The external fuel tank arrives from Louisiana
by barge
and is brought to the Vertical Assembly Building
The impressive size of the tank isn't really
seen until the tank is off-loaded and moved
into the building.
where workmen prepare it for assembly
They then move it into a vertical position
and move it to a preperatory framework
where it is attached to the solid rocket boosters.
Meanwhile, over in the Orbiter Processing Facility,
The engines and exhause nozzles are prepared
and attached to the shuttle, itself.
(next 3 photos)
When the engines are in place, the shuttle is
lifted in a hoist for its trip to the Vertical Assembly
Building
Once there, it is lifted into
a vertical position (next 2 photos)
and slowly moved into place to be attached to the
booster assembly. (next 3 photos)
At the same time all this is happening, the
payload packages are being prepared (next 2 photos)
And, along with a multi-purpose Logistics Module (MPLM),
it is packed into the cargo hold.
The cargo hold is then carried out to the
launch pad (next 3 photos)
where it is put into place, ready to be inserted
into the shuttle, when the shuttle arrives at the launch
pad. (next 3 photos)
Back at the Vertical Assembly Building, the shuttle with
its booster fuel tank and booster rockets is moved from
the assembly frame to the vehicle which will take it to
the launch site.
The vehicle then moves the shuttle, still in its
vertical position, to the launch site. The launch
site is 3.5 miles from the Vertical Assembly Building,
and the trip takes between 6 and 8 hours, depending on
weather conditions and other factors.
The vehicle, called "The Crawler", is a tracked
vehicle, with four track assemblies. Each track assembly
has its own engine, with each engine about the size
of a regular army tank (the size of the tank, not the
size of a tank's engine). The four motors must be
perfectly coordinated to keep the vehicle on the
correct path, and to keep the shuttle perfectly
vertical.
Here, you can see the impressive size of this
operation.
When the shuttle arrives at the launch pad, the
cargo hold is inserted and the whole assembly
is put into place, ready for final inspections
before launch time. By now, it is late evening,
but work will continue through the night making
final safety inspections, fueling, and making
everything ready for launch.
When morning comes, final checks and re-checks are
made, astronauts board, and then, it is up to
the weathermen for final OK to go. (next 2 photos)
And they are finally ready for launch
And away they go......
...into the wild, blue, yonder...
Where, if they looked down, they could see the
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