The Crawler Transporter

A lot of things have been added and changed since the sixties, like the new cab and the cable tray on its bottom. In the background you see the LUT for the Constellation program.

I always wondered what they are good for. Now I know: They are used to align the trucks.

Here is one difference between the two Crawlers: CT#2 has three vertical columns for the handrails in front of the JEL cylinders, while CT#1 has one more.

You should be able now to easily identify CT#2 on this picture ;) Impressive: the new exhaust system.

First tests of the Crawler Transporter showed, that the outer steering cylinders alone were too weak to push the trucks. So another set of steering cylinders were added along the longitudinal side of the chassis.

The crawler way is sprinkled to avoid tons of raised dust. To see and hear this giant in motion is an unforgettable experience.

A view at the roof of the Crawler Transporter. The beam crossing the fuel tank is removable.

... one of the countless openings of the Crawler Transporter like here at the corner structure.

One of the pictures I wish I would have had already during the design of the Crawler Transporter model. A lot of the wiring was acquired during the long life of the Crawlers, however the basic set still is there.

It has 13 spokes. Not sure if this is common for crawlers, however for me it still sounds very odd.

It has changed a lot since the days of the moon landing program, while the inner machinery still is quite original. One basic insight however was, that MS Windows also won this battle ;)

Little me and the big beast. For such a giant, the tiny steering wheel is a strange contrast. Also, when you have expected an overwhelming amount of instruments like in the cockpit of an airliner, you will be surprised.