Great post, Ed. Did they require timed tickets with a processing fee?
When will the ET and SRBs be set up? I bet it will look amazing seeing Endeavour hooked up to a sling and mated to the replica stack.
I wonder if that's how Toyota visioned their Tundra being used.
No idea, but that Giant Lever has been on exhibit since 2003, so its a 10-year old Tundra that's never run and parked outside for decade...
Thanks QG for a great picture set. The spacehab exhibit is relatively new? It wasn't there in March, I don't think. Was there also an SSME (complete; detached from Endeavour) in the corner, or has that been moved?
Nice work QG! Great pics - she looks well looked after. Those RSMEs do look convincing!
Seems like Discovery got the shaft on the RSME's, Hers dont look nearly as good as Atlantis and Endeavour.
I have a question for someone with a fresher memory than mine about one of them, however (the one showing the red adhesive): to me, it looks like that was caused post-flight, since it doesn't appear to be burned even though it's facing the direction of motion during re-entry.
I live nearby. Nothing much other than a wake up to get prepared. Endeavour is sitting on top of special base isolaters to dampen the shaking effect.
The L.A. exhibit is the worst of all 3 shuttle exhibits (the KSC exhibit of Atlantis is the best). The hangar barely fits the shuttle front-to-back so it is difficult to get photographs of the entire shuttle. Only very wide lenses will work. They compounded the problem by putting the friggin' gift shop right under and in front of the shuttle's nose.
Yes, I noticed that model they had off to the side of the future facility. I assume that it is an enclosed/indoor facility, although that feature I assume is absent from the model for viewability reasons. It will be very nice indeed to have the full stack upright in there. I'm sure it will be quite a challenge to get the external tank to the museum over the streets of Los Angeles, however!
This week our friends at the California Science Center opened up Endeavour, climbing through the hatch to reconfigure some payload bay items and repopulate the middeck with lockers seats, cargo bags, and the escape pole. Now to fill that payload bay…
It won't be a real one I believe. Earthquake requirements has a play in that
During this Thanksgiving, and profiting from a visit to a friend, I made a visit to Endeavour in her temporary exhibit in Los Angeles (just after getting off the plane, I couldn't wait ) Most of my pictures are similar to the ones already posted, but I tried to get a couple of "new" perspectives.As an aside comment, I was delighted to examine with my naked eye the tiles impact, including the slightly melted one that I could remember watching live in orbit with the OBSS' cameras, the DAT presentations and the post-flight damage assessments in L2. I have a question for someone with a fresher memory than mine about one of them, however (the one showing the red adhesive): to me, it looks like that was caused post-flight, since it doesn't appear to be burned even though it's facing the direction of motion during re-entry. I asked one of the curators, and she told me they were all caused by launch impacts (I asked her if she knew about the specific history of that one, since it was pretty different-looking from the others)- was she giving a general answer as I suspect? Of course, that doesn't detract from the formidable job these people (volunteers?) do with passion and enthusiasm, day after day, to the very numerous amount of people visiting the exhibit!In any case, here are some detailed views of the youngster orbiter in the fleet:
How do they state this will be the first operational orbiter that has the bay doors opened outside of the processing facility? First off, they are not operational orbiters (Sadly) and umm... Atlantis had her doors opened at the Exhibit location.... so..... I am not clear on how they think this??Below is what they are stating lol"This will be the first time the payload bay doors of an operational orbiter have been opened anywhere except the specialized processing facilities at the Kennedy Space Center or the Palmdale assembly facility."
I guess, the KSCVC is Kennedy Space Center property, technically.
It's funny because people keep telling the CSC that they're information is incorrect, but they keep posting that they're the first ones to do it. I don't know if this is for extra publicity or CSC is just really not paying attention at all.Quote from: Ronpur50 on 09/25/2014 08:36 pmI guess, the KSCVC is Kennedy Space Center property, technically.They said that's it's the first time the doors have been opened anywhere other than an OPF or Palmdale. KSCVC is not an OPF.
Quote from: Overflow on 09/27/2014 01:26 amIt's funny because people keep telling the CSC that they're information is incorrect, but they keep posting that they're the first ones to do it. I don't know if this is for extra publicity or CSC is just really not paying attention at all.Quote from: Ronpur50 on 09/25/2014 08:36 pmI guess, the KSCVC is Kennedy Space Center property, technically.They said that's it's the first time the doors have been opened anywhere other than an OPF or Palmdale. KSCVC is not an OPF.Well, they are just a few miles away...lol. And I remember reading somewhere that one door would stay open after it is placed on the ET/SRB stack and thet one of the Spacehabs would be placed inside. I think it was on collectSpace.
Got invited to attend the Go For Payload event at the California Science Center this Thursday! Can't wait to find out what they're installing inside Endeavour's cargo bay
Quote from: TheFallen on 10/04/2014 02:04 amGot invited to attend the Go For Payload event at the California Science Center this Thursday! Can't wait to find out what they're installing inside Endeavour's cargo bay Take tons of pictures!
Go for Payload! Spacehab installed inside space shuttle Endeavour for displayhttp://www.collectspace.com/news/news-100914a-space-shuttle-endeavour-go-for-payload.html
Great article Robert!!
Even though it's still a little weird that they keep referring to this being the first time the doors of an orbiter have been opened outside an OPF or Palmdale, even though it's not the first...
Quote from: catdlr on 10/09/2014 07:14 pmGreat article Robert!!Thanks!Quote from: Overflow on 10/09/2014 07:33 pmEven though it's still a little weird that they keep referring to this being the first time the doors of an orbiter have been opened outside an OPF or Palmdale, even though it's not the first...At least in my interview (and article), the distinction was made "configured in this way," referencing the GSE that was obtained from NASA Armstrong. KSC used the strongbacks, but not the support stands given Atlantis being mounted the way it is. It's perhaps a minor distinction, but CSC has good reason to be proud of what they've accomplished.
Thanks for the awesome high resolution pictures, CS. And TheFallen, great shots! Did they give any other details about the construction of her new home??
Thanks for the awesome high resolution pictures, CS. Did they give any other details about the construction of her new home?
The release states that fuel tank ET-94 will be donated by Michoud to CSC around that time.
None of the other shuttles on display have equipment in the cargo bay. Endeavour's final pose will also be unique: It will be the only one of the three retired shuttles that orbited the Earth —Endeavour, Atlantis and Discovery — to be posed with its nose pointing to the stars, just like when it flew into space.The plan is for people to first watch a movie about Endeavour before the screen rises, allowing guests to see the shuttle vertically."Just like it's ready to launch," Rudolph said. Walking to the other side, people will be able to peek inside the craft."That payload bay door will be open, and you'll be able to look inside," he said, and get a view of the laboratory and storage pod, named Spacehab. Visitors will be able to walk underneath the massive engines.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1410/09endeavour/#.VDtEY-fQ5hF
New article: http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/see-the-last-flight-of-space-shuttle-endeavour-in-all-i-1694098842
On July 20, 2023 the California Science Center will commence Go for Stack, the complex process of moving and lifting each of the space shuttle components into place for Endeavour’s upcoming awe-inspiring 20-story vertical display. This technically challenging feat has never been done outside of a NASA facility.
December 31, 2023, will be the last chance to see Endeavour on exhibit for several years until the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens to the public. The space shuttle Endeavour will be moved off display in preparation for a final move across Exposition Park to be lifted into the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which will then be completed around the full shuttle stack.
Thanks for the updated photos. Looks like the building surrounding the shuttle won't afford a far away perspective as I would have thought. But the facilities look great.
On July 20, 2023 the California Science Center will commence Go for Stack, the complex process of moving and lifting each of the space shuttle components into place for Endeavour’s upcoming awe-inspiring 20-story vertical display. This technically challenging feat has never been done outside of a NASA facility.The roughly six-month long process starts with the installation of the aft skirts, which attach the entire space shuttle stack to seismic isolators beneath the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center building.
Are they really going to hang Endeavour off the ET? I would've though a more permanent structure would've been a steel "backbone" inside the ET, maybe protruding through the bottom and into the concrete pad. Just a few small openings such that the orbiter's attachment points go to something very substantial that's sort of "hidden" within the ET. I'd worry about the aluminum ET weakening over time, especially in a seismic environment.But I'm not a civil engineer. Those who are, chime in. How long can we safely mount the orbiter on an actual ET and not worry about metal fatigue, bending, etc?
Since tropical storm Hilary is looming over southern California, will the California Science Center housing the Endeavour space shuttle be spared from the storm?
How is the current meteorological situation in LA's Exposition Park (in which California Science Center is located) after showers of rain and instances of flash flooding in and around Los Angeles?
I visited Endeavour last week; it was my first time seeing an Orbiter in person and it did not disappoint. I have many thoughts but for now I'll just share some photos that I took, please enjoy.
