bracht volgend idée uit :
On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:18:57 -0500, wrote:

Does the shuttle, and years ago, the Saturn V's launch right off the
transporter/crawler? I can't imagine some sort of transfer being made at the
pad of the spacecraft. But if so, how have these things withstood almost 50
years of the heat generated at launch? And are all the clamps and things
that you see around the base of the craft installed for each flight? I was
looking at a picture of the crawler earlier and it's just a flat surface
when it's empty. Very curious about it. Thanks.


Okay, I Googles and found picture of the mobile launch platform. That is one
massive assembly. So the transporter raises and lowers (probably
hydraulically) the launch platform? What an operation! One last question.
When I watch a launch, just before ignition, what are all those sparks that
fly around the base of the engines? Thanks again for all the help. I'm just a
retired guy with time on his hands to ask questions :-)

The shuttle main enginse do not have ignitors them selves, those sparks
are ignitors mounted on the MLP itself.
(If a main eninge shuts down for whatever reason during liftoff, it
will not re-ignite. This happened once during the shuttle program)