T-20 days, 3 weeks to STS-135 - Apollo

Vertical Assembly Building

The challenges in getting to the moon were not limited to those in space.  Remember this huge 363 foot tall Saturn V rocket that was 100 times heavier than the Mercury rocket.  Well, it had to be built, set up at the launch pad, and then controlled.  Some of this capability was also pretty incredible.  Remember the escape rocket on the Mercury rocket?  The escape rocket for the Apollo spacecraft was more powerful than the rocket that launched the Mercury spacecrafts.

To meet these needs, a facility was constructed called Launch Complex 39.  It consisted of the buildings and launch pads needed for the Apollo rockets.  A huge building was required to assemble this huge rocket.  The Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) was constructed for this purpose.  It was the largest volume building in the world when it was built, and is still the fourth largest.  In the picture, the flag stars are 6 feet across and the stripes are 9 feet wide, think 13 lane highway going up the side the width of the flag.  The Saturn V was assembled vertically, then the doors would open and the combination rocket, launch platform, gantry, and transporter would roll out the 456 foot high doors with six feet to spare.  They claim the VAB is so big that clouds form in the upper areas on humid days.

Saturn V on MLP & crawler

The Saturn V was assembled on a huge launch platform. The gantry next to the rocket provided access to the various stages in the days leading up to launch, as well as access to the fuel tanks to fill the monster.  On launch day the astronauts rode an elevator in the gantry to the top to get into the space capsule.  Remember how big the rocket is, 363 feet tall.  The gantry and Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) were also gargantuan.

After assembly the crawler transporter would move under the MLB, carry it to the launch pad, and lower it onto pedestals at the pad.  It traveled 1 mile per hour and needed to keep the rocket perfectly upright, even as it went up a hill on the way to the pad.  It traveled on a 7 foot deep gravel road built to support the weight.

MLP & Crawler Transporter

After the Apollo program, all of this equipment was adapted to support the shuttle.  It was used for the last time to assemble Atlantis for the upcoming launch.  The MLB is currently sitting under Atlantis at the Complex 39.  It was slated to be used for Project Constellation which was to be the next manned space project.  Project Constellation has been canceled by Obama with no replacement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39