“The trend, at least in December, was for the winds to die down about 10 p.m. Because the move is taking place outdoors, any significant winds could lead to delays in the big move, and the museum doesn’t want a very big thing swinging off a crane in significant winds. 11 and into the next morning, the external tank is to be lifted, starting sometime after 10 p.m. The journey will take about two hours, past the science center and the Exposition Park Rose Garden. 10, when the it will be moved by self-propelled modular transporters - similar to the ones used to move Endeavour through city streets in 2012 - down State Drive to the new museum wing’s construction site. The prelude to the external tank’s big lift is scheduled for Jan. "We decided that Endeavour would not appreciate that," he said.“Show time!” said Jeffrey Rudolph, president of the California Science Center. Our experience with the solid rocket boosters is that after a couple of days, they were filthy, which is to be expected on a construction site." "We decided in the last minute - literally, at the last minute - to shrink wrap Endeavour," said Jenkins. And once we lift, we are there for the duration."Īssuming everything goes as planned, the move and lift of Endeavour will follow a similar schedule of a multi-day transport and overnight lift in the coming weeks.įirst, though, the winged orbiter needs to be shrink wrapped. We have to finish it at that point," Dennis Jenkins, the project manager for the California Science Center's space shuttle Endeavour display, told collectSPACE. "Once we go vertical, it is the point of no return. (Image credit: California Science Center) 11, 2024 stacking with Endeavour's solid rocket boosters in the construction site for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles. Work to remove the fencing and scaffolding surrounding NASA's last built-for-flight space shuttle external tank is set to begin ahead of the tank's scheduled Jan. 12), pending acceptable weather conditions and other safety concerns. Unlike the boosters, though, the tank's lift will be conducted overnight, with first motion slated for sometime after 10 p.m. The 65,000-pound (29,500 kilograms) tank will then be hoisted by crane above the partially erected walls of the museum and then lowered between the exhibit's two solid rocket boosters, which were similarly installed in December. The largest component of the space shuttle stack, the 154-foot-long (47 meters) orange tank will be loaded onto a self-propelled modular transporter for its relatively short trip from beside the California Science Center to the work site for the new air and space center. The science center announced on Tuesday that is targeting Jan. "We are also starting to prepare ET-94 for its move, which involves taking down the fencing and scaffolding that currently surrounds it," said Rudolph. External Tank-94 (ET-94), NASA's last remaining space shuttle fuel tank built for flight, must also be moved from its temporary storage site on the south lawn of Exposition Park to make room for Endeavour to be rolled out. (Image credit: California Science Center)Īlthough the wall was designed to be removed, work must first be done to detach exhibit items and disconnect electrical connections. It is the same way we moved her into the pavilion back in 2012."Īrtist rendering of the space shuttle Endeavour inside the California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, now under construction in Los Angeles. "The wall has to come off to move Endeavour out. "On Tuesday, we are starting the work to remove the west wall of the pavilion where Endeavour had been on display for the past 11 years," said Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center, in an interview with. Endeavour, with its twin solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank, is set to become the star attraction of the science center's new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which is slated to open in the next few years. With the new year getting underway, the California Science Center in Los Angeles is expecting to complete its unprecedented "Go for Stack" campaign, ultimately taking Endeavour vertical to create the world's only exhibit of a fully authentic, 20-story-tall space shuttle as last seen on the launch pad. Just days after it was taken off exhibit and as its external tank is scheduled for its brief return to flight, NASA's retired space shuttle Endeavour is heading under wraps.
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