On Thursday in Los Angeles, a highly technical process began to permanently exhibit the Space Shuttle Endeavour in the vertical launch position with its external tank and two solid rocket boosters.
The bottom segments of the boosters were hoisted using a crane into the California Science Center’s prospective Samuel Oschin Air and Space Centre, which is presently being built in Exposition Park.
The segments, known as aft skirts, had to be positioned precisely so that the assembly could be piled properly. It will be the first time the procedure has been performed outside of a NASA facility, according to officials.
The 1,800-ton (1,633-ton) concrete pedestal on which the 20-story display will stand will support six so-called base isolators to protect Endeavour from earthquakes.
Between 1992 and 2011, Endeavour flew 25 missions as the successor to the devastated Space Shuttle Challenger.
Endeavour’s Unforgettable Flight: NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Soars Over California
When NASA’s shuttles were retired in 2012, Endeavour was flown to California on NASA’s special Boeing 747 shuttle carrier, attracting audiences as it flew over space program-related locations in the state.
After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, the shuttle was loaded onto a special vehicle and then moved to the California Science Centre over the course of several days, causing a sensation.
On the eleventh anniversary of Endeavour’s final return to Earth, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Air and Space Centre was conducted in 2017.Since its arrival at the California Science Centre on December 31, the space shuttle Endeavour has been displayed horizontally in the landing position.
The shuttle will be transported across Exposition Park and hoisted by a gantry in order to be intricately coupled with the external tank. The Air and Space Centre will be constructed around the shuttle stack in its entirety. The center’s foundation has raised roughly $350 million toward the project’s $400 million objective.
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Source: Independent, ABC News
