I recently had the chance to visit the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is on exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
There were 6 different shuttles as part of the Space Shuttle program (Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour). The Discovery flew the most missions (39) and is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in DC. The Endeavor was first launched in May 7, 1992, and spent 299 days in space, traveling 122 million miles during its missions.
We were intrigued to know that the shuttle creates 2 sonic booms when breaking the sound barrier -- one with the nose and one with tail, < 1 second apart. The Endeavor landed in California 7 times, with the vast majority during the day and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The space shuttle program was crewed by 852 different astronauts during the whole mission (versus 48 for the Apollo missions).
There are about 24,000 tiles and flexible insulation blankets covering the outside of the orbiter. The tiles are made from silica (sand) and cost about $2,000 each to make. The nose and the wings get hotter than any other part of the orbiter. They head up to 3000 F, which is hot enough to melt steel. Further, in space the temperature is 250 below zero. So, they have an incredible expansion and contraction coefficient. Each tile is individually created and numbered to fit a unique place on the orbiter. They are attached by felt to the orbiter so they wouldn't crack one another when expanding and contracting. They are both black and white: black on the bottom to reflect the heat, and the white tiles on the top to reflect the solar radiation. They are incredibly fragile and snap easily just being held in your hand.
Finally, the whole shuttle is suspended on a unique earthquake proof metal stand. Enjoy!
Endeavor, hitching a ride to California.....
The Endeavor's wheels......
An astronaut's toiletry kit....
A toilet in space....
And one of the engines (below) and thruster (above) that propelled Endeavor.....
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