WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

A worker greases the giant sprocket that will be installed on the Crawler-Transporter (background). The drive sprocket turns the belt on the CT. The sprocket is mated to the gear that attaches to the drive motor. The CT travels on eight tracked tread belts, each containing 57 tread belt shoes, for a combined weight of 957,600 pounds. The CT carries the Space Shuttle atop its Mobile Launcher Platform, adding another 12 million pounds, from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) CT system engineers and USA technicians are repairing the sprockets and rollers on each belt before new shoes are installed. Replacement of the sprockets, gears and shoes is part of the most extensive maintenance work performed on the CT in its history.