Last Shuttle External Tank Arrives at Kennedy

The external fuel tank designated for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station now is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch preparations. ET-138, the final external fuel tank produced at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, arrived at Kennedy July 13 after its 900-mile water journey from Louisiana. It was towed off its transport barge, Pegasus, and moved into Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building on July 14. The tank and twin solid rocket boosters will be attached to Endeavour for a liftoff targeted for Feb. 26, 2011. STS-134 is the last scheduled mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

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Science & Technology

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• NASA
• ET-138

[fcycles]

They should paint it in white... like the first shuttle flight!!!!

[JoeyCanPwnRS]

Do you know how much pig crap that could hold?

Enough to lift 4.5 million pounds of astronauts and equipment, these are massive and awesome.

[JoeyCanPwnRS]

@ti994apc It's a Simpsons Movie joke. Wow.

[ti994apc]

@JoeyCanPwnRS Actually that is not even close to being true. The Shuttle can only carry 53,600 lb to LEO or only 6,000 to GTO. True Shuttle requires a heavy lift system (one of the many drawbacks of Shuttle) that ad's great cost and danger. Remember, Shuttle has to be able to lift its own weight. Shuttle cost 1.6 billion per launch, it might be cheaper for it to burn dollar bills. In contrast Falcon9 heavy lifts 90,000 to LEO and for 90 million, a fraction of the cost.

[wattstarr911]

Ill miss seeing that barge on my way to work as I cross the bridge going in to Chalmette LA

[luv6pup]

as always, amazing!

[snoopyloopy]

@m60a3ttsmilwaukee not sure a microwave beam would be practical. there would still have to be a receiving station on the ground, and there there's the big problem presented by having a live microwave beam going down at all times. what happens if the orbit slips, or any other number of mishaps happen and then suddenly the mw beam is NOT hitting the receiver.

[m60a3ttsmilwaukee]

between 1976-1980 the usaf wanted the 4 space shuttles so they can carry 20 nuclear warheads each in the cargo bays for preemptive strikes over soviet russia if needed !...6 minunites from orbit to nuke moscow!...ronald reagan continued this mission!

[m60a3ttsmilwaukee]

between 1976-1980 nasa hyped president jimmy carter to continue funding 4 space shuttles so we can put solar powered energy satellites in orbit to beam down by microwave free electricity to american cities to solve the energy crisis!...(look at the oil mess in the ocean...drinking water air and rain)

[m60a3ttsmilwaukee]

nasa+jpl cover up flying saucers and alien abductions! their covert masters are majestic-12 (men-in-black) at area-51 s-4 and pine gap australia!...nasa+jpl have covered up seti signals...airbrush out ufos and ancient ruins from photos..of moon and mars! astronauts edgar mitchell and gordon cooper have seen flying saucers and swear to nasa ufo coverup! ( w . disclosureproject . org).

[Demokrator86]

Jeez I'm crying right now :((( I'm so sorry about this incredible machine. Atlas-Apollo, then Space Shuttle. I mean this is very bad tendency goddammit!