National Register of Historic Places

Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities

Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County, Florida
Listed
January 21, 2000
Type
Object
Period
Listed
Ref No.
99001643

About this property

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 (MLPs) used by NASA, and after each launch return to the pad to take the platform back to the VAB. The two crawler-transporters were designed and built by Marion Power Shovel Company using some components designed and built by Rockwell International at a cost of US$14 million (equivalent to $143 million in 2025) each. Upon its construction, the crawler-transporter became the largest self-powered land vehicle in the world. While other vehicles such as bucket-wheel excavators like Bagger 288, dragline excavators like Big Muskie and power shovels like The Captain are significantly larger, they are powered by external sources. The two crawler-transporters were added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 2000.

Location

Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County, Florida
28.59182, -80.63678

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONOTHERENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Crawlerway
Industrial
0.6 mi
Press Site-Clock and Flag Pole
Listed
0.8 mi
Launch Control Center
Industrial
0.9 mi
Vehicle Assembly Building-High Bay and Low Bay
Industrial
1 mi
Launch Complex 39
Modern
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities listed on the National Register?

Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities?

Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities?

The period of significance for Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities is recorded as the listed era.

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