Alamogordo in Otero County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Crawler Transporter Shoe

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

1. Crawler Transporter Shoe Marker

Inscription. This is just one "shoe" (link) from the treads of the Crawler-Transporter. Two Crawler-Transporters were built in 1965 and used to move the Apollo-Saturn rockets and Space Shuttle the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center between 1966 and 2011. Powered by two 2,750-horsepower diesel engines, they move on four double-tracked tread belts which each contain 57 "shoes" like you see before you. Each shoe weighs approximately 1,984 lb (900 kg). The crawler-transporters move at a mere 1 mph (1.6 km/h) loaded and 2 mph (3.2 km/h) unloaded.

Fun Fact: Nicknamed "Hans" and "Franz" after the bodybuilders in the Saturday Night Live sketch, the two transporters have traveled over 3,400 miles (5,500 km) during their storied careers, about the same driving distance as from Miami to Seattle.

Captions
Courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center, FL-NMMSH BIL042.001

Erected by New Mexico Museum of Space History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.

Location. 32° 55.282′ N,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

105° 55.269′ W. Marker is in Alamogordo, New Mexico, in Otero County. It is on State Route 2001 0.4 miles east of N Scenic Drive. The marker is located on the grounds of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3198 State Rte 2001, Alamogordo NM 88310, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in New Mexico’s Pecos Valley. It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Comanchería,

and the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Little Joe 2 (here, next to this marker); X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mockup (a few steps from this marker); PTV Parachute Test Vehicle (a few steps from this marker); IGOR Intercept Ground Optical Recorder (a few steps from this marker); V-2 Rocket Engine (within shouting distance of this marker); X-7A Test Vehicle (within shouting distance of this marker); Lance Missile

The Crawler Transporter Shoe and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

2. The Crawler Transporter Shoe and Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); X-8C Aerobee (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alamogordo.

Also see . . . Crawler-transporter. Wikipedia

The crawler-transporters, formally known as the Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities, are a pair of tracked vehicles used to transport launch vehicles from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. They were originally used to transport the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets during the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs. They were then used to transport Space Shuttles from 1981 to 2011. The crawler-transporters carry vehicles on the mobile launcher platforms used by NASA, and after each launch return to the pad to take the platform back to the VAB.

(Submitted on August 10, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Closeup of the Crawler Transporter Shoe image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

3. Closeup of the Crawler Transporter Shoe

The Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 on the Crawler Transporter image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - NASA photo, June 15, 2005

4. The Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 on the Crawler Transporter

Space Shuttle Discovery makes its way to the hardstand of Launch Pad 39B in Florida

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 10, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.