The external shuttle tank known as ET-94 never got to cut through the Earth’s atmosphere into the inky blackness of space.
But early Wednesday, it finished a decidedly differently journey — clearing the breakwater of Marina del Rey atop a sea barge beneath a gray sky.
The 15-story tank began its journey last month from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, where it was built, pulled by a tugboat called the Shannon Dann for 4,000 nautical miles en route to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
As he stood near his dock just before 6 a.m., Rick Oefinger, president of Marina del Rey Sportfishing, said he was planning for big crowds to pour into Fisherman’s Village over the next few days to see the rust-colored tank.
“It’s exciting, every time you see a piece of solid, all-American equipment,” he said. “You feel kind of patriotic. You feel good.”
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The ET-94 fuel tank rests outside the California Science Center on Saturday.
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High school students from Downey walk to prom as the ET-94 fuel tank rests outside the California Science Center.
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The ET-94 fuel tank is 15 stories tall.
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The ET-94 fuel tank arrives at the California Science Center.
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The ET-94 fuel tank for the Space Shuttle makes its way up Vermont to the California Science Center.
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Darren Hackett carries son Sawyer, 4, dressed as an astronaut, as the ET-94 fuel tank makes its way to the California Science Center.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, travels along Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center.
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Astronaut Mike Fincke shakes hands with students from Oak Tree Elementary school standing along Arbor Vitae Street to witness ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, travels on Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Adren Turner dons an astronaut helmet made from paper as he waits to see ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, along Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood.
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The space shuttle fuel tank ET-94 passes a man working on the wires in Inglewood. Workers occasionally dropped the electrical lines as the tank passed by.
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People welcome ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, as it travels on Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center.
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The giant orange external fuel tank called ET-94 is en route to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, travels through the streets of Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center.
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Kirby the dog appears to be escorting ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, which is traveling on Manchester Avenue in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center.
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Kyle Bice, 5, and his sister Sydney Bice, 6, both of Lakewood, take a photo with astronaut Steve Swanson in Inglewood as the ET-94 space shuttle external tank travels across Los Angeles to its new museum home.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, enters La Brea Avenue from Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Micro Michaels, left, and her mother Doreen Talbot take a selfie with astronaut Kay Hire with ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, in the background.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, travels on Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood on its way to the California Science Center.
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A police officer follows the ET-94 fuel tank, which makes its way on Manchester Avenue past the Forum from Marina Del Rey to the California Science Center.
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The ET-94 space shuttle fuel tank makes its way on Manchester Avenue past the Forum from Marina Del Rey to the California Science Center.
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Astronauts pose with children as ET-94, the giant orange external fuel tank, is en route to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Bashaun Nero of Inglewood stands on a roof in Inglewood as the space shuttle fuel tank ET-94 gets ready for its final journey home.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank fuel tank, makes its way along Manchester Avenue past the Forum from Marina Del Rey to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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The space shuttle fuel tank moves past a mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood.
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The shuttle fuel tank moves slowly on Arbor Vitae Street while overhead a passenger jet approaches LAX.
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The last shuttle fuel tank, ET-94, travels down Westchester Parkway on it’s journey to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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At sunrise, people watch on Westchester Parkway as the shuttle fuel tank rolls by.
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People wearing bathrobes come out Saturday morning to snap a photo of the shuttle fuel tank.
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Adren Turner waits for the shuttle fuel tank along Arbor Vitae.
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The shuttle fuel tank is maneuvered around street lights on Lincoln Boulevard.
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Space shuttle fans follow along with fuel tank ET-94 as it journeys overnight from Marina del Rey to Exposition Park.
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People watch as the shuttle fuel tank ET-94 turns onto Lincoln Boulevard.
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The last shuttle fuel tank ET-94 turns onto the onramp to get back onto Lincoln Boulevard as it journeys to its final home at the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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Shuttle fans watch tank ET-94 as it turns onto Lincoln Boulevard in the middle of the night.
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Partygoers linger outside in Marina del Rey early Saturday morning before the last shuttle fuel tank embarks on its journey to Exposition Park.
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Space shuttle fans pose with astronauts Andrew J. Feustel, left, and Mike Fincke, center, as the last fuel tank moves along L.A. city streets to Exposition Park.
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A woman takes a picture of the last shuttle fuel tank, ET-94, alongside an almost-full moon.
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ET-94, the last space shuttle fuel tank, travels along Los Angeles city streets to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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Police stand by as shuttle fuel tank ET-94 makes a turn onto Mindanao Way on its slow journey to Exposition Park.
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Shuttle fans line up at Marina del Rey to see fuel tank ET-94 begin its journey along city streets to Exposition Park.
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Photographers capture the last shuttle fuel tank, ET-94, as it makes a turn onto Mindanao Way.
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Even pups get in on the action.
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A crowd forms at Marina del Rey to see the last shuttle fuel tank, ET-94, begin its journey along city streets to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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Utility workers remove a beam holding up a traffic signal to clear the path for the shuttle tank.
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Vivianne Robinson, 58, sports a space shuttle-themed outfit as she watches the last fuel tank on its journey to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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With the moon shining down, a crowd gathers around ET-94 early Saturday morning before it begins its journey to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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Freddy Tyson and his son Nicholas, 5, watch as the shuttle fuel tank makes its way toward Exposition Park.
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Space shuttle fans follow along with ET-94 as it journeys through Los Angeles streets to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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The last shuttle fuel tank, ET-94, makes its way onto Lincoln Boulevard en route to Exposition Park.
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A crowd forms at Marina Del Rey to see ET-94 as it begins its journey to Exposition Park.
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A crowd forms in Marina Del Rey to see the shuttle fuel tank begin its journey to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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A crowd forms at Marina Del Rey to see the last shuttle fuel tank begin its journey to the California Science Center in Exposition Park, where it will be displayed alongside the space shuttle Endeavour.
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Workers inspect a makeshift wooden ramp as shuttle fuel tank ET-94 moves across it to get back onto Lincoln Boulevard.
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Elisha Reyna takes a selfie while standing in front of ET-94.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external fuel tank, arrives in Marina del Rey.
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People gather in Marina del Rey to watch the arrival of ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external fuel tank.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external fuel tank, arrives in Marina del Rey.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, arrives in Marina del Rey prior to docking next to Fisherman’s Village in advance of the final leg of its voyage through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center.
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Daniella Murray and her 1-year-old daughter, Briella Murray, get their picture taken in front of ET-94 while it sits in the Marina del Rey harbor.
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The NASA space shuttle external fuel tank known as ET-94 arrives in Marina del Rey.
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Paddleboarders watch as the space shuttle external fuel tank ET-94, the last of its kind, arrives in Marina del Rey.
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A kayaker watches as the space shuttle external fuel tank ET-94 arrives in Marina del Rey.
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The space shuttle external fuel tank ET-94 arrives in Marina del Rey, on its way to the California Science Center.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, arrives in Marina del Rey early Wednesday morning.
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The space shuttle external tank E-94 arrives in Marina del Rey early Wednesday morning.
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ET-94, NASA’s last remaining space shuttle external tank, approaches Marina del Rey, pulled by a tugboat Wednesday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) It was an eventful ride for the orange giant. ET-94 rode out a storm in the Cayman Islands. It traversed the Panama Canal. And, last week, the Shannon Dann rescued four people off the coast of Baja California after their fishing boat sank.
Once part of a fleet of 136 external fuel tanks that flew during the shuttle program, ET-94 is the last remaining flight-ready tank in existence. The tanks detach from the shuttle and break up in the atmosphere.
ET-94 was the so-called sister to ET-93, the tank of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke apart and burned up on reentry in 2003, killing the seven astronauts on board. ET-94 was examined extensively in the investigation into what went wrong and was never sent into space.
ET-94 will remain in Marina del Rey until early Saturday morning, when it begins a 16.5-mile ride through Inglewood and Los Angeles city streets, similar to the shuttle Endeavour before it, on its way to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
It will be displayed with the Endeavour, positioned vertically, as if ready for launch.
Once completed, the Endeavour exhibit with ET-94 at the California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will be the only place in the world where you can see a complete shuttle exhibit with all real hardware, said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“Without the tank, the Endeavour exhibit wasn’t complete,” he said.”The space shuttle’s been lonely. She needs a re-coupling with an old flame, so, we’ve brought this tank here.”
As the the big orange tank pulled into the marina, people snapped photos and waved small American flags that said, “Marina del Rey welcomes ET-94.”
Kayakers and paddleboarders watched and a few sea lions popped their heads out of the water nearby as the tank neared.
Susan Glasheen, 61, of Playa Vista, had witnessed part of Endeavour’s journey through the streets of Los Angeles in 2012, meeting it near Los Angeles International Airport before 3 in the morning. She’ll never forget the image of the nose of the shuttle appearing suddenly in the dark.
She said she couldn’t miss the tank’s arrival.
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“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. As the tank slowly pulled in, she put her camera down and just watched, soaking it in.
It took nearly two hours for the tank to cross the marina.
Tracey Herold and her 12-year-old daughter, Magbee, of Marina del Rey, watched excitedly as it passed. The sixth-grader said she would tell her friends and science teacher about it at school later.
“I’m going to tell them I saw a giant orange jelly bean,” she said.
One woman said ET-94 looked like a hot dog. A man said it reminded him of the big doughnut atop Randy’s Donuts, huge and out of proportion to everything around it.
Dave Morse, 80, rode his bike from his home in Venice to see the arrival.
“It’s like watching paint dry,” he said as the tank moved very slowly through the water. “You can tell they’re being careful with it.”
Gary Sherman, 63, a retiree from Marina del Rey, watched with his pug, Max.
Sherman said his father worked on the space shuttle program years ago as a quality control engineer. Sherman said he saw one of the last shuttle launches in Florida and saw the Endeavour when it was at LAX in 2012.
Seeing the tank reach Los Angeles was a capstone, he said.
“It’s like the end of an era, the end of a chapter,” he said. “My dad’s been gone some 20 years now, but it’s like a piece of his work and a part of his life.”
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