NASA and California Science Center studies have shown that the stresses of displaying the shuttle upright, even over a long span of time, are less than what the vehicle experienced during its ascent to space. One of the factors that is making Endeavour's vertical display possible is the use of all flight-proven or built-for-flight hardware. Related: Facts about NASA's space shuttle, the 1st reusable spacecraft History, from the ground up But we cannot live with anything more than that, we really can't," he said.įor safety reasons and access concerns, the July 20 move of the aft skirts will not be open to the public. "We wish he could do a little bit better and he's actually buying some new equipment to try and get a little bit better. In fact, the science center's surveyor will be bringing in new hardware in hopes of getting measurements within 1/16 of an inch, Jenkins told collectSPACE. "So we are going to spend a lot of time making sure that the skirts are absolutely perfect, position-wise." "If the skirts are not perfectly positioned, shimmed and aligned, it will mean that the two attach points for the solid rocket boosters to connect with the external tank won't be level or won't align with each other to whatever degree of error we made at the bottom," said Jenkins. Related: Where are NASA's space shuttles now?Ī look from above at a museum display area that's under construction, with scaffolding around the sides and building materials on the ground The exhibit, as it is now and has existed in the Samuel Oschin Display Pavilion, is the only place in the world where the public can walk under the tile-lined belly of a winged orbiter. The public has until the end of this year to see the vehicle close to the ground. The move will also begin a countdown to Endeavour going off display for a few years. "When the aft skirts are installed, it represents the first step in a decades-long dream." "This might seem like a small first step, but it is a really a giant leap toward setting the foundation for Endeavour's vertical exhibit," Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center, said in an exclusive interview with. On July 20 - the 54th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing - the base pieces for Endeavour's twin solid rocket boosters, the aft skirts, will be hoisted by crane into place. The California Science Center, which since 2012 has exhibited the retired NASA orbiter in the horizontal orientation, has set the date for the spacecraft's new launchpad-like display to begin being installed in the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center (which is also still under construction). It has taken more than a decade of planning, engineering studies and fundraising, but finally, the space shuttle Endeavour is ready to go vertical.
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