Author Topic: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit  (Read 86825 times)

Offline ngilmore

  • Member
  • Posts: 74
  • Liked: 51
  • Likes Given: 207
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #20 on: 03/03/2016 04:38 pm »
Los Angeles Times coverage of ET-94:

The 66,000-pound fuel tank of a space shuttle, the last of its kind, is on its way to L.A.

...
Next month, ET-94 will be pulled on wheels by a specially built truck to a concrete pier in New Orleans. The truck will then move to the tank's backside and, using a specially built front bumper, gently push the tank onto a barge, Albrecht said. On April 12, ET-94 will be launched into the Intracoastal Waterway, where it will be pushed by a river tugboat.

After reaching open sea in the Gulf of Mexico, the river tugboat will be replaced by a 96-foot ocean tugboat. About three-quarters of a mile of braided steel cable will separate boat and barge to absorb shock from the waves, Albrecht said.

The tugboat and barge will travel for seven to nine days, around the clock, at about 6 knots (about 7 mph), Albrecht said. At the Panama Canal, it will wait a day or two in queue before going through six locks — a water staircase that will lift the vessel 85 feet to the level of Gatún Lake in the middle of the canal and then back down to sea level on the Pacific side.

From there, the tugboat will travel for 17 to 20 days to San Diego, where it will clear customs before its expected arrival at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey on May 18, according to the Science Center.

The tank — sitting atop dollies on a 42-wheel transportation device — will start its trek along city streets before dawn May 21. It will head to the 90 Freeway, on to Culver and Lincoln Boulevards, then to Westchester Parkway. It will go through Inglewood on Arbor Vitae Street to La Brea Avenue, drive past the Forum on Manchester Boulevard, then north on Vermont Avenue to the museum.

The 16.5-mile trek at about 5 mph is expected to take 16 to 18 hours.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-shuttle-tank-20160303-story.html

edit: Add route text
« Last Edit: 03/03/2016 04:42 pm by ngilmore »

Offline ngilmore

  • Member
  • Posts: 74
  • Liked: 51
  • Likes Given: 207
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #21 on: 04/11/2016 03:47 am »

Last flight-qualified space shuttle fuel tank in existence begins its journey to L.A.


Quote from: Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times
The journey began early Sunday when crews delicately pushed the 15-story space shuttle fuel tank from its outdoor perch outside NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility onto an ocean barge bound for Los Angeles.
...
At the dock, where there was an Endeavour flag flapping in the wind, the tank was slowly driven over steel plates onto an ocean barge called Gulfmaster I. A white "work tug" boat that helped push the barge against the dock was dubbed the Dani Lynn.


Offline collectSPACE

  • The Source for Space History & Artifacts
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1874
  • Houston, TX
    • collectSPACE
  • Liked: 287
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #22 on: 04/11/2016 12:59 pm »
Last NASA space shuttle external tank set for LA to L.A. sea voyage (photos)

Quote
A last-of-its-kind, very large artifact from NASA's space shuttle program is set to leave New Orleans this week on an almost 40-day ocean voyage to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal.

The remaining external tank built to fuel a space shuttle's launch into Earth orbit was rolled down a one mile-long (1.6 km) road and onto a barge on Sunday (April 10), two days ahead of its scheduled departure from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

"It is a bittersweet day, [but] at the same time we like to celebrate history of the work that was done by the men and women here," said Bobby Watkins, director of the Michoud Assembly Facility. "With it moving over to California, that is going to open it up for millions of people to come and take a look at it, so we're very proud of that."

Offline jacqmans

  • Moderator
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 21709
  • Houten, The Netherlands
  • Liked: 8562
  • Likes Given: 320
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #23 on: 04/11/2016 01:18 pm »
April 08, 2016
MEDIA ADVISORY MA16-001

Final External Tank At Michoud Embarks On New Mission Of Discovery

On Tuesday, April 12, External Tank, ET- 94, NASA’s only remaining space shuttle external tank, is embarking on a new mission of discovery as it journeys to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will inspire visitors as part of the Space Shuttle Endeavour display. Members of the media are invited to participate in a sendoff ceremony for ET-94, as it leaves the port of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, on its journey to Los Angeles.

The send-off ceremony, begins at noon CDT, April 12, will include comments from Bobby Watkins, director of Michoud; Jody Singer, deputy director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Parker Counts, former Space Shuttle Program manager; and Jeff Rudolph, president of the California Science Center. There will also be a ceremonial signing of a document transferring the rights to display ET-94 on behalf of NASA.

At 11:30 a.m., prior to the event's start, media will have an opportunity to interview ceremony participants.
Media who want to attend the event should contact Chip Howat at 504-214-6745, no later than 5 p.m. CDT, Monday, April 11.

Journalists attending the ceremony must report to the NASA Building 101 Visitor’s Lobby at 13800 Old Gentilly Road for badging no later than 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, to be granted access to the facility. Media will then be escorted into the facility to the event area. Official media credentials with photo identification are required for access.
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

  • Moderator
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 21709
  • Houten, The Netherlands
  • Liked: 8562
  • Likes Given: 320
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #24 on: 04/13/2016 11:59 am »
Jacques :-)

Offline ngilmore

  • Member
  • Posts: 74
  • Liked: 51
  • Likes Given: 207
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #25 on: 04/13/2016 06:06 pm »

Last space shuttle tank leaves New Orleans — by sea, not air — for its journey to L.A.

Quote from: Hailey Branson-Potts, April 12, 2016, Los Angeles Times
For the next five weeks, ET-94 will be strapped to an ocean barge. It will cross the Panama Canal, ride up the Pacific Coast and dock in Marina del Rey in mid-May. Then, like the space shuttle Endeavour before it ET-94 will ride through Los Angeles streets before arriving at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. There, it will go on permanent display with the Endeavour.

The above article has an attached slideshow of 21 photos, including the tank at sea and aerial shots.

Offline collectSPACE

  • The Source for Space History & Artifacts
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1874
  • Houston, TX
    • collectSPACE
  • Liked: 287
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #26 on: 04/13/2016 06:25 pm »
Last flight-qualified space shuttle external tank sets sail for California museum

Quote
NASA's last-existing, built-for-flight space shuttle external tank was launched Tuesday (Apr. 12) on a 40-day sea voyage from New Orleans to Los Angeles, 35 years to the day after the first such tank fueled the maiden flight of the iconic winged spacecraft.

And for more photos, see:

ET-94 sets sail: NASA's last space shuttle external tank leaves NOLA

Quote
"Today is a milestone in history for Michoud and also for the space shuttle program. We bid farewell to NASA's last flight-certified external tank," said Bobby Watkins, director of the Michoud Assembly Facility. "It's hard to say goodbye but we know it is receiving the proper recognition by going to the California Science Center."

Online catdlr

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11171
  • Enthusiast since the Redstones
  • Marina del Rey, California, USA
  • Liked: 8790
  • Likes Given: 7817
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #27 on: 04/13/2016 08:03 pm »
Last unflown space shuttle fuel tank leaves New Orleans

The Planetary Society

Published on Apr 13, 2016
The last remaining unflown space shuttle external fuel tank, ET-94, left NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 12, 2016. The tank will spend six to eight weeks traveling by barge to Los Angeles, California. There, it will be mated to space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently on display at the California Science Center Samuel Oschin Pavilion. A pair of solid rocket boosters will be added, and the completed vehicle will be rotated into launch position for viewing.

ET-94 was delivered to NASA in 2001 for future use on a dedicated science mission for shuttle Columbia. After the loss of Columbia in 2003, investigators dissected various parts of ET-94 to learn more about the foam shedding problem that led to Columbia’s destruction, and the tank never flew, making it the only flight tank left from the program.

Video by Jason Davis / The Planetary Society
Music: "March" by Kai Engel via http://www.freemusicarchive.com/

Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Online catdlr

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11171
  • Enthusiast since the Redstones
  • Marina del Rey, California, USA
  • Liked: 8790
  • Likes Given: 7817
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #28 on: 04/14/2016 04:38 am »
with pictures out on the water...

Last space shuttle tank leaves New Orleans — by sea, not air — for its journey to L.A.

LA Times April 13, 2016

(Make sure to click on photo gallery at the top and the embedded video halfway down the article).

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-shuttle-tank-move-20160413-story.html
« Last Edit: 04/14/2016 04:41 am by catdlr »
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline shuttlefan

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1608
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #29 on: 04/14/2016 03:29 pm »
Are there anymore tanks at Michoud that are anywhere NEAR flight-ready? Perhaps someone could give a status of remaining tanks/tank parts at Michoud. Thanks! ;)

Offline rayleighscatter

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1098
  • Maryland
  • Liked: 565
  • Likes Given: 238
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #30 on: 04/15/2016 09:05 pm »
Are there anymore tanks at Michoud that are anywhere NEAR flight-ready? Perhaps someone could give a status of remaining tanks/tank parts at Michoud. Thanks! ;)
I think there are (or had been) a LOX tank and LH tank. Those and a few other parts are visible on satellite imagery from last year. (The complete looking one is ET-94)


Offline Sam Ho

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 817
  • Liked: 580
  • Likes Given: 71
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #31 on: 04/15/2016 10:13 pm »
Are there anymore tanks at Michoud that are anywhere NEAR flight-ready? Perhaps someone could give a status of remaining tanks/tank parts at Michoud. Thanks! ;)
I think there are (or had been) a LOX tank and LH tank. Those and a few other parts are visible on satellite imagery from last year. (The complete looking one is ET-94)
Chris had an article from 2010 that described what was left when ET production stopped.  ET-139 had most of its pieces built, and there are a few dome sections from ET-140 and ET-141.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/06/sd-hlv-assessment-highlights-post-shuttle-solution/

Online zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11175
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7400
  • Likes Given: 72464
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #32 on: 04/15/2016 11:07 pm »
Are there anymore tanks at Michoud that are anywhere NEAR flight-ready? Perhaps someone could give a status of remaining tanks/tank parts at Michoud. Thanks! ;)
I think there are (or had been) a LOX tank and LH tank. Those and a few other parts are visible on satellite imagery from last year. (The complete looking one is ET-94)
Chris had an article from 2010 that described what was left when ET production stopped.  ET-139 had most of its pieces built, and there are a few dome sections from ET-140 and ET-141.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/06/sd-hlv-assessment-highlights-post-shuttle-solution/
There's this L2 thread regarding a pending final disposition that I found using the forum's search function: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29482.0

(Membership has its advantages!)

I couldn't find any further references, either in our forum, or in a browser search.
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Offline psloss

  • Veteran armchair spectator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17980
  • Liked: 4047
  • Likes Given: 2089
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #33 on: 04/16/2016 12:16 am »
Related story:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/09/et-94-fate-unknown-last-remaining-external-tank-maf/

And a thread:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29999.0

Those piece parts still needed a significant amount of work to become a Shuttle ET -- they're in a similar state to the current state of the piece parts for the first SLS core stage.  There's a lot of production and assembly beyond fabrication.

Robert noted up-thread that the elements that were staged outside with ET-94 at MAF were the Ground Vibration Test Article:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=37690.msg1499072#msg1499072

Online zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11175
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7400
  • Likes Given: 72464
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #34 on: 04/18/2016 03:41 pm »
Related story:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/09/et-94-fate-unknown-last-remaining-external-tank-maf/

And a thread:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29999.0
<snip>

Thanks, Phil!
From the NSF article listed above, dated September 27, 2012:
Quote
...the part-built spare tanks at MAF have since been sent for scrap.
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Online zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11175
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7400
  • Likes Given: 72464
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #35 on: 04/25/2016 12:25 am »
Progress report on ET-94's journey to the California Science Center, dated April 23: Last space shuttle tank reaches Panama Canal for crossing to Pacific

An interesting historical note:
Quote
It is the fifth time in history that a shuttle fuel tank has traversed the famous shipping canal. Four tanks were shipped from the Louisiana factory to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the 1980s for polar-orbiting shuttle launches, then were shipped to Florida once the West Coast pad was cancelled by the Pentagon after Challenger.

Which ETs were pre-shipped to Vandenberg?
« Last Edit: 04/25/2016 12:26 am by zubenelgenubi »
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Offline collectSPACE

  • The Source for Space History & Artifacts
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1874
  • Houston, TX
    • collectSPACE
  • Liked: 287
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #36 on: 04/25/2016 06:04 pm »
Which ETs were pre-shipped to Vandenberg?

The four external tanks staged at Vandenberg were ET-23 (to which Enterprise was mated), ET-27, ET-33 and ET-34. ET-23 flew on STS-27; ET-27 on STS-34; ET-33 on STS-36; and ET-34 on STS-31.

Offline collectSPACE

  • The Source for Space History & Artifacts
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1874
  • Houston, TX
    • collectSPACE
  • Liked: 287
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #37 on: 04/25/2016 06:07 pm »
Last flight-qualified space shuttle external tank crosses Panama Canal

Quote
A giant space shuttle fuel tank made for an unusual sight Monday (April 25) at the Panama Canal.

The 154-foot-long (47 meter) external tank, riding atop an uncovered flatbed barge, entered the famous waterway on its journey to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where will be displayed with NASA's retired space shuttle Endeavour.

And for more photos, see:

Crossing oceans: Photos show shuttle external tank at Panama Canal

Quote
The fifth space shuttle external tank to cross the Panama Canal – and the first to do so on an open-air barge — ET-94 is scheduled to take another 17 to 20 days to arrive at Marina del Rey in California. The external tank will then embark May 20 on an overnight road trip to Exposition Park, where the science center is located.

Offline TheFallen

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 800
  • Liked: 77
  • Likes Given: 159
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #38 on: 04/27/2016 01:47 am »
An earlier pic of ET-94 before it exited through the Miraflores lock today as it entered Pacific waters...

https://twitter.com/thepanamacanal/status/725031160401682432

Online catdlr

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11171
  • Enthusiast since the Redstones
  • Marina del Rey, California, USA
  • Liked: 8790
  • Likes Given: 7817
Re: External Tank 94 (ET-94) to complete Endeavour exhibit
« Reply #39 on: 04/28/2016 04:10 am »
Space Shuttle External Tank (ET-94) cruising through the Panama Canal!

Published on Apr 26, 2016
The only remaining flight-ready fuel tank from NASA's Shuttle program is well on her way from New Orleans to Los Angeles, via the Panama Canal. Here she is transiting through Lake Gatun, along the Canal route (thanks to GoPro for providing Hero 4 cameras to our mission!).

David Knight has other tank videos at this site:  https://www.youtube.com/user/IncredibleWorldViews/videos

« Last Edit: 04/28/2016 04:13 am by catdlr »
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0