Final Shuttle Fuel Tank Rolls off the Production Line Photo Credit/Lockheed Martin
NASA joined with Lockheed Martin east of New Orleans, La., on Thursday to pay tribute as the final space shuttle fuel tank rolled off the production line at the Michoud Assembly Facility, another in a series of milestones signaling the shuttle’s looming retirement.
“This is a bittersweet moment for everyone who has been a part of this great and dedicated production team,” said John Honeycutt, who manages the external tank project office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
The final tank, ET-138, served as the backdrop for a ceremony honoring the many engineers and technicians who have kept the production line going since 1973.
“Today is an emotional one for us,” said Mark Bryant, vice president, Lockheed Martin External Tank Project.
“We have worked hard to build safe tanks for NASA, and I think this last one can be the safest yet,” said Bryant. “Yes, we’ve persevered through the challenges of Return to Flight and Katrina. Those events made us stronger, and as a result, we’ve developed better, more efficient ways to build even safer tanks.”
The design of the orange insulating foam that jackets the 154-foot-long disposable fuel tanks was modified in the aftermath of the 2003 shuttle Columbia accident. An investigation traced the cause of the tragedy to undetected damage to the shuttle’s heat shielding inflicted by a piece of flying foam that dislodged during Columbia’s lift off.
In 2005, much of Louisiana and Mississippi’s Gulf Coast was battered by Hurricane Katrina. The large storm damaged MAF as well as the homes of many of the workers, making their lives difficult for months.
In all, 134 tanks were produced.
The latest was moved to a barge at the conclusion of Thursday’s ceremony to begin a six-day, 900 mile journey to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The tank will be transferred to NASA’s ocean going Freedom Star in Gulfport, Miss.
At Kennedy, ET-134 will be equipped with a pair of solid rocket boosters and attached to the orbiter Endeavour. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off on NASA’s final shuttle mission on Feb. 26, 2011.
Another tank, ET 122, which was damaged during Katrina is undergoing repairs at Michoud. In late September, it will be shipped to Kennedy, where it will serve as the fuel tank should NASA need to launch a rescue mission for the Endeavour crew.