Mobile base crawler

The mobile base crawler is a massive military vehicle found in Adams Air Force Base.

Background
An ancient, pre-War mobile satellite array/space shuttle launch platform carried by a crawler-transporter is the Enclave's backup command center on the East Coast. The massive vehicle was upgraded by the Enclave with newly developed technology, crafting it into a battle-station where the elite Enclave Squad Sigma trains, deathclaw experimentation continues, and access to Earth's remaining orbital payloads (like the Bradley-Hercules) are attempted. The amount of technology is so staggering that it would take even a technologically capable organization many years to sift through all of it.

Exterior
The mobile base crawler is located on the eastern side of Adams Air Force Base. It's only accessible by a deployable ramp that must be lowered from within the air control tower.

Base floor
On the base floor, you will find Stiggs, an Enclave engineer who will help you if you let him live. Also, if the alarm sounds, Enclave Squad Sigma appears. There is also a little room behind a repulsion field which contains materials and a workbench. Behind another repulsion field lies a room which contains several weapons, ammunition and armor.

The repulsion fields around the base can be turned off via nearby control panels. When these panels are activated, you can choose to:
 * Do nothing: nothing will happen
 * Turn off the repulsion field: requires a Science skill of 80, and will completely turn the field off.
 * Set a timed charge: requires an Explosives skill of 50, this will blow the panel up and partially disable the field. If you then walk through the field you will take minor damage. (Sometimes there will be a glitch to where you can't go through the force field).
 * Smash the control panel: this will destroy the panel, causing you to take damage and will partially disable the field. If you then walk through the field you will take damage.

Launch platform base
The second part is the launch platform base. This consists out of a deathclaw research facility, where you can find two deathclaws and the slo-burn flamer on a small platform where you can activate two repulsion fields. At the deathclaw research facility you can also find a security terminal where you can unlock all doors and a robot control terminal where you have the following options: On the launch platform base you can also find the medical bay, where you can find several rooms with medical facilities, several toilets, the sleeping quarters, dining room and a kitchen. There is also a storage room directly below (down the stairs) from the door to the launch pad. Inside to the right are five missiles hidden in a bucket in the corner on top of a container. Lastly there is an armory and the armory master who guards it. There are several weapons with ammunition, including the precision Gatling laser on the armory master, and an alien blaster in a Hard locked-safe with alien power cells (some are found in average locked weapon crates).
 * Perform safety shutdown: This will shut down all Enclave robots in the mobile base crawler.
 * Scramble robot targeting parameters: This will cause the robots to attack everybody, including you and the Enclave.
 * Run robotics diagnostic: This will tell you what the status of the robots is.
 * Target Enclave: Requires Robotics Expert. This will cause the robots in the mobile base crawler to attack the Enclave forces.

Roof
Between the launch platform base and the satellite control tower, there is a transitional roof. On the roof, there are three landing pads for Vertibirds. Be careful; a Vertibird will set down several Enclave soldiers there. There are also two small huts with some ammunition. Also note that it's very useful if you hacked the robots with the terminal here, since there are about five sentry bots here.

Satellite control tower
The satellite control tower consists of three floors, which can be reached through a staircase or by walking up three different stairs. You can find some ammunition boxes here. On the third floor you can find a terminal which contains information about an Enclave scientist who hates it there; this terminal will also have a note saying that they have locked all the storage doors to keep in the malfunctioning robots (if you set them against their masters). There is also a terminal which allows you to unlock all doors. Here you can also find the satellite uplink terminal which allows you to control the orbital satellites. You can choose to fire on the following targets: After you've chosen your target you can go outside where Sentinel Lyons will come to get you with a stolen Vertibird.
 * Citadel: Blows up the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters. Gives you -1000 karma, equivalent to blowing up Megaton.
 * Project Purity (The Jefferson Memorial): Doesn't work. Gives message: satellite not in proper orbit path.
 * Megaton: Doesn't work. Gives message: satellite not in proper orbit path.
 * Rivet City Carrier: Doesn't work. Gives message: satellite not in proper orbit path.
 * Adams Air Force Base Platform: Blows up the mobile base crawler. Gives +1000 karma, the only instance in this game.

Notable loot

 * An alien blaster is in the launch platform base, in the armory which is guarded by the armory master.
 * The Precision Gatling laser is carried by the armory master.
 * The composite recon helmet is worn by the armory master.
 * A unique lab coat in the launch platform base is worn by the Enclave Doctor.
 * The Slo-burn flamer is in the launch platform base, in the southeast end inside a stasis field behind the sign labeled Sensitive Electronics.
 * Gum drops are in the launch platform base, found on a toilet in the top floor restrooms across from the dormitory.
 * Behind a crate in the southwest corner of the launch platform base area are some buckets holding a set of 13 perfect-condition combat knives.
 * A scoped .44 magnum is in the storage area of the launch pad platform next to a skeleton.
 * Nearly every weapon crafting component for every custom weapon can on the base floor (except for a radscorpion poison gland)

Related quest

 * Who Dares Wins

Appearances
The mobile base crawler appears in the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel.

Behind the scenes

 * The mobile base crawler is based on the real-life NASA crawler-transporter and Mobile Launcher Platform.

Bugs

 * Disabling the forcefield that blocks the player from reaching the slo-burn flamer by bashing it, and walking through while over encumbered may cause the player to take continuous damage, regardless of whether they are actually in contact with the field. This leads to a guaranteed death (and the player's body twitching after death, as if still taking damage). Being normally encumbered while going through the field appeared to solve this.
 * If you exit and re-enter the satellite tower from door on the top floor (leading to the landing pad) all the items on the bodies inside will respawn, you can repeat this over and over for infinite ammunition, Enclave armor, weapons etc. Exiting the tower from the bottom floor and re-entering sometimes causes the bodies to disappear; exiting and re-entering from the top again will restore the bodies.