#Space shuttle endeavour museum full

'Eleven years after Endeavour's memorable crosstown journey, we're delighted to invite the public to join us once again to be a part of this next historic arrival,' said Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center, in a statement. The public is invited to watch as the pair of 116-foot-long (35 meters) motors are carried by truck to Exposition Park. 11), 11 years to the day after the NASA winged orbiter began the ground-based leg of its journey to go on display, two flight-worthy solid rocket motors (SRMs) will arrive at the science center to stand with Endeavour in a vertical, ready for launch configuration. All rights reserved.The California Science Center is celebrating the anniversary of space shuttle Endeavour's iconic Los Angeles road trip with the delivery of two very large candles. See more photographs of Endeavour's open payload bay at collectSPACE.įollow on Facebook and on Twitter at collectSPACE. 'It is exciting to witness the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center take shape.' 'Construction is proceeding on schedule,' Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center, told. Just before we stack we will need to change out the attach bolts - the bolts holding the ship to the overland transporters are smaller than the flight bolts that attach to the external tank - and do a final foreign object debris check.'Īs for Endeavour's new home, it too is on track for the orbiter to arrive. 'We are planning on changing out some of the LED lighting since that technology has improved considerably in he past nine years. 'For the most part, Endeavour is ready,' said Jenkins. After that, Endeavour will almost be ready to go vertical. The installation of the replica OBSS is expected to take a few days, with the payload bay set to be closed by the end of the week. (Image credit: California Science Center) Endeavour will be raised vertically at this site and then the building will be completed around it. Though its sensors are long dead, the OBSS could be used to augment the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm in order to reach areas the arm alone cannot.Ī view of the construction site for Endeavour's new home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, as located adjacent to the California Science Center. On Endeavour's last mission, the boom was removed and stowed outside of the International Space Station. 'The OBSS usually used by Endeavour was left at the ISS,' Jenkins said. With the shuttle fleet retired since 2011, the ideal addition for Endeavour's display would be the real OBSS. In Endeavour's exhibit, the boom will covered by the still closed starboard-side door, but depending on where visitors are standing, they might still be able to see where it should be mounted inside. When not in use, the OBSS was stored on the starboard, or right-side sill of the payload bay.

Astronauts used the boom to inspect the orbiter's wings and underbelly to ensure they were not damaged during launch or while in space. Introduced as a safety measure after the loss of space shuttle Columbia in 2003, the OBSS was a 50-foot-long (15.24-m), camera-and-laser-tipped extension to the Canadarm robotic arm. Related: NASA's space shuttle Endeavour: 6 surprising factsĪ replica of Endeavour's Orbiter Boom Inspection System (OBSS), furnished for the California Science Center by Guard-Lee, Inc., will be installed in the space shuttle's payload bay. Endeavour will appear as it did on the launchpad with one exception: one of its payload bay doors will be open, allowing guests to see the equipment inside.

#Space shuttle endeavour museum full

Once completed, the exhibit will feature the world's only indoor display of a full space shuttle stack. There, the orbiter will be mated with NASA's last remaining, built-for-flight external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters assembled from previously launched parts.

Later this year, Endeavour will be transported from its pavilion to the construction site of its new home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

STS-118 was chosen because that flight included educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan on its crew and the California Science Center is focused on education. In a much more publicized move almost a decade ago, the science center pulled open Endeavour's two 60-foot-long (18-meter) doors in an event that was called 'Go for Payload.' Over the course of three weeks in October 2014, engineers and curators used large cranes to load the shuttle's empty bay with a flown Spacehab logistics module and replica components modeled after how Endeavour looked on its 20th mission, STS-118, in 2007. An overhead view of the space shuttle Endeavour after its payload bay doors were opened on Wednesday, Feb.