Thread: Can the big boy come out to play?

It seems NASA has a small problem,,,
The new Ares V rocket is a tad too fat for the crawlerway.
When the crawlerway was built 40 odd years ago it was designed for 17million pounds,,
its built thus

"The crawlerway is designed as two 12 metre-wide lanes, separated by 15 metres. It has a surface of the road has 20 cm of river gravel on top of 90 cm of compacted limerock. Under that is two layers of "select fill" 1.1 metres deep."
(care was taken to ensure lack of "spark" in road surface)

The Ares V is a solid fuel rocket, unlike the Saturn V, so no refueling is possible at the gantry, so when it leaves the hanger, its at maximum weight.
around 24 million pounds----

The Mobile Launchers weigh in at ten and a half million and only good for oh lets say six and a half payload,, but no-one seems concerned about them---

I actually think there are a few members who could take a shot at a "weight risk assessment" of the crawlerway.

this,,
just about the crawlers---


Transporter Statistics

• Weight: 2,721 metric tons (6 million pounds)
• Length: 40 meters (131 ft) wide, 35 meters (114ft) long
• Miles: 2,526 miles (1,243 miles since 1977)

KSC has 2 crawler-transporters. Each vehicle consists of four double-tracked crawlers, each 3 meters (10 ft) high and 12 meters (41 ft) long. Each of the 8 tracks on a vehicle contains 57 shoes per track and each tread shoe weighs about .9 metric tons (one ton). Click here to see the crawler moving a shuttle .
The Crawler/Transporter is powered by 16 traction motors powered by four 1,000 kw generators, driven by two 2,750hp diesel engines. Two 750 kw generators, drived by two 1,065 hp diesel engines are used for jacking, steering, lighting, and ventilating. Two 150 kw generators are also used for MLP power.
When they were built, the KSC crawlers were the largest tracked vehicles ever made. (Surpassed by the Bagger 288 German excavator). 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 1.6km (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.
The top of the orbiter is kept vertical within plus or minus 10 minutes of arc, about the diameter of a basketball during the journey. Leveling systems within the crawler keeps the platform level while negotiating the 5% ramp leading up to the pad surface.
The height of the crawler is 6 meters (20ft) to 8 meters (26 feet) adjustable. The top deck is flat and square, about the size of a baseball infield, 27 meters (90 feet) on a side. Two operator control cabs, one at each end of the chassis, are used to control all crawler systems.
KSC's two crawler-transporters 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.