Bucket-wheel excavator "Bagger 288" (Erkelenz)

Germany / Nordrhein-Westfalen / Juchen / Erkelenz
 mining, excavation
>>>>> Location of this mobile strip mining machine is variable within the mining area. Satellite imagery updates may show the machine in a different spot. <<<<<<
A 13,500-ton bucket-wheel excavator working in the Garzweiler strip mine. When its construction was completed in 1978, Bagger 288 superseded NASA's Crawler-Transporter, used to carry the Space Shuttle and Apollo missions, as the largest tracked vehicle in the world.

NASA's Crawler-Transporter still remains the largest "self-powered" land vehicle in the world, since bucket-wheel excavators are powered by an external power source.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   51°5'5"N   6°26'19"E