free bending mode pairs. Since a test of the free-free vehicle is not practical within project constraints, modal tests for several configurations in the nominal integration flow were defined to calibrate the FEM. A traceability study by Aerospace Corporation was used to identify the critical modes for the tested configurations. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X launch vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This paper provides an overview for companion papers in the Ares I-X Modal Test Session. The requirements flow down, pre-test analysis, constraints and overall test planning are described.

KSC-05PD-0605

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. From inside the viewing room of the Launch Control Center, KSC employees watch Space Shuttle Discovery as it creeps along the crawlerway toward the horizon, and Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. First motion of the Shuttle out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) was at 2:04 p.m. EDT. The Mobile Launcher Platform is moved by the Crawler-Transporter underneath. The Crawler is 20 feet high, 131 feet long and 114 feet wide. It moves on eight tracks, each containing 57 shoes, or cleats, weighing one ton each. Loaded with the Space Shuttle, the Crawler can move at a maximum speed of approximately 1 mile an hour. A leveling system in the Crawler keeps the Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Discovery was moved on March 29 from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB and attached to its propulsion elements, a redesigned ET and twin SRBs.

Atlantis begins rolling back to the VAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Perched atop its Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Atlantis moves back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, via the crawler- transporter underneath, along the crawlerway. The water in the background is part of the Banana River. Atlantis' return to the VAB was determined by Shuttle managers so that inspections, continuity checks and X-ray analysis can be conducted on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each booster's system tunnel. An extensive evaluation of NASA's SRB cable inventory revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables on the shelf. The launch has been rescheduled no earlier than Feb. 6.

KSC-04pd1066

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. Because of the unusual event, media and workers watch from nearby vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left). This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released for launch just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

Wi-Fi Service enhancement at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducret, V.; Sosnowski, A.; Gonzalez Caballero, B.; Barrand, Q.

2017-10-01

Since the early 2000’s, the number of mobile devices connected to CERN’s internal network has increased from just a handful to well over 10,000. Wireless access is no longer simply “nice to have” or just for conference and meeting rooms; support for mobility is expected by most, if not all, of the CERN community. In this context, a full renewal of the CERN Wi-Fi network has been launched to deliver a state-of-the-art campus-wide Wi-Fi Infrastructure. We aim to deliver, in more than 200 office buildings with a surface area of over 400,000m2 and including many high-priority and high-occupation zones, an end-user experience comparable, for most applications, to a wired connection and with seamless mobility support. We describe here the studies and tests performed at CERN to ensure the solution we are deploying can meet these goals as well as delivering a single, simple, flexible and open management platform.

46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

Sharing Vital Signs between mobile phone applications.

PubMed

Karlen, Walter; Dumont, Guy A; Scheffer, Cornie

2014-01-01

We propose a communication library, ShareVitalSigns, for the standardized exchange of vital sign information between health applications running on mobile platforms. The library allows an application to request one or multiple vital signs from independent measurement applications on the Android OS. Compatible measurement applications are automatically detected and can be launched from within the requesting application, simplifying the work flow for the user and reducing typing errors. Data is shared between applications using intents, a passive data structure available on Android OS. The library is accompanied by a test application which serves as a demonstrator. The secure exchange of vital sign information using a standardized library like ShareVitalSigns will facilitate the integration of measurement applications into diagnostic and other high level health monitoring applications and reduce errors due to manual entry of information.

The Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Office Concept from a Wide Area Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

significant improvements in wireless network data rates, and enhanced mobile application platforms offers an opportunity to effectively integrate m...hardware, and mobile application platforms housing the necessary middleware software comprise the mobile landscape. The m-business network...devices. Lastly, an investigation into mobile application platforms will reveal the middleware functionality required to successfully extend suitable e

STS-112 Crew walkout of O&C building for TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-112 crew heads for the Astrovan and a ride to the launch pad for a simulated countdown. From left are Mission Specialists Fyodor Yurchikhin (RSA), David Wolf and Piers Sellers; Pilot Pamela Melroy; Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus; and Commander Jeffrey Ashby. Mission STS-112 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 2, between 2 and 6 p.m. EDT. STS-112 is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts.

KSC-padg96ro

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-20

Against a popcorn-clouded blue sky, Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter, ends its five-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building as it crosses through the gate at Launch Pad 39B. Earlier in the week, the Shuttle was rolled back to the VAB from the pad to repair hail damage on the external tank's foam insulation. The 4.2-mile trek takes about five hours at the 1-mph speed of the crawler. Mission STS-96, the 94th launch in the Space Shuttle Program, is scheduled for liftoff May 27 at 6:48 a.m. EDT STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-shared experiment

KSC-00padig052

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the early morning sky lights up, Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B (on the horizon) via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Visible beneath the MLP is the crawler-transporter, which moves on four double-tracked crawlers. Each shoe on the crawler track weighs a ton. Unloaded, the transporter weighs 6 million pounds and moves at 2 mph. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

KSC00padig052

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-31

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the early morning sky lights up, Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B (on the horizon) via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Visible beneath the MLP is the crawler-transporter, which moves on four double-tracked crawlers. Each shoe on the crawler track weighs a ton. Unloaded, the transporter weighs 6 million pounds and moves at 2 mph. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

A Fully Redundant On-Line Mass Spectrometer System Used to Monitor Cryogenic Fuel Leaks on the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Timothy P.; Naylor, Guy R.; Haskell, William D.; Breznik, Greg S.; Mizell, Carolyn A.; Helms, William R.; Voska, N. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

An on-line gas monitoring system was developed to replace the older systems used to monitor for cryogenic leaks on the Space Shuttles before launch. The system uses a mass spectrometer to monitor multiple locations in the process, which allows the system to monitor all gas constituents of interest in a nearly simultaneous manner. The system is fully redundant and meets all requirements for ground support equipment (GSE). This includes ruggedness to withstand launch on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), ease of operation, and minimal operator intervention. The system can be fully automated so that an operator is notified when an unusual situation or fault is detected. User inputs are through personal computer using mouse and keyboard commands. The graphical user for detecting cryogenic leaks, many other gas constituents could be monitored using the Hazardous Gas Detection System (HGDS) 2000.

KSC-99pp0568

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Viewed from the top of the rotating service structure, Space Shuttle Discovery rests on the mobile launcher platform and towers over the landscape after rollout to Launch Pad 39B. In the background are portions of the Banana River and the Atlantic Ocean. The lighter spots on the top of the external tank are areas of hail damage that was recently repaired. The Shuttle had to be returned to the VAB for the repairs, making this the second rollout for the Shuttle. Discovery is scheduled for liftoff May 27 at 6:48 a.m. EDT on mission STS-96, the 94th launch in the Space Shuttle Program. A logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, STS-96 is carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-shared experiment

KSC-99pp1418

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Under breaking clouds, Space Shuttle Endeavour, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, crawls its way to Launch Pad 39A for mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. SRTM will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from its payload bay, to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. STS-99 is scheduled for launch in January 2000

KSC-99pp0863

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-07-19

Space Shuttle Columbia, sitting on its mobile launcher platform, is framed against the early morning sky after the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39-B. Columbia waits for the launch of mission STS-93 July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT. The primary payload of STS-93 is the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The new telescope is 20 to 50 times more sensitive than any previous X-ray telescope and is expected unlock the secrets of supernovae, quasars and black holes. The STS-93 crew numbers five: Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as commander of a shuttle mission

KSC-99pp0864

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-07-19

The rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on launch Pad 39-B reveals Space Shuttle Columbia on its mobile launcher platform, waiting for the launch of mission STS-93 on July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT. The primary payload of STS-93 is the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The new telescope is 20 to 50 times more sensitive than any previous X-ray telescope and is expected unlock the secrets of supernovae, quasars and black holes. The STS-93 crew numbers five: Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as commander of a shuttle mission

KSC-06pd2268

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Against a pre-dawn sky on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the STEREO spacecraft is lifted up toward the platform on the mobile service tower. In the tower, STEREO will be mated with its launch vehicle, a Boeing Delta II rocket. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft. The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. The STEREO mission is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center. The Applied Physics Laboratory designed and built the spacecraft. The laboratory will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle:Stack 1 Modal Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehrle, Ralph D.; Templeton, Justin D.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.; Gaspar, James L.; Bartolotta, Paul A.; Parks, Russel A.; Lazor, Daniel R.

2010-01-01

Ares I-X was the first flight test vehicle used in the development of NASA s Ares I crew launch vehicle. The Ares I-X used a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Three modal tests were defined to verify the dynamic finite element model of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X flight test vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This report focuses on the second modal test that was performed on the middle section of the vehicle referred to as Stack 1, which consisted of the subassembly from the 5th segment simulator through the interstage. This report describes the test requirements, constraints, pre-test analysis, test operations and data analysis for the Ares I-X Stack 1 modal test.

KSC-00pp0716

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crawler-transporter with mobile launcher platform on top tests the buried portion of the Apollo-era crawlerway leading to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay 2 on the southwest side. The road was restored as part of KSC’s Safe Haven project. High bay 2 provides a third stacking area. The primary goal of the Safe Haven construction project was to strengthen readiness for hurricane season by expanding the VAB’s storage capacity. The new area, in high bay 2, will allow NASA to preassemble stacks and still have room in the VAB to pull a Shuttle back from the pad if severe weather threatens. Potential rollouts of the Space Shuttle to the launch pad from high bay 2 will involve making a turn around the north side of the VAB in contrast to the straight rollouts from high bays 1 and 3, on the east side of the VAB facing the launch pads

KSC00pp0716

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-06-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crawler-transporter with mobile launcher platform on top tests the buried portion of the Apollo-era crawlerway leading to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay 2 on the southwest side. The road was restored as part of KSC’s Safe Haven project. High bay 2 provides a third stacking area. The primary goal of the Safe Haven construction project was to strengthen readiness for hurricane season by expanding the VAB’s storage capacity. The new area, in high bay 2, will allow NASA to preassemble stacks and still have room in the VAB to pull a Shuttle back from the pad if severe weather threatens. Potential rollouts of the Space Shuttle to the launch pad from high bay 2 will involve making a turn around the north side of the VAB in contrast to the straight rollouts from high bays 1 and 3, on the east side of the VAB facing the launch pads

KSC01padig145

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, Space Shuttle Discovery is revealed, poised for launch on mission STS-102 at 6:42 a.m. EST March 8. It sits on the Mobile Launcher Platform, which straddles the flame trench below that helps deflect the intense heat of launch. Made of concrete and refractory brick, the trench is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. Situated above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm with the “beanie cap,” a vent hood. On this eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, Discovery carries the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the primary delivery system used to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo will deliver up to 10 tons of laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies for outfitting the newly installed U.S. Laboratory Destiny

KSC01pp0442

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, Space Shuttle Discovery is revealed, poised for launch on mission STS-102 at 6:42 a.m. EST March 8. It sits on the Mobile Launcher Platform, which straddles the flame trench below that helps deflect the intense heat of launch. Made of concrete and refractory brick, the trench is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. Situated above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm with the “beanie cap,” a vent hood. On this eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, Discovery carries the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the primary delivery system used to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo will deliver up to 10 tons of laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies for outfitting the newly installed U.S. Laboratory Destiny

KSC-2009-4414

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform and propelled by the crawler-transporter, space shuttle Discovery rolls up Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. The rollout was slower than usual as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-2009-4417

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform, space shuttle Discovery arrives on top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Traveling from the Vehicle Assembly Building, the shuttle took nearly 12 hours on the journey as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-2009-4415

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform and propelled by the crawler-transporter, space shuttle Discovery rolls up Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. The rollout was slower than usual as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

KSC-2009-4420

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform and propelled by the crawler-transporter, space shuttle Discovery rolls onto Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion out of the VAB was at 2:07 a.m. EDT Aug. 4. Rollout was delayed approximately 2 hours due to lightning in the area. The rollout was slower than usual as technicians stopped several times to clear mud from the crawler's treads and bearings caused by the waterlogged crawlerway. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

A 20 Year Lifecycle Study for Launch Facilities at the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolody, Mark R.; Li. Wenyan; Hintze, Paul E.; Calle, Luz-Marina

2009-01-01

The lifecycle cost analysis was based on corrosion costs for the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complexes and Mobile Launch Platforms. The first step in the study involved identifying the relevant assets that would be included. Secondly, the identification and collection of the corrosion control cost data for the selected assets was completed. Corrosion control costs were separated into four categories. The sources of cost included the NASA labor for civil servant personnel directly involved in overseeing and managing corrosion control of the assets, United Space Alliance (USA) contractual requirements for performing planned corrosion control tasks, USA performance of unplanned corrosion control tasks, and Testing and Development. Corrosion control operations performed under USA contractual requirements were the most significant contributors to the total cost of corrosion. The operations include the inspection of the pad, routine maintenance of the pad, medium and large scale blasting and repainting activities, and the repair and replacement of structural metal elements. Cost data was collected from the years between 2001 and 2007. These costs were then extrapolated to future years to calculate the 20 year lifecycle costs.

KSC-04PD-1072

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (bottom right and left) on Launch Pad 39A, workers and the media look down upon the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at the start of a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1074

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC01pp0443

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Discovery shines on Launch Pad 39B after rollback of the Rotating Service Structure. Situated above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm with the “beanie cap,” a vent hood. Extended out from the Fixed Service Structure (left) to the orbiter is the orbiter access arm with an environmentally controlled chamber, known as the White Room, at the end of the arm. The White Room provides entrance for the astronaut crew into the orbiter. On either side of the tail and main engines are the tail service masts. Rising 31 feet above the Mobile Launcher Platform, the tail masts provide umbilical connections for liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen lines to fuel the external tank from storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad. Discovery carries the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the primary delivery system used to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo will deliver up to 10 tons of laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies for outfitting the newly installed U.S. Laboratory Destiny. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled March 8 at 6:42 a.m. EST

KSC-04PD-1073

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-02pd0278

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the foreground, white herons at the canal's edge pay scant attention the immense Space Shuttle towering above them. The Shuttle is inching its way to the top of the launch pad. In the background are seen the Rotating Service Structure (open) and the Fixed Service Structure, which holds the 80-foot lightning mast on top. The Shuttle sits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform, which rests on the crawler-transporter. Atlantis is scheduled for launch April 4 on mission STS-110, which will install the S0 truss, the framework that eventually will hold the power and cooling systems needed for future international research laboratories on the International Space Station. The Canadarm2 robotic arm will be used exclusively to hoist the 13-ton truss from the payload bay to the Station. The S0 truss will be the first major U.S. component launched to the Station since the addition of the Quest airlock in July 2001. The four spacewalks planned for the construction will all originate from the airlock. The mission will be Atlantis' 25th trip to space

KSC-04PD-1076

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Some water remains on the surface of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.