Location
Cocoa Beach, FL
Start Date
7-3-1966 8:00 AM
Description
In the Integrate-Transfer-Launch concept of Titan IIIC, each 120-inch solid rocket motor is first assembled on a support frame and then lifted at the base and moved about 70 feet to a precise position adjacent to the core vehicle. The positioning of the completed motor presented several unique problems because this was the first attempt in any space program to transfer a vertical solid motor weighing 500,000 pounds, measuring 10 feet in diameter and 85 feet high, and having an eccentric center of gravity.
The physical size of the positioning sling components and the magnitude of their stresses presented a series of special problems involving fabrication, shipment, installation and proof-load testing. Even the apparently simple function of disconnecting the sling from the crane hook became a problem because it involved removing a 10-inch diameter pin weighing 380 pounds, and performing this operation 180 feet above the floor.
After the solid motors have been placed on the mobile launch platform they cannot be mated to the core vehicle until they have been moved both horizontally and vertically to within .020 inch, of the correct location. The difficulty in obtaining such, precision was compounded because parts of the core vehicle and its supports completely obstructed a direct line of sight between the interface points and left only a 4-inch vertical space in which to install and operate the alignment tools*
Positioning and Aligning the 250 Ton Solid Rocket Motors for Titan IIIC
Cocoa Beach, FL
In the Integrate-Transfer-Launch concept of Titan IIIC, each 120-inch solid rocket motor is first assembled on a support frame and then lifted at the base and moved about 70 feet to a precise position adjacent to the core vehicle. The positioning of the completed motor presented several unique problems because this was the first attempt in any space program to transfer a vertical solid motor weighing 500,000 pounds, measuring 10 feet in diameter and 85 feet high, and having an eccentric center of gravity.
The physical size of the positioning sling components and the magnitude of their stresses presented a series of special problems involving fabrication, shipment, installation and proof-load testing. Even the apparently simple function of disconnecting the sling from the crane hook became a problem because it involved removing a 10-inch diameter pin weighing 380 pounds, and performing this operation 180 feet above the floor.
After the solid motors have been placed on the mobile launch platform they cannot be mated to the core vehicle until they have been moved both horizontally and vertically to within .020 inch, of the correct location. The difficulty in obtaining such, precision was compounded because parts of the core vehicle and its supports completely obstructed a direct line of sight between the interface points and left only a 4-inch vertical space in which to install and operate the alignment tools*
