We got a sneak peek of the final space shuttle set to go on public display
SMRTR summary
Forty-two feet of fog, a dropping wall, and suddenly you're face to face with a 184-foot rocket stack. That's the experience awaiting visitors when the California Science Center in Los Angeles unveils space shuttle Endeavour this coming November 13th, in its stunning new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
The shuttle stands vertically, paired with its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. Pulling that off outside a NASA facility was, by many accounts, nearly impossible.
"We weren't sure that it could be done anywhere other than at a specialized facility," said Dennis Jenkins, former shuttle engineer and project director. "Of course, it proved to be extremely difficult yet extremely easy all at the same time."
Guests can ride a glass elevator up the gantry and walk a transparent platform directly above the vehicle.
Jenkins puts it plainly: the reaction from everyone who enters the room is almost always the same. Mouths open. Eyes go wide. And for many, he says, it's truly one of a kind.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Ars Technica.
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