The moves, which took only a few hours to complete, were relatively simple and straightforward. The two aft skirts were mounted atop a seismic-isolated 1,800-ton slab of concrete, protecting the future display from being toppled by an earthquake. "This is the first step in the six-month process of creating the world's only authentic ready-to-launch space shuttle stack in the Samuel Ocean Air and Space Center." "Today, with the installation of the two aft skirts, we commence 'Go For Stack,' the complex process of moving and lifting each of the space shuttle components into place for Endeavour's upcoming, inspiring 20-story vertical display," said Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center. Over the next six months, the skirts will serve as a foundation for the rest of the space shuttle to be assembled, concluding with the mating of the winged orbiter Endeavour. Instead, a truck-mounted crane hoisted the 7.5-foot-tall by 18-foot-wide (2.3 by 5.5 meter) aft skirts, one by one, from where they had been parked outside of the California Science Center in Los Angeles into the adjacent construction site where the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will stand. This time though, the preparations were not for a launch into Earth orbit and occurred far away from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in Florida. ![]() On Thursday (July 20), the aft skirts for two solid rocket boosters were moved into place. The high-technology enthusiast will also find ample details on the imaging radar system used for the project.- For the first time in 12 years, 3 months and 21 days, the stacking of a NASA space shuttle has begun again. The collection also includes 3D images, videos, and animations. Small but spectacular collection of radar images taken from the space shuttle Endeavour in 1994 and offered by NASA. There are helpful links to related sites and even a plain-English explanation of NASA's bewildering jargon and acronyms. There is an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions. Questions can be sent to shuttle crew members during missions. There is extensive technical and non-technical information, both textual and graphic. Official NASA site for all shuttle missions. One high-profile programme that was abandoned on safety grounds was the proposed 2006 mission to upgrade and carry out maintenance on the Hubble Space Telescope. The aftermath of the Columbia disaster was an increased focus on astronaut safety and a decrease in the number of missions that space shuttles would have to fly. Two additional solid-fuel boosters provide the main thrust for launch, but are jettisoned after two minutes. At launch, the shuttle's three main engines are fed with liquid fuel from a cylindrical tank attached to the orbiter this tank is discarded shortly before the shuttle reaches orbit. In its cargo bay, the orbiter can carry up to 29 tonnes of satellites, scientific equipment, Spacelab, or military payloads. In June 2001, it was announced that Buran was being prepared for relaunch to transport space tourists.Īlthough most of the shuttle's cargoes are uncrewed, two to eight crew members occupy the orbiter's nose section, and missions last up to 18 days, although 30-day missions may be possible with the addition of more fuel cells to provide power. It was launched on its first and only flight, without a crew, by the Energiya rocket on 15 November 1988. The USSR produced Buran, a shuttle of similar size and appearance to the US one. When the flights were halted, there had been 113 shuttle flights. The first renewed launch of a shuttle, Discovery, took place on 26 July 2005. NASA then halted all flights and established the Columbia Accident Investigation Board which recommended 15 safety changes. The break-up of Columbia on re-entry on 1 February 2003 killed all seven astronauts aboard. A replacement orbiter, Endeavour, was built, making its first flight in May 1992. ![]() ![]() The rocket boosters were redesigned after Challenger was destroyed in a mid-air explosion in 1986, killing its seven astronauts. At the end of each mission, the space shuttle can be flown back to Earth to land on a special runway 4.5 km long and 91 m wide, and is then available for reuse.įour space shuttles were built initially: Columbia, Challenger, first launched on 4 April 1983, Discovery on 30 August 1984, and Atlantis on 3 October 1985. The first shuttle, Columbia, was launched on 12 April 1981. The orbiter, the part that goes into space, is 37.2 m long and weighs 68 tonnes. A reusable crewed spacecraft developed by NASA to reduce the cost of using space for commercial, scientific, and military purposes.
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