Crawlerway Rock
Crawlerway Rock – Alabama River Rock from the Crawlerway which connects the Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crawlerway consists of two 40-foot wide lanes, separated by a 50-foot wide median. The distance to Launch Pad 39A is about 3.4 miles, and the distance to Launch Pad 39B is approximately 4.2 miles.
The Crawlerway was constructed in four layers to support the huge weights of the Crawler, Mobile Launch Platform and Space Shuttle. The top layer of the Crawlerway is Alabama River Rock, which is about 8 inches thick on curves and 4 inches thick on straightaway sections. The other layers in descending order are: 4 feet of graded, crushed stone; 2.5 feet of select fill; and 1 foot of compact fill.
The Crawlerway was constructed in four layers to support the huge weights of the Crawler, Mobile Launch Platform and Space Shuttle. The top layer of the Crawlerway is Alabama River Rock, which is about 8 inches thick on curves and 4 inches thick on straightaway sections. The other layers in descending order are: 4 feet of graded, crushed stone; 2.5 feet of select fill; and 1 foot of compact fill.
Specimen owned is a piece of the Alabama River Rock which was used to construct the uppermost layer of the Crawlerway. It was collected in 1998. It is approximately 2¼ “ x 1 ½“, and weighs 223 grams.
