posted 07-07-2013 12:31 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SpaceKSCBlog:
It was Explorer here at KSC, dunno why they feel they have to change the name (other than to erase where it came from).

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It is rather odd. I suspect poster JSC01 is onto the motivation for this...it's a publicity project. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, of course. It just seems so obviously contrived.

posted 08-22-2013 06:56 PM               

NASA's shuttle-ferrying jumbo jet to go on display with Boeing's help

A NASA jumbo jet that for more than three decades ferried space shuttles across the country is now being readied for its own move, thanks to the support from the aerospace company that originally built the iconic Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

On Thursday (Aug. 22), Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas, announced The Boeing Company will provide the needed disassembly and reassembly of the modified Boeing 747 jet so that it can be featured in a new $12 million, six-story educational attraction.

posted 08-22-2013 11:06 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ronpur:
Still no tail cone in the artwork...

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posted 08-22-2013 11:59 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ronpur:
They are turning the inside of the 747 into a museum?! That is brilliant!!

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posted 09-20-2013 03:35 PM               

Houston's space shuttle replica to get new name in public event

Houston's mock space shuttle has a new name — and a date for its reveal.

Space Center Houston, which serves as the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, has announced Oct. 5 as the day it will christen its full-size space shuttle orbiter replica. The public is invited to attend the naming, which is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. CDT (1430 GMT).

posted 10-03-2013 07:58 AM               

Despite the government shutdown, Space Center Houston is and will remain open for business, and this event will take place as planned.

posted 10-05-2013 10:16 AM               

Houston's shuttle replica christened 'Independence'

Houston's space shuttle mockup is no longer nameless.

The full-size replica is now space shuttle "Independence," its new name symbolizing the spirit of Texas.

Officials with Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, revealed the name — the winning entry from its recent "Name the Shuttle" statewide contest — during a public christening ceremony Saturday (Oct. 5).

"We received a total of 10,263 [contest] entries from all across Texas, and our elite panel of judges sorted through a widespread collection of possibilities," Richard Allen, the president of Space Center Houston, said. "It was a tough decision, but we ultimately chose a name that celebrates the Lone Star State and highlights its distinct contribution to America's space shuttle program."

posted 10-17-2013 02:17 PM               

The Space Shuttle Carrier Time-lapse

Space Center Houston is in the process of placing the massive 747 Space Shuttle Carrier at our front entrance. This video documents every move made since it was officially handed over.

posted 11-27-2013 03:52 PM               

Space shuttle replica vandalized, sprayed with graffiti in Houston

A replica of a NASA space shuttle on display in Houston was defaced Wednesday (Nov. 27), when vandals sprayed racial and political graffiti on the side of the full-size mockup. The offending markings were quickly covered over within hours of their being found.

"Unfortunately, someone vandalized our high-fidelity mock shuttle," said Melanie Johnson, the director of education for Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center where the model is located. "They wrote some offensive words and political statements."

The graffiti, which included the phrase, "Houston, we are the problem," was limited to the side of the space shuttle that faced away from the center's parking lot.

posted 12-17-2013 06:46 PM               

Space shuttle parking shuffle: Mock orbiter moved in Houston for jet display

Space shuttle Independence has a new parking spot.

Space Center Houston's full-size shuttle replica embarked on a short trip on Tuesday (Dec. 17) as it was moved from its outdoor display location of more than a year to a spot in the adjacent parking lot.

Riding on top of a motorized transporter similar to the 144-wheel vehicle that in June 2012 brought it to Space Center Houston, the visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center, the 123-foot-long (37 meters) shuttle mockup was moved from its place alongside the center's main building into the lot, where it will stay for the next several months.

posted 12-22-2013 03:24 PM               

Despite what Wikipedia describes, I've never seen any reference to the mockup being referred to as OV-100 at Kennedy Space Center or now at Johnson Space Center. In fact, as Wikipedia properly notes:

The vehicle number is sequentially assigned within the series, beginning with 1. Therefore, there can never be an OV-100 as it would read "Orbiter Vehicle Series 1 Vehicle 0".

posted 02-17-2014 05:15 PM               

The space shuttle replica "Independence" undergoes cosmetic and structural alterations in preparation for installation on top of the shuttle carrier aircraft.

posted 02-17-2014 05:16 PM               

The foundation for the Shuttle & 747 complex undergoes final preparations before the big move. On February 15, contractors poured 340 yards of concrete.

posted 02-17-2014 05:17 PM               

This morning (Feb. 17) an elite group of Boeing engineers, simply known as the "Aircraft-on-Ground (AOG) Team," arrived at Ellington field to deliver 14 tractor trailers of equipment for the disassembly of the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

posted 02-22-2014 05:52 PM               

The Boeing AOG (aircraft on ground) team is working through the weekend to get ready for the BIG move at the end of April.

Here, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft's vertical stabilizer being lowered.

posted 02-26-2014 06:37 PM               

Work continues to progress on the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft disassembly.

posted 03-06-2014 08:57 AM               

NASA's shuttle-ferrying jet dismantled for move to Space Center Houston

The historic NASA jumbo jet that ferried retired space shuttles piggyback to their museum homes is now being prepared for its own lift to where it will be put on public display.

Parked on a remote tarmac at Ellington Field in Houston, NASA's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) can still be recognized as the specially-modified Boeing 747 it is, but seen from a distance its silhouette looks wrong. A closer inspection reveals why; the plane's tail (vertical stabilizer), ailerons, engine nacelles and landing gear have now been removed.

And it is soon to shed even more of its parts.

posted 03-27-2014 11:55 AM               

The disassembly of NASA 905 was completed on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 by Boeing's Aircraft on Ground team at Ellington Field. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) will embark for Space Center Houston in late April (specific dates to be announced soon).