A huge piece of the new space shuttle Endeavor on display at the California Science Center will slowly slide into place.
The next stage of Effort to move the shuttle into the upright launch position Work begins at the California Science Center in Exposition Park on Wednesday when the shuttle's giant external fuel tank is moved about 1,000 feet into a vertical position. This step is part of the plane to position the shuttle as it would look if it were ready for launch.
The tank, known as the ET-97, will take some time, partly because of its size and heaviness — it is 154 feet long, 27.5 feet in diameter, and weighs 65,000 pounds. The ET-94 is the last flight-qualified external shuttle tank.
“It's not just the weights and the distances and the lengths and the diameters, but what you have to do to move it around obstacles and so on,” said Larry Clark, a retired space shuttle engineer. “And it's also interesting because it's the only exotank in the world. This exotank is the only exotank remaining from the Space Shuttle program that was designed to fly but was never flown.”
The process will begin at approximately 10 a.m. when a self-propelled tanker will be launched on a two-hour journey through the Science Center building and the Rose Garden Exposition Garden to its home at the new Samuel Oshin Air and Space Airport. The center is under construction.
The reservoir will likely be in place late Thursday or early Friday. A crane will lift it into a vertical position along with two fixed rocket boosters 149 feet high. The boosters were moved into place in early December.
The rocket engines stand more than 100 feet tall and are part of the Endeavor display that will be on display at the new science center. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for NBC4 News on November 9, 2023.
The tail skirts, rocket motors and front assembly will also be part of the shuttle's vertical display.
Once the external fuel tank is transported to the Samuel Oshin Air and Space Center, the Endeavor itself will be the only item that needs to be added. Details about how this would happen were not immediately available, but science center officials said the move would likely happen in the coming weeks.
The shuttle, which has been on display for about a decade, has a wrap around it in preparation for the move. It has not been shown to the public since the end of 2023 due to the “Go For Stack” movement.
The shuttle launch display will be the centerpiece of the 200,000-square-foot Samuel Oshin Air and Space Center. The building will include three multi-level galleries, themed Air, Space and Shuttle. The new building will also house an events and exhibition center that will feature large-scale rotating exhibitions.
The opening date of the new $400 million center has not yet been set.
