Philosophy
What’s orange and black with a bit of white and green and once tore into the Earth’s surface seeking vast coal deposits? The answer can be found in West Mineral, Kansas. It is “Big Brutus”. It was eclipsed by “Big Muskie” once located in Cumberland, Ohio and now gone. “Big Brutus” [Bucyrus Erie model 1850B] weighs 5.5X10^3 tons, is about 160 feet high, has a bucket capacity of 90 cubic yards, and speeds along at a whopping speed of about .2 mph. In the mid 1980’s it was retired and converted into a museum.
Now that the space shuttles are grounded, see how they got to the launch pad.
We take many things for granted. Sometimes the little things escape our attention or really don't appear to be important when compared to something more spectacular. Remember the huge Saturn rockets being slowly transported to the launch pad. Tedious indeed--snail pace: One could read War and Peace...twice..in Braille by the time all was done. But the mechanism to move any rocket from point "A" to point "B" is really quite interesting. It takes a behemoth to move a behemoth. Such are the "crawler transport" systems.
"Space shuttle movers get new shoes"
"Crawler - Transporter"
"The Crawler-Transporter" by John Duncan
- Et Tu, Brute...they're Small
Beware the ides of March... So, was Brutus right to participate in the assassination of Caesar? Was it for the greater good or was it an act of betrayal, or both? If Caesar was trying to usurp power that was not his to take, would that have freed Brutus...
- Delta Iv Heavy Rocket Slips A Spy Satellite Into Orbit
"America's biggest rocket blasts off, likely carrying spy satellite" by W.J. Hennigan August 28th, 2013 Los Angeles Times A 235-foot-tall rocket carrying a top-secret spy satellite roared to life and blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base,...
- Shuttle Support Staff
Atlantis Space Shuttle...make ready The "emptiness" won't last forever. "Unsung heroes kept shuttle flying" by Traci Watson July 6th, 2011 USA TODAY Atlantis, scheduled for launch Friday, is powered by the labor of thousands. Welders and engineers,...
- Nasa's Garage Sale
Have a few extra bucks? Get involved in NASA huge sale...and I mean huge. "NASA Garage Sale Includes Shuttles, Engines, Space Suits" by Jason Paur January 21st, 2010 Wired Looking for a good deal during the recession? Space geeks don’t have to...
- Fuel Leak On Space Shuttle Discovery
Again a mechanical problem has delayed the shuttle and cost more millions. "Space shuttle launch postponed again" by Irene Klotz August 25th, 2009 Reuters NASA delayed a Wednesday morning liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery because of an apparent...
Philosophy
Behemoths...“Big Brutus” and "Crawler Transport"
What’s orange and black with a bit of white and green and once tore into the Earth’s surface seeking vast coal deposits? The answer can be found in West Mineral, Kansas. It is “Big Brutus”. It was eclipsed by “Big Muskie” once located in Cumberland, Ohio and now gone. “Big Brutus” [Bucyrus Erie model 1850B] weighs 5.5X10^3 tons, is about 160 feet high, has a bucket capacity of 90 cubic yards, and speeds along at a whopping speed of about .2 mph. In the mid 1980’s it was retired and converted into a museum.
Now that the space shuttles are grounded, see how they got to the launch pad.
We take many things for granted. Sometimes the little things escape our attention or really don't appear to be important when compared to something more spectacular. Remember the huge Saturn rockets being slowly transported to the launch pad. Tedious indeed--snail pace: One could read War and Peace...twice..in Braille by the time all was done. But the mechanism to move any rocket from point "A" to point "B" is really quite interesting. It takes a behemoth to move a behemoth. Such are the "crawler transport" systems.
"Space shuttle movers get new shoes"
"Crawler - Transporter"
"The Crawler-Transporter" by John Duncan
- Et Tu, Brute...they're Small
Beware the ides of March... So, was Brutus right to participate in the assassination of Caesar? Was it for the greater good or was it an act of betrayal, or both? If Caesar was trying to usurp power that was not his to take, would that have freed Brutus...
- Delta Iv Heavy Rocket Slips A Spy Satellite Into Orbit
"America's biggest rocket blasts off, likely carrying spy satellite" by W.J. Hennigan August 28th, 2013 Los Angeles Times A 235-foot-tall rocket carrying a top-secret spy satellite roared to life and blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base,...
- Shuttle Support Staff
Atlantis Space Shuttle...make ready The "emptiness" won't last forever. "Unsung heroes kept shuttle flying" by Traci Watson July 6th, 2011 USA TODAY Atlantis, scheduled for launch Friday, is powered by the labor of thousands. Welders and engineers,...
- Nasa's Garage Sale
Have a few extra bucks? Get involved in NASA huge sale...and I mean huge. "NASA Garage Sale Includes Shuttles, Engines, Space Suits" by Jason Paur January 21st, 2010 Wired Looking for a good deal during the recession? Space geeks don’t have to...
- Fuel Leak On Space Shuttle Discovery
Again a mechanical problem has delayed the shuttle and cost more millions. "Space shuttle launch postponed again" by Irene Klotz August 25th, 2009 Reuters NASA delayed a Wednesday morning liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery because of an apparent...