Early in 1970, NASA refined their technical requirements for the vehicle. They unanimously recommended a fully re-usable, two-stage vehicle. These companies presented reports to NASA by November 1, 1969. Invitations were given to four aerospace contractors to present design proposals on re-usable and partially re-usable manned spacecraft. On January 31, 1969, NASA issued feasibility design study contracts for their “Integrated Launch and Re-entry Vehicle” (ILRV). Of course, history would prove otherwise. The words “cheap” and “routine” were the words which most closely matched the objectives for Space Shuttles as expressed by NASA. In addition, NASA believed that Space Shuttles could serve as multi-purpose satellite delivery vehicles with the potential to completely replace Atlas-Centaur, Delta and Titan rockets. The space station would support a plethora of scientific research objectives, plus act as an engineering and support base for manned journeys to the planets. presence in space following the Apollo lunar landings. The space station was intended to assure a permanent manned U.S. At the time, NASA envisioned a space station which would be staffed by 12 to 24 people. The first goal of the Space Shuttle program was to provide NASA with an efficient, re-usable method of carrying astronauts to and from a permanently manned space station. Space Shuttle Artist Conception, Photo Courtesy NASAīorn in 1968 at the height of the Apollo program, the Space Shuttle was designed to fulfill two basic roles in NASA post-Apollo manned flight objectives. The trip was slowed again when the tow ship, the Shannon Dann, rescued four stranded fishermen a month later off the coast of Baja California.By Cliff Lethbridge SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM HISTORY Twelve days later, the tank crossed the Panama Canal but not before hitting a storm near the Cayman Islands. Manufactured in New Orleans’ Michoud Assembly Facility, ET-94 was placed on a barge and towed out of port on April 13, 2016. The ET-94 fuel tank was created shortly before the final trek of the ill-fated Columbia, which killed seven astronauts.Īlthough the tank never touched the stars, its voyage to the Space Center wasn’t without drama. Among Endeavour’s most notable missions was successfully repairing the Hubble Space Telescope and helping complete construction of the International Space Station. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation have been transformational to building the new museum wing, which broke ground in mid-2022.Įndeavour flew 25 missions in space before its final flight in 2011, eight years after another shuttle, Columbia, disintegrated on reentry in 2003, and the shuttle fleet was set for retirement. Financial contributions that came from the Mr. The new aerospace museum wing is named for Samuel Oschin, the late Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist, whose name is also on the Griffith Observatory planetarium and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cancer institute. It could be a few years before the new museum is open to the public. Once Endeavour is in place, scaffolding will be erected around the entire stack to protect the equipment as the rest of the museum is built around it. It will be the first time a shuttle designed for space has been assembled vertically outside of a NASA or Air Force facility. That is expected to happen within a month. What remains is Endeavour’s final migration to the new site, followed by the orbiter being raised into place by a crane and ultimately joined with the rest of the stack. The shuttle previously had been on display at the science center in a horizontal position from October 2012 through New Year’s Eve 2023, when preparations for its big move began in earnest. Unlike any other exhibit showcasing a retired space shuttle, Endeavour will be configured in a full-stack arrangement, pointing toward the stars as if ready for launch. Completion of the move marks the fourth of seven steps in the ultimate goal of stacking and displaying Endeavour upright in what will be the new 20-story museum, an expansion of the California Science Center.
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