The launch platform, or "crawler", is also overwhelmingly huge. Each metal tread is over one ton. Notice in the photograph the lifesize but quite tiny guy standing by one set of treads, and you get some perspective on the size. The road bed it travels down is made of river rocks, brought in from Tennessee or somewhere like that.

The road out to the launchpad goes past a gigantic eagles' nest, and is surrounded on both sides by ditches that usually have a few alligators lazily swimming around. At least they were on our first visit here, but this time the alligators were no where to be found. But the eagles were there, in their nest.