Astronaut Walkway for SpaceX Crew Dragon Installed at Florida Launch Pad: Photos

SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   20 Aug 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – The sleek, futuristic looking walkway that NASA astronauts will soon use to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) emanating once more from American soil - after a more than 7 year long hiatus – was lifted by a huge crane this morning, Aug. 20 and installed into place high up the gantry at NASA’s historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Work crews raised the black and white colored, harnessed Crew Access Walkway and White Room from a cradle perched on top of pad 39A starting at about 9 a.m. today, Monday, Aug. 20.

SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The walkway installation marks a major milestone towards reactivating KSC as the launch base for American astronaut missions to the High Frontier and the International Space Station (ISS).  

Its super exciting!! 

It took about 30 minutes to reach the installation position near the top of the shuttle era gantry at pad 39A. 

SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Check out our expanding gallery of Space Up Close photos here with men and women actively at work - taken today, Monday, Aug. 20, as a follow up to my photos from the past few days after the arm was slung in the hoisting harness and after it arrived a few days earlier.

2 Men and an Arm! 
 SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Today I watched in awe the breathtaking spectacle of the windowed astronaut walkway as it reached the point of installation to the gantry – as workers were stationed at varying points all around the gantry’s top levels.

SpaceX astronaut walkway called the Crew Access Arm is lifted at Launch Complex 39A in view of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket processing hangar in foreground at left at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for NASA astronaut launches of Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS - as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

They utilized the giant yellow crane prevalent at the pad for months to pick it up and another giant cherry picker holding another team of technicians who guided the arm to its attached point and bolted the arm in place.

It was so surreal. 

I even saw two guys standing on top of the outside roof of the arm – standing tall while hanging on from over 200 feet up from the base of the pad

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

And it’s awesome to realize that restoring US human spaceflight is now visibly just around the corner!

You can't fly to space until the walkway is there, and today they put the walkway up!

Today’s photos include more views with an apparent peek inside a portion of the White Room which appears to be open - whereas it appeared to be sealed off last week.

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

NASA’s shuttle era gantry is named the Fixed Service Structure (FSS). Pad 39A has been leased by SpaceX for 20 years from NASA. 

Historic Pad 39A was used by NASA to launch Apollo Missions to the Moon – include the first human lunar landing on Apollo 11 – as well as numerous Space Shuttle missions. 

The White Room is located at the terminus of the crew access arm that serves essentially as the “Walkway to the Stars’ that NASA astronauts will soon stride along to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon for its maiden commercial crew flight to the International Space Station (ISS) - as soon as 2019.

KSC and the US haven’t seen astronauts boarding a spaceship for launch since 2011 with the blastoff of NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in July 2011 on the STS-135 mission to the ISS.  Two of the astronauts on that flight have been assigned to the first SpaceX Dragon and Boeing Starliner crewed launches.

The maiden unpiloted Crew Dragon mission known as SpaceX Demo-1 is currently slated for Nov. 2018 blastoff from seaside pad 39A.

The White Room is designed to swing out and fit snugly against the exterior side of Crew Dragon and the opened crew hatch, Dragon is bolted in place on top of the SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket at pad 39A. 

It provides a clean room, climate-controlled environment for space suited astronauts climbing aboard the spacecraft and taking their designated seats aided by ground technicians to assist them comfortably.

The Shutte era Crew Access Arm was located at the 195 foot level and removed several years ago. Its now on display at KSC. 

SpaceX’s walkway was installed more than 20 feet higher by the former Shuttle Gaseous oxygen vent near the top of the tower.  

Also be sure to check out my earlier views from Saturday, Aug 18 and Friday, Aug. 17, in an accompanying stories – before and after the walkway was slung up.   Several have been featured as well at Spaceflight Now  as well as at Fox 35 Orlando and CBS News 6 Orlando.

Both set of photos were taken from multiple vantage points around pad 39A after its arrival atop the ramp at pad 39A a few days ago.  

It will be in place for the first unpiloted SpaceX Crew Dragon mission slated for later this year – as soon as November 2018.   

In the final hours prior to launch, astronauts will walk down the walkway to enter the Dragon. 

So pad 39A will make history again when the first commercial crew mission blasts off as soon as Spring 2019 – and thereby restore America’s access to space for American astronauts flying on American rockets from American soil. And – end US sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to space.

The Crew Access Arm for the Boeing Starliner was installed a few years ago at Space Launch Complex -41 for launches on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V. 

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

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Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:

Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS,  SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. 

Aug 24: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale