Shuttle Endeavour's Turn in the Barn

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's newest orbiter recently was moved from its hangar at the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to a storage bay in the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will remain about 12 days while annual maintenance work is done back at the OPF.

With its next flight targeted for no earlier than November, Endeavour is far from ready to fly and this unique view of the ship inside the VAB proves it. Missing near the tail are its orbital maneuvering system pods as well as its three main engines.

Also visible on the left wing's leading edge is the open gap -- covered in plastic -- where a reinforced carbon carbon panel (RCC) was removed for tests. It was a breech in this same type of panel that led to the Columbia tragedy.

If the idea of temporarily storing a shuttle orbiter in the VAB seems familiar it should be. The same thing was done with Atlantis during December so the hangar it was in could have its annual maintenance done. The hangars need to be empty for the work, which includes validation of the bay’s cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands.

CREDIT: NASA