The California Science Center located in Los Angeles, California, will soon be displaying the space shuttle Endeavour with its giant orange fuel tank. NASA retired the Endeavour two years ago after its 25th flight into space and the Endeavour fuel tank will now be displayed at its side. Both the space shuttle and its fuel tank will be on permanent display at the Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
Great New Home for Endeavour Fuel Tank
The California Science Center is an innovative place to learn science. The external tank was a component of the initial space shuttle launch. It contained liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. While lifting off it supplied the fuel and the oxidizer to the three space shuttle engines. These external tanks are not re-usable and some were never recovered after launch.
Toyota Pickup Truck Hauls Endeavour to Space Center
The silver Toyota Tundra truck that officially transported the Endeavour is now on display at the Science Center. It was chosen to haul the space shuttle 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport to the Center. It is part of the exhibit Giant Lever that demonstrates how to pick up large objects. The Giant Lever has been an exhibit since 2003 and it invites people to use a giant purple lever to hoist the truck into the air.
The Endeavour fuel tank will arrive by barge, traveling from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, pass through the Panama Canal and eventually arrive in Marina Del Rey, California. It will then take it a day to travel through the streets of Los Angeles to Exhibition Park where the Science Center is located. The actual move will take place any time from the later part of 2015 to early 2016.
The California Story
The Center is open to the public seven days a week, excluding holidays. The facility first opened in 1998 and houses four major exhibits: World of Life, Creative World, Ecosystems, and Air and Space Exhibits, which include the Endeavour and its fuel tank, along with live shows, attractions and temporary exhibits. All the exhibits have a Discovery Room for younger children that are designed to teach with a hands-on experience.
The experience of seeing the space shuttle and its giant orange fuel tank begins with “Endeavour: The California Story,” that exhibits artifacts from the orbiter and fabulous images, along with other items that relate the shuttle program to California.
