How long did it take to truck the spacecraft from California to Florida? How many people and what type of special equipment was involved?
Thanks for your excellent question! I couldn’t find this information on the MER website, so I started emailing some friends working with me on MER. Finally, I heard from the head of ATLO (Assembly, Test, Launch, and Operations) for the spacecraft, including the trips to Florida. It actually took three one-way trips total to get all the MER hardware from California to Florida, a distance of roughly 2600 miles. This took about 53-58 hours per trip, which averages out to a speed of 45-49 mph. I did not find out how many people accompanied the caravan, but I imagine it was a dozen or two. There was special equipment involved in transport, though. One thing typically used for such trips is air conditioning for the spacecraft, above and beyond the normal A/C in your car, for example. I imagine there’s some vibration supression as well, though if it can’t handle a cross-country trip, it probably can’t tolerate the rigors of a Delta II launch! Thanks for a very thought-provoking question. Todd
