posted 06-22-2011 10:23 AM               

Shuttle Endeavour being prepared for public display

Work is now underway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to prepare the space shuttle orbiter Endeavour, OV-105, for its retirement and public display.

In addition to "safing" the vehicle to remove materials that would be hazardous to museum visitors, shuttle technicians are also removing components for forensic study and to retain for possible use on the next generation of crewed spacecraft.

Work began soon after Endeavour landed for its last time on June 1, 2011. The orbiter is expected to be ready for transfer to its new home, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, in September 2012.

Below: In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at the Kennedy Space Center, the remote manipulator system, or Canadarm robotic arm, is lifted out of Endeavour's payload bay.

Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

posted 06-22-2011 10:23 AM               

Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 complete the removal of space shuttle main engines No. 2 and 3 from Endeavour using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift.

Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

posted 08-02-2011 08:37 AM               

In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the main engines have been removed from shuttle Endeavour and work has begun to remove the orbiter maneuvering system, or OMS, pods from the spacecraft. Here, a large overhead crane removes Endeavour's left-hand OMS pod on July 28, 2011.

Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

posted 09-26-2011 08:37 AM               

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers, using overhead cranes, installed an Approach and Landing Test Assembly (ALTA) pod onto Endeavour on Sept. 22, 2011. The ALTA pod was lifted for attachment to Endeavour on the site that once housed the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod.

The demonstration test was conducted to ensure the Kennedy Space Center's equipment will fit into the hangar at the National Air and Space Museum when installing an ALTA pod on shuttle Enterprise. The pod must be reinstalled on a shuttle for transport on a 747 carrier aircraft.

The simulation also tested procedures and timelines necessary to carry out the process.

Credit: NASA/Ken Shiflett

posted 02-01-2012 03:38 PM               

On Feb. 1, 2012, space shuttle Endeavour was rolled over from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2).

Endeavour will stay in OPF-2 so that its orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pods and forward reaction control system can be installed. Technicians will also offload water and Freon gas from lines located in Endeavour's midbody.

Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

posted 02-09-2012 01:51 PM               

In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, the forward reaction control system (FRCS) was reinstalled on space shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 8. The FRCS was returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where it underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 03-21-2012 08:40 PM               

In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, space shuttle Endeavour's left orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod was reinstalled on March 19, 2012. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 03-21-2012 08:48 PM               

On March 21, 2012, technicians removed the main propulsion system tanks from space shuttle Endeavour's mid-body. The tanks will be retained for possible future use by NASA's Space Launch System.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 03-31-2012 01:29 PM               

Space shuttle Endeavour's right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod was reinstalled on March 28, 2012. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

posted 03-31-2012 01:36 PM               

On March 29, 2012, technicians began preparations to bond and seal the tiles surrounding the access panels to space shuttle Endeavour's forward reaction control system, or FRCS.

Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

posted 05-07-2012 03:33 PM               

On April 3, 2012, Jeremy Schwarz, left, quality assurance technician, and Mike Williams, right, a thermal protection system technician, both with United Space Alliance, affixed a section of tile to the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour.

Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

posted 05-07-2012 03:34 PM               

On April 19, 2012, a crane was used to lift the airlock out of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2.

Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

posted 05-07-2012 03:34 PM               

On April 30, 2012, Michael Williams of United Space Alliance paints the NASA insignia — known as the "meatball" — on the left wing of space shuttle Endeavour.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 05-10-2012 02:35 PM               

On May 10, 2012, the Ku-band antenna was stowed at the forward end of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay in preparation for final closure of the shuttle's payload bay doors.

The antenna, which resembles a mini-satellite dish, was used to transmit audio, video and data between the space shuttle and ground stations on Earth.

Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

posted 05-11-2012 10:14 AM               

Endeavour unplugged: NASA powers down its last space shuttle

NASA pulled the plug on its last powered space shuttle on Friday (May 11), 20 years after it flew its first mission.

Space shuttle technicians working inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida powered down Endeavour, the youngest of the retired fleet's orbiters, at 9:58 a.m. EDT (1358 GMT) as they moved forward with preparations for the winged spacecraft's museum display. This September, NASA will mount Endeavour on top of a modified Boeing 747 jetliner and ferry it out to Los Angeles for its exhibit at the California Science Center.

posted 06-12-2012 10:10 PM               

On May 29, 2012, Endeavour's three fuel cells were hoisted out of the vehicle's payload bay. The fuel cells were removed to be drained of fluids.

The hydrogen and oxygen dewars which fed reactants to the fuel cells remain in Endeavour's midbody and will be purged with inert gases and vented down.

Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

posted 06-12-2012 10:11 PM               

On June 12, 2012, the hatch to Endeavour's airlock was closed and sealed for the final time during processing for the shuttle's retirement.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 06-12-2012 10:11 PM               

On June 12, 2012, technicians reinstalled the food pantry locker in Endeavour's middeck.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 06-20-2012 10:44 PM               

On June 20, 2012, Endeavour's payload bay doors were closed.

posted 07-16-2012 07:42 PM               

On July 13, 2012, space shuttle Endeavour's third and final replica shuttle main engine (RSME) was installed, completing the last engine install for the space shuttle program.

Credit: NASA/David Lee

posted 08-14-2012 01:00 PM               

On August 6, 2012, the tail cone was placed into position surrounding the replica main engines on space shuttle Endeavour.

The tail cone will provide aerodynamic stability during the upcoming cross-country ferry flight to Los Angeles.

Credit: Jim Grossmann

posted 08-14-2012 01:02 PM               

With its crew seats reinstalled and cabin configured in its final state, space shuttle Endeavour's hatch was locked and sealed on August 10, 2012.

Assisting with closing the hatch was Kennedy Space Center director Robert Cabana, who commanded Endeavour on the STS-88 mission in December 1998.

Credit: Jim Grossmann

posted 08-16-2012 12:22 PM               

Trading places, space shuttles meet nose-to-nose for a final time

Two space shuttles traded places at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday (Aug. 16) for what was planned to be the final multiple shuttle shuffle of the retired program.

Shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour paused briefly for nose-to-nose photos as they were moved between the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and orbiter processing facility (OPF) at the Florida spaceport.

See here for discussion of these photos and preparing the orbiters for display.