Endeavour

Did I mention that on the day after Thanksgiving I went down to the California Science Center near the USC campus and the Coliseum in downtown Los Angeles and saw the Space Shuttle Endeavour?

It’s just a tiny little bit freakin’ awesome.

Scorched tiles on the belly above us.

The business end with the three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs).

Twenty-five missions, from May 1992 until May 2011.

It’s on display until December 31st like this, then it will be off display for a couple of years. There’s a huge new building under construction next to this one where it will be displayed in the upright, “ready to launch” configuration.

In addition to Endeavour, the museum also has the last surviving flight-rated external fuel tank, and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs).

Once they put it all together in a vertical configuration, it will look just like it did on the launch pad, ready to go to space. When you first come in from the parking lot you can see the two SRBs standing up, peeking over the top of the outside walls of the new building.

As you leave the exhibition, over yonder you can see the orange foam of that final external tank.

It’s going to be spectacular to see!