Space shuttle tank begins trek to Los Angeles museum
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive space shuttle fuel tank squeezed through the streets of Los Angeles and loomed over vehicles on a busy freeway Saturday to join the retired orbiter Endeavour on display at the California Science Center.
Extensive preparations for Endeavour's trek included removing trees, street posts and other obstacles, but that journey still took about 17 hours longer than planned.
A New Orleans-style jazz band played "When the Saints Go Marching In" and some people waved handkerchiefs to wish the tank bon voyage.
Inside ET-94 are two internal tanks for millions of pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as well as other equipment.
The tank's surface is covered with a layer of foam to keep the propellants at the proper temperature, reduce the formation of ice and to provide protection from heat as it sped through the atmosphere.