The space shuttle Endeavor began its final journey this morning (Tuesday), when this time it stays here on Earth. In about a year and a half, the shuttle is expected to be displayed alongside the boosters and its fuel tank at the California Air and Space Center, in a new space exhibit.
The first phase was completed as mentioned this morning, when a crane at a height of 137 meters lifted the shuttle and installed it in its designated place in the scientific center.
The installation of the Endeavor culminates a six-month effort to bring the shuttle, its two boosters and its external fuel tank into a vertical configuration - as they appeared when they were launched into space.
The space shuttle Endeavor is lifted vertically on its way to its rockets, photo: AFP
"This is a massive and technically challenging process, which has never been carried out before outside of a NASA or US Air Force facility," museum representatives excitedly described the event.
According to them, "the future Air and Space Center is an extension of the California Science Center and will be Endeavour's permanent home."
It should be noted that although the works are expected to take about 18 months, the opening date of the exhibition has not yet been announced.
The space shuttle Endeavor on its way to be displayed at the exhibition, photo: AFP
The ambitious and problematic plan
Endeavor, NASA's "youngest" shuttle, completed 25 missions before the shuttle program was terminated in 2011. The agency's other (surviving) space shuttles, Discovery and Atlantis, are at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
As part of its space shuttle program, NASA built five shuttles - Columbia (disintegrated during its return to Earth, the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon and the entire crew were killed), Challenger (exploded during takeoff, the entire crew was killed), Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.
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