Crawler-transporter, Vehicle transport system at Kennedy Space Center, United States
The crawler-transporter is a tracked vehicle in Brevard County that moves rockets and spacecraft across the Kennedy Space Center grounds. Eight hydraulic supports keep the platform level as it rolls at under two kilometers per hour along a wide gravel road.
The vehicle was built in 1965 to carry Saturn V rockets for the Apollo program. It later carried Space Shuttles and now moves the large rockets of newer missions.
Each machine carries an official name, Hans and Franz, chosen to honor German engineers who worked on the program. Visitors can spot the massive tracked vehicles either traveling the crawlerway or parked beside the assembly building.
Viewing is usually only possible from a distance aboard a bus during a guided tour. The machine moves rarely, so seeing it roll is more luck than planning.
The wheels stand as tall as a two-story house, and each one weighs as much as a small truck. The machine burns around 125 gallons (480 liters) of fuel to travel less than a mile (1.6 kilometers).
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