Spacecraft- News CRAWLER TRACTOR WILL CARRY SATURN ROCKETS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29900, 14 August 1962, Page 8

Spacecraft- News CRAWLER TRACTOR WILL CARRY SATURN ROCKETS

A mammoth 2500-ton crawler vehicle has been selected to transport completely assembled Satuim C-5 rockets from a new assembly building at Cape Canaveral to the launch pads tw-q males away. The total transported load will weigh 3000 tons and be 400 ft high—nearly

twice the height of the dhiristaiiuirch Cathedral. It includes the 250-ton unfuelled Saturn rocket, its 750-ton umbilical tower, and a 2000ton launch rack.

The crawler—l3oft long and 115 ft wide—Will move on eight tank-type treads driven by electric motors. Four hydraulic cylinders, one at each corner of the crawler, will keep the massive load perfectly level as it is makes its way to the launch pad. The decision to use a large crawler tractor rather than a railway flat-ear or barge rtemmed from the use of similar devices in toe mining industry. The new Complex 39 at Oape Canaveral will be dominated by toe huge 48-storey assembly building. It will house six separate bays for assembling and checking eix Saturns simultaneously, thus permitting a much fester launch rate than present methods will allow. Break-through Recent flight tests with modified Polaris massiles have demonstrated the effectiveness of a new system of controlling toe thrust of solid-fuel rockets. This longawaited break -through enables solid-fuel rockets to be guided in flight with toe same flexibility as liquidfuel rockets. According to toe Lockheed Missile and Space Company, toe injection of a liquid or gas ihto the rocket exhaust eauses a shock wave to form at toe point of injection. This wave deflects toe exhaust stream and thereby causes a change in toe direction of thrust. With the Polaris missile the best deflector fluid appeared to be Freon gastoe same gas that is used as a cooler in many household refrigerators. As a further advantage, fluid injection will permit the use of more powerful solid fflels than at present, by lowering the temperature of the exhaust stream where it tends to erode toe rocket nozzle. Successful Satellites The ten raeeesefu! satellites launched by the Delta rocket are:— Echo I .. August 12, 1969 Tiros n .. Nov. 23. 1969 Explorer X. Mar. 26, 1961 Tiros m .. July 12. 1961 Explorer XU August 16. 1961 Tiros IV .. Feb. 8, 1962 OSO I .. March 7. 1962 Ariel (UK-1) April 26, 1962 Tiros V June 19. 1962 Teistar I July 19, 1963