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NEWS
Space truckin'
Toyota hauls space shuttle Endeavour over the final leg of its journey to the California Science Center in Los AngelesIn what was surely a scrabble among American truck makers to be first in line, Toyota was the chosen manufacturer to haul the space shuttle Endeavour on the last leg of the journey to its final resting place at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Endeavour, which was retired in May 2011 after 25 missions into Earth orbit, weighs 68 tonnes. With a wingspan of 24 metres, and measuring 17 metres tall and 37 metres long, it represented a major challenge for the 5.7-litre V8-engined Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4 tow vehicle. According to Toyota, the Tundra was left in stock trim for the task. The company said the Texas-built Tundra had no modifications or special equipment added.
For its final journey Endeavour travelled aboard a special carrier normally used to transport oil rigs, bridges and heavy equipment. At walking pace the Tundra and its illustrious payload crept through the streets of Los Angeles, manoeuvring between buildings, trees and power lines with just millimetres to spare at times. Professional driver Matt McBridle was accompanied during the trip by NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, who served aboard Endeavour when it docked with the International Space Station in 2008.
The 19-kilometre trip from the Los Angeles airport to the California Science Center took three days and was conducted at speeds as low as 3km/h – a far cry from Endeavour’s orbiting speeds of around 28,000km/h. During the transit of the Manchester Boulevard bridge, Endeavour was transferred to a special dolly lighter than the one used during transport from the airport.
Endeavour first flew into orbit in 1992 as the replacement for Challenger, which was destroyed in a calamitous malfunction shortly after liftoff in 1986. During its 25 missions, Endeavour spent more than 296 days in space, orbited the Earth 4671 times and covered a total distance of close to 200 million kilometres. The shuttle was named after HMS Endeavour, a vessel commanded by Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy when he discovered the east coast of Australia in 1770. That is why the space shuttle's name is spelled with the 'u' missing in the American spelling – 'Endeavor'.
Toyota says the Tundra (a size larger than the HiLux and named after Arctic steppes) has no place in its future plans for the Australian market.
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