ResearchBuzz: FirehoseKTLA: New L.A. museum will display a real space shuttle upright. “The project is part of the California Science Center in Exposition Park and adds about 200,000 square feet of new space, nearly doubling the museum’s size, officials said. At the center of it all is Endeavour, mounted with real rocket boosters and a massive external fuel tank. The display will give visitors a rare, up-close […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/05/01/ktla-new-l-a-museum-will-display-a-real-space-shuttle-upright/
Heron&Fox PhotoA nose-on view of #NASA’s #Space #Shuttle #Orbiter #Endeavour after it returned to Kennedy Space Center from its STS-134 mission delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2 to the International Space Station, as it’s being towed back to an Orbiter Processing Facility for servicing. Get a print or other item with this image at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-returns-nose-on-view-heron-and-fox.html #SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #AlphaMagneticSpectrometer02, #AMS02, #InternationalSpaceStation, #ISS, #Photography
After #NASA retired the #Space #Shuttle in 2011, they planned to send the #Orbiters to museums. To get them ready, NASA removed the #SSME #rocket #engines and replaced them with replicas and decontaminated the parts of the Orbiter that held toxic fuel for in-space maneuvering, then be put on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
In this #photograph, #Atlantis (closer on the left) and #Endeavour (on the right) have been brought nose-to-nose for #photographers and #journalists to tell the story of the Shuttle’s #retirement.
Get a print of this image, or other merchandise, at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-and-endeavour-meet-2-heron-and-fox.html
#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleAtlantis, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #spacecraft, #Photography
#NASA’s #Space #Shuttle was designed to #reenter the atmosphere to slow the vehicle from orbital velocity and then glide to its landing. This required a larger heat shield then ever. It was also meant to be re-usable.
The primary part of the #HeatShield are many #silica tiles on the #Orbiter’s belly, with a coating applied that makes them black and more heat-resistant.
This #Photograph is taken after #Endeavour had been refitted for display at the California Science Center in the Orbital Processing Facility and shows the #SpaceShuttle from below and behind.
Get a print or other merchandise at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-13-heron-and-fox.html
#SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Li900, #OrbiterProcessingFacility,
When #NASA retired the #Space Shuttle #Orbiters, three institutions received them: Discovery would go to the Smithsonian, Atlantis would be put on display at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex, and #Endeavour would be flown to the California Science Center.
Here, #Endeavour is being raised up in the Mate-Demate Device, designed to put the #Shuttle on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and remove it.
Get a print or other merchandise at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-nose-and-forward-gear-in-the-mate-demate-device-heron-and-fox.html
#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #MateDeMateDevice, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Photography
On September 12, 2012, #NASA brought #Space #Shuttle #Endeavour to the Mate-Demate Device; a crane that lifts the #Orbiter to be mounted on, or taken off of, the #Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, which are modified Boeing 747’s.
The yellow bar helps attach the Orbiter to the MDD and has “United Space Alliance” written on the cross-bar.
The USA was formed by Lockheed and Boeing to jointly facilitate #SpaceShuttle maintenance work.
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#SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #MateDemateDevice, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #ShuttleOrbiter, #UnitedSpaceAlliance, #Photography
#NASA’s #SpaceShuttle #Endeavour being towed back to an #Orbiter Processing Facilty after the #Shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center after completing STS-134, a mission to the International Space Station to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2.
Get a print or other merchandise here: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-over-the-reeds-heron-and-fox.html
#SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #STS134, #AMS02, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Spacecraft
Get a print or other merchandise here: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-over-the-reeds-heron-and-fox.html
#SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #STS134, #AMS02, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Spacecraft
#NASA’s #Shuttle #Orbiters used a kind of #silica tile, called LI-900, to create the #SpaceShuttle’s reusable heat shield.
The tiles on the parts of the Orbiter than get the hottest have an added coat of special black paint to help insulate the Shuttle even further.
This image was taken while #Endeavour was at Kennedy Space Center being readied for museum display.
Get a print or other merchandise: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-12-forward-gear-heron-and-fox.html
#KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #spacecraft
The tiles on the parts of the Orbiter than get the hottest have an added coat of special black paint to help insulate the Shuttle even further.
This image was taken while #Endeavour was at Kennedy Space Center being readied for museum display.
Get a print or other merchandise: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-12-forward-gear-heron-and-fox.html
#KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #spacecraft
The difficulty of raising a #rubber tree farm and harvesting natural rubber makes it extremely expensive, to the point that millions were spent looking for an alternative. A synthetic rubber was eventually invented, but is still inferior to natural rubber for some applications, such as the landing gear tires of the #Space #Shuttle.
#NASA’s #SpaceShuttle #Endeavour is pictured here being serviced in an #Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, and the Shuttle’s main #gear are extended below the silica tiles of the Shuttle’s heat shield.
#LandingGear, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #Photography, #Photograph, #Photo
Buy a print or merchandise: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-7-heat-shield-and-gear-heron-and-fox.html
#NASA’s #SpaceShuttle #Endeavour is pictured here being serviced in an #Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, and the Shuttle’s main #gear are extended below the silica tiles of the Shuttle’s heat shield.
#LandingGear, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #Photography, #Photograph, #Photo
Buy a print or merchandise: https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-7-heat-shield-and-gear-heron-and-fox.html
When US President Kennedy dared the United States, “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth,” #NASA was given expanded facilities occupying almost all of #MerrittIsland, which was a #swamp at the time. It took years of effort, and even more years of person-hour labor, to eradicate the #mosquitoes (and the #YellowFever) to complete the #ApolloProgram and send two men to the Moon and returned both and their rideshare safely to the #Earth.
When the #SpaceShuttle followed on, it continued to launch from the world’s most advanced #spaceport. And it landed there, as #Endeavour did after STS-134.
#SLS and #Orion will again send humans to the Moon from that spaceport.
Which is in a #marsh. Also, it’s infested with #alligators.
#MarshMadness, #Photo, #Photography, #Photograph,, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #STS134, #Orbiter, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC,
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/kennedy-space-center-is-in-a-marsh-heron-and-fox.html
When the #SpaceShuttle followed on, it continued to launch from the world’s most advanced #spaceport. And it landed there, as #Endeavour did after STS-134.
#SLS and #Orion will again send humans to the Moon from that spaceport.
Which is in a #marsh. Also, it’s infested with #alligators.
#MarshMadness, #Photo, #Photography, #Photograph,, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #STS134, #Orbiter, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC,
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/kennedy-space-center-is-in-a-marsh-heron-and-fox.html
