NASA’s final external tank takes its place in historic display

  • Last-built-for-flight external tank lifted into place for space shuttle Endeavour exhibit
  • ET-94 raised and lowered by two large cranes to form fully-authentic, upright space shuttle stack
  • 20-story-tall display will be centerpiece of California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Museum
  • ET-94 originally planned for science mission but became test article after space shuttle Columbia tragedy
  • Endeavour to undergo similar move, lift, and mate in coming weeks

NASA’s last-remaining, built-for-flight space shuttle external tank, ET-94, has been lifted into place for the space shuttle Endeavour exhibit. The tank was raised and lowered by two large cranes to form the world’s only fully-authentic, upright space shuttle stack. The resulting 20-story-tall display will be the centerpiece of the California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Museum. ET-94 was originally planned for a science mission but became a test article after the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. Endeavour will undergo a similar move, lift, and mate in the coming weeks.

Public Companies: NASA (N/A)
Private Companies: California Science Center
Key People: Jeffrey Rudolph (President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Science Center), Dennis Jenkins (NASA Space Shuttle Engineer and Project Manager for the California Science Center’s Endeavour display)

Factuality Level: 7
Justification: The article provides factual information about the process of moving and stacking the space shuttle external tank. It includes quotes from officials involved in the project and describes the steps taken to ensure the tank’s safe placement. However, there is some unnecessary background information and repetition of details, which slightly lowers the factuality level.

Noise Level: 3
Justification: The article provides a detailed account of the process of moving and stacking the space shuttle external tank. However, it contains a lot of technical details and specific names that may not be relevant or interesting to the general reader. The article also lacks analysis or insights into the broader implications or significance of this event.

Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No

Presence of Extreme Event: No
Nature of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating of the Extreme Event: No
Justification: This news article does not pertain to financial topics and does not describe any extreme events.

Reported publicly: www.space.com