Author Topic: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC  (Read 49113 times)

Offline gregpet

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #80 on: 08/09/2016 02:19 am »
Will this be able to make runs out to Port Canaveral? Do you think it is street legal?

Offline acsawdey

Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #81 on: 08/09/2016 03:06 am »
Will this be able to make runs out to Port Canaveral? Do you think it is street legal?

Seems to have similar characteristics to the KAMAG they have used in the past (self propelled at low speeds, lots of axles to spread the load) so it would be a little surprising if they weren't allowed to use it.

Does anyone know if this vehicle can be towed at higher speeds like they did with the KAMAG?

Offline rpapo

Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #82 on: 08/09/2016 10:10 am »
...lots of axles to spread the load...
In fact, the axle loading with an empty falcon on it is probably quite low by commercial standards.  I suspect a normal gravel or steel hauler is harder on the road surface.
Following the space program since before Apollo 8.

Online Hobbes-22

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #83 on: 08/09/2016 10:38 am »
Empty weight is 70 t, plus 30 t for the Falcon and 10t for the steel frame, That's 11t per axle, over the weight limit for much of the US. Unless there's an exception for having 8 tires per axle.

Offline docmordrid

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #84 on: 08/09/2016 11:34 am »
Will this be able to make runs out to Port Canaveral? Do you think it is street legal?
>
Does anyone know if this vehicle can be towed at higher speeds like they did with the KAMAG?

Towed? According to this it has a 335 HP air cooled V-12.

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/nasafact/transportersold.htm

Quote
Orbiter Transporter Statistics

Length 106 Feet 6 Inches

Width 20 Feet at rear, 16 Feet-8 Inches in middle, 8 Feet at front

Height 5 Feet-3 Inches minimum to
7 Feet-3 Inches maximum

Engine 335 H.P. V12, Air Cooled

Wheels 76

Turning Radius 66 Feet

Weight-Empty 167,000 Pounds

Weight-Gross 327,000 Pounds

Speed Unloaded 13 MPH

Max Speed Loaded 5 MPH
DM

Online Hobbes-22

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #85 on: 08/09/2016 11:41 am »
The Kamag modular trailer can be fitted with a hydraulic power pack to make it self-propelled at low speeds, but it can also be towed by a standard tractor at highway speeds.

The question was if that is possible for the Orbiter Transporter. My guess is it isn't, because that wasn't necessary for its original purpose, and it would require extra equipment.

Offline Jim

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #86 on: 08/09/2016 01:43 pm »
Will this be able to make runs out to Port Canaveral? Do you think it is street legal?

It had to go on public streets at VAFB

Offline envy887

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #87 on: 08/09/2016 03:47 pm »
Empty weight is 70 t, plus 30 t for the Falcon and 10t for the steel frame, That's 11t per axle, over the weight limit for much of the US. Unless there's an exception for having 8 tires per axle.

It has 19 axles (9 sets of 2-axle groups, and a single axle in the front). Its max gross weight is 367,000 lb, which (evenly distributed) is 9.6 tons per axle and 19.3 tons per 2-axle group. It would need to be permitted as overweight and oversize, but shouldn't be a problem on most roads.

Offline CT Space Guy

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #88 on: 08/27/2016 02:24 pm »
I wonder if anyone has insight into the history of these type of vehicles?
Is this some technology developed for or by NASA then commercialized by others like KAMAG
I don't know of anyone besides KAMAG that is making vehicles like this. I am really wondering if this is another industrial opportunity missed by US company's after the technology was developed here?

Offline Jim

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #89 on: 08/27/2016 03:51 pm »

Is this some technology developed for or by NASA then commercialized by others like KAMAG
I don't know of anyone besides KAMAG that is making vehicles like this. I am really wondering if this is another industrial opportunity missed by US company's after the technology was developed here?

a.  No, these type vehicles existed before NASA used them

b.  The Orbiter transporter was built by an Italian company not KAMAG.

Offline DOCinCT

Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #90 on: 08/27/2016 06:17 pm »
Think this video answers the question of road legal, self-propelled etc.

Offline Jim

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #91 on: 08/27/2016 06:26 pm »
Think this video answers the question of road legal, self-propelled etc.


There were no questions

Offline Clf

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #92 on: 08/27/2016 06:51 pm »
b.  The Orbiter transporter was built by an Italian company not KAMAG.

It's  Cometto , from Borgo San Dalmazzo , Cuneo

http://www.cometto.com/


Edit/Lar: fix quotes
« Last Edit: 08/28/2016 05:43 pm by Lar »

Online Hobbes-22

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #93 on: 08/27/2016 08:27 pm »
Edit: had to make a few corrections

I wonder if anyone has insight into the history of these type of vehicles?
Is this some technology developed for or by NASA then commercialized by others like KAMAG
I don't know of anyone besides KAMAG that is making vehicles like this. I am really wondering if this is another industrial opportunity missed by US company's after the technology was developed here?

Kamag and several others build special vehicles for the heavy haulage industry. Both for special transports over public roads, and for internal transports.

Kamag and Scheuerle are German companies. Nicolas is (was) French, is now part of the same conglomerate as Kamag and Scheuerle. Cometto is Italian. These four are the big players in this market.

These days, they often use a more-or-less standardized design axle that allows 360º steering, hydraulic leveling and hydrostatic propulsion. These are compact units that can be placed side-by-side under a standard-width trailer (2.5 m wide).
These were pioneered in the late 1960, with all four companies building various customized transporters for e.g. transporting ship sections using variations of this idea.

Around 1983 heavy haulage company Stoof in the Netherlands contracted Scheuerle to build a series of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) using this design. This was a radical departure from traditional heavy haulage, which used passive (no steering, propulsion or suspension) dollies.
The steering makes the SPMT maneuverable, the leveling helps stability and the hydrostatic propulsion means you no longer have to rely on a few tractors to move the entire rig - with only a few driven axles, that ran into limitations. You just attach a power pack to the SPMT and you can drive all the wheels in the combination.


The SPMT (as seen on the Kamag used by SpaceX for on-road transports) can be linked up in pretty much any configuration, capable of moving thousands of tons.



The same axle design is still used on custom chassis like the Shuttle Orbiter transporter, the rig used to transport radio telescopes at the ALMA array, and e.g. the Cometo transporters used in Kourou:


 
« Last Edit: 08/31/2016 09:38 am by Hobbes-22 »

Offline CT Space Guy

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #94 on: 08/29/2016 01:34 am »
Thanks for the answers everyone

Offline Jim

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #95 on: 08/30/2016 01:31 pm »
I wonder if anyone has insight into the history of these type of vehicles?
Is this some technology developed for or by NASA then commercialized by others like KAMAG
I don't know of anyone besides KAMAG that is making vehicles like this. I am really wondering if this is another industrial opportunity missed by US company's after the technology was developed here?

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=41032.msg1574725#msg1574725

Offline DaveS

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #96 on: 07/02/2017 11:38 pm »
I'm in need of some help with my 3D model of the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) which is now owned/operated by SpaceX as the Falcon 9 first stage transporter. The help I'm I need is in terms of photos, mainly of the drivers cab interior (dash) and the various electronic boxes on the exterior of the transporter. You can see screenshots of my work here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nxf8nh5ai47byqo/AAAijzpOtApeckEUWZUTvLhRa?dl=0

It's all part of my effort to create highly detailed models of all Launch Complex 39 facilities and transporters.
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Offline TripD

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #97 on: 07/03/2017 02:18 am »
Sigh.  Getting great photo reference is the Holy Grail for stuff like that.  :-\

Offline DaveS

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Re: Falcon Transport System seen finally at KSC
« Reply #98 on: 07/03/2017 03:17 am »
Sigh.  Getting great photo reference is the Holy Grail for stuff like that.  :-\
Very true. I'm very grateful to the L2 section as it has provided some very useful references. So for me it's a mix of L2/public references.
"For Sardines, space is no problem!"
-1996 Astronaut class slogan

"We're rolling in the wrong direction but for the right reasons"
-USA engineer about the rollback of Discovery prior to the STS-114 Return To Flight mission

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