NASA crawler transporter is a tracked conveyor that was originally used to transport Saturn V rockets (as part of the Apollon program and to launch the SkyLab orbital station), as well as Saturn IB (for manned flights on “Skylab” and in the “Soyuz” - “Apollo” project ). Until recently, it was used to transport the Space Shuttle from the assembly and test building to the launch complex.
There are two copies of the conveyor "Hans" and "Franz". They were developed by Bucyrus International and built by Marion Power Shovel Co. (companies specialize in the production of mining equipment) in 1965 for $ 14 million each. When they were built, they were the largest examples of automotive equipment in the world. [1] The tracked conveyor weighs 2,400 tons and consists of a platform on four carts, each of which is equipped with two tracks. A special hydraulic system keeps the platform horizontal with high precision. Each track consists of 57 articulated links ( tracks ), each track weighs about 900 kg. The length of the machine is 40 m, the width is 35 m, it can carry goods weighing up to 6 thousand tons. The car is driven by a driver who sits in one of two cabs located in front and behind the vehicle. The maximum speed is 1.6 km / h when loaded and 3 km / h without load. The conveyor must transport shuttles at a distance of 5.6 km, the average duration of the trip is 5 hours. The drive consists of 16 traction motors, which receive current from four generators with a capacity of 1000 kW each. The generators are driven by two 2750 liter diesel engines . from. (2050 kW) each. The fuel tank has a volume of 19 m³. The spacecraft is located on a special design - the so-called "mobile launch platform" ( English Mobile Launcher Platform ), which is a rectangular two-story platform with a length of 49 m and a width of 41 m. The mass of the platform is 3730 tons. Thus, together with the “shuttle” (which is transported with an unfilled central tank), the tracked conveyor carries 5000 tons of cargo. [2]
Repair, modernization and possible replacement
The service life of this vehicle according to both the laws of the state of Florida and federal is absent, but measures to modernize and improve efficiency have been carried out many times. It was replaced by more efficient fuel equipment , as the old compressors wore out, they were replaced by new, more powerful ones, the diesel engine was also turbocharged, which reduced fuel consumption. The possibility of installing a more powerful asynchronous generator and more efficient and powerful asynchronous electric motors is being considered, the issue of installing traction batteries (possibly even lithium ones , since there is no frost problem in Florida) is being addressed. At the same time, it is almost impossible to use regenerative energy on such a machine due to the lack of inertia and low speed. In the early 2000s, NASA’s GT was equipped with all-round video surveillance systems, after 9 years they were replaced by newer and more powerful ones. The installation of a ramp for the transportation of other goods is also not ruled out.
Images
Conveyor # 2, run-in after changing track tracks December 2004
Each truck weighs about 900 kg
Shuttle Transportation Atlantis
Transportation Ares I-X
Notes
- ↑ The German excavator Bagger 288 broke this record in 1978 and is currently the largest tracked vehicle in the world.
- ↑ John F. Kennedy Space Center - KSC Fact Sheets and Information Summaries Archived January 9, 2008.