The lengthy procedure of displaying the retired space shuttle Endeavour in the vertical launch position will start this month in Los Angeles.
The six-month procedure will begin on July 20 at the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, currently being built in Exposition Park, according to a statement from the California Science Center on Thursday as reported by The Associated Press.
Go for Stack
The first procedure, known as "Go for Stack," is mounting the aft skirts, the bottom part of the solid rocket boosters, before stacking Endeavour, the external tank, and the remaining booster segments.
The shuttle will look to be waiting on a launch pad in the 20-story-tall exhibit. Between 1992 and 2011, Endeavour, a space shuttle built to replace the Challenger that had been destroyed, completed 25 flights.
In 2012, after NASA's shuttles were retired, Endeavour was carried to California atop a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier. It attracted crowds as it soared through California locales connected to the space program.
The shuttle caused a sensation as it was pushed slowly through narrow city streets to the California Science Center for days after landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
On the eleventh anniversary of Endeavour's final space return, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Air and Space Center was held the previous year. Stacking the shuttle system's parts is a challenging procedure that has only ever been done inside a NASA laboratory, according to the center.
The last opportunity to view Endeavour will be on December 31. Ever since it arrived at the center, it has been exhibited horizontally in the landing position.
A crane will be used to raise the shuttle across Exposition Park and match it to the external tank in a complex manner. Around the complete shuttle stack, the Air and Space Center will be finished. Of the $400 million target for the project, $320 million has been raised by the center's foundation. Exposition Park is between the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
NASA's Retired Space Shuttles
NASA's Space Shuttle program was a 30-year program from 1981 to 2011. During that time, the Space Shuttles flew 135 missions, carrying over 350 astronauts into space. The Space Shuttles were used to build the International Space Station (ISS) and conducted various scientific experiments.
The Space Shuttle program was retired in 2011 due to several factors, including high costs, slow turnaround, and safety concerns. The three remaining Space Shuttles, Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis, are now museum pieces.
The Space Shuttles were a remarkable feat of engineering, and they played a vital role in the development of space exploration. They will continue to inspire and amaze people for generations to come.
