A Great Endeavour

Still, for the majority, these events have only been viewed in two-dimensional forms of photos and film. With a backdrop as vast as sky and space, scale has always been difficult to grasp and a sense of intangibility ever present. Consequently, the opportunity to stand in the presence of an example of this wonder of aerospace engineering is one to be treasured. And such is the opportunity at the California Science Center.

Located in Los Angeles, the visitor is greeted by a range of artefacts from the Space Shuttle’s tenure, from a set of used tyres with their associated wear to the furnishings and equipment from the Rocketdyne Operations Support Center (POSC) which served as mission control. Each element is fascinating and yet the continual flow of tourists inevitably moves towards the vast hall where the Space Shuttle Endeavour now rests, landing gear retracted, atop specially designed earthquake-resistant “pillars”.

Looking up at the vehicle, first impressions are striking but also evoke deeper thought and emotions. 122 feet long and with a wingspan of 78 feet, its delta wing plan-form and towering fin give a sense of size and yet for a craft that typically re-enters that atmosphere at around 17,500 mph, it appears to be rather blunt. And so the thoughts are stirred and the questions arise, although at every turn there is a volunteer ready to answer questions about the Endeavour.

The high forces and high heat dictate that the shuttle has short, blunt wings to combat the incredible forces and heat of re-entry. As it is effectively a glider as it returns to earth, it flies a series of hypersonic S-turns to wash off speed, while flying at a high angle of attack creates drag to further dissipate speed. It is only during the flare manoeuvre at touchdown that generating lift becomes significantly important.

The shuttle was flown across the United States, piggy-backing on a specifically-designed Boeing 747

Thousands of silica tiles protect the shuttle from the immense heat of launch and re-entry and closer examination reveals identifying markings on each and every individual tile. There is a series of sizeable exhaust ports either side of the nose section for manoeuvring in orbit and hinges for the payload bay lie on the fuselage flanks where aircraft windows would traditionally be located. These are all subtle reminders that this is a vehicle designed to operate and conquer aerodynamic challenges, not only in our atmosphere, but in space beyond.

Commissioned to replace the tragic Challenger shuttle, the Endeavour was the final example of the orbiter’s bloodline, taking flight in 1992 and completing its 25th and final mission in 2011. It was named after HMS Endeavour, the vessel of Captain James Cook whose voyages spanned the globe in the 18th Century. For this reason, the name bears the British spelling of endeavour, which caused some confusion on its initial launch when a massive official banner bore the different US spelling.

In her life, among many milestones, Endeavour carried the first African-American female astronaut, serviced the Hubble telescope and delivered a module to the International Space Station. The final mission concluded with a night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In her operational life, Endeavour flew in space for a total 299 days, covering nearly 123 million miles in her 4,671 orbits. And still her journey was not complete.

When the California Science Center was successful in obtaining the Endeavour, the shuttle was flown across the United States, piggy-backing on a specifically-designed Boeing 747. On arriving at Los Angeles Airport (LAX), it had one final challenging mission – to be transported by road to its new home.

The route by road was carefully measured and planned with the shuttle’s wings only clearing buildings and telephone poles by inches in some places. Street lights and traffic signals were temporarily removed and in some areas, power was turned off and the power poles removed. Some controversy ensued when hundreds of trees were cut down but this was somewhat subdued as many were older trees and furthermore, they were replaced on a two-for-one basis. The shuttle crept along its 12-mile journey for more than two days before finally arriving at its new home.

In 2016, Endeavour was joined by a large external fuel tank, or “ET”. Donated by NASA, the tank was designed to carry propellants – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – that flowed into the Space Shuttle MainEngines (SSMEs), where they combined and ignited to produce almost one and a half million pounds of thrust to help push the space shuttle to orbit. Like Endeavour, the external tank also had an interesting final journey. Towed by tug boat out of Louisiana, it encountered storms in the Cayman Islands before transiting the Panama Canal to finally make landfall once again at Marina Del Rey on the United States West Coast.

At the Science Center, with necks craned and heads tilted upward, visitors walk beneath the form of Endeavour, taking in its expanse, pausing to read plaques detailing its science and its history. Yet perhaps more fascinating than the facts is the imagination that is stirred. Children point and ask their parents with a sense of awe, “So this has been to space?” Adults too seem transfixed by the same thought.

The Space Shuttle represents so many things. The challenge of space flight, human curiosity and inbuilt desire to explore, bravery and tragedy. And it is possibly the loss of Challenger and Columbia that strike the deepest chord and serve as the most poignant reminder of the potential cost.

That Endeavour now sits at rest, rather than a massive mach number also reminds us how time moves on. That a concept that once seemed beyond belief not only came to fruition, but ultimately saw its era pass. Yet with its passing, a new era dawns and space travel seeks new goals, new methods and new limits. Still, to move forward, we must always review the lessons of the past and preserving the heritage of the Space Shuttle program is one means of achieving this. To see a living, breathing example serves to remind us of this great endeavour.

The California Science Center is at 700 State Drive, Los Angeles.
www.californiasciencecenter.org