November launch set for space shuttle Endeavour's towering display

“I was very uncertain if it would ever happen when we first looked at the proposal, because I think—and the science center admits this—they really had no idea what was involved in trying to make a vertical display of a space shuttle stack ,” said Dennis Jenkins, a former space shuttle engineer who led the preparation and delivery of the orbiters for their museums before becoming the project director for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. “We weren’t sure that it could be done anywhere other than at a [NASA] specialized facility. Doing it out in the middle of a construction site always seemed a little bit fantastic,” Jenkins told collectSPACE. “Of course, it proved to be extremely difficult yet extremely easy all at the same time. Once we figured out how to do it, it worked well.” The 184-foot-tall stack, comprising the orbiter Endeavour , external tank, and twin solid rocket boosters, is believed to be the tallest indoor museum exhibit in the world. Credit: California Science Center The 184-foot-tall stack, comprising the orbiter Endeavour , external tank, and twin solid rocket boosters, is believed to be the tallest indoor museum exhibit in the world. Credit: California Science Center Now that the countdown has begun, T-minus 142 days to opening, the pressure is on to be ready to launch. …