Neil Armstrong, the first male to walk on the moon, passed away in August. His funeral service took place on the very day that Toyota chose to announce that its Tundra pickup will be pulling the space shuttle Endeavor to a gallery, its last destination, in Oct. The synchronicity is like a death knell for the once-proud American space program.
Shuttles end with Toyota
A 2012 Tundra truck will pick up the Endeavor and tow it to the California Science Center. This will happen after Oct 13 when the Endeavor, at 300,000 pounds, takes a 12 mile road trip from LAX to Exposition Park.
Historical benefit
Toyota has a pretty sweet arrangement with the California Science Center where it is able to get a ton of publicity. There are some 2012 Tundra CrewMax -ton pickups on display. Ed Laukes of Toyota Motor Sales marketing spoke about it.
"There is no larger or more recognizable icon of the U.S. space program's success than the shuttle, and to have it towed by the Toyota Tundra is not only an incredible example of the capabilities of the truck, but an honor to be part of history. The entire journey is something the world will be watching, and gives us a chance to prove that the 'overbuilt' Tundra is built to do any job -- even tow the space shuttle."
Normally, a Tundra truck, with its 5.7-liter V8 motor and 10,000 pulling limit, would be vastly inadequate for the job. However, the Endeavor has been fitted with a specially-designed dolly, making the task feasible. And it is not like the Endeavor has to be hauled by Toyota to Atlanta. It just has to go a quarter of a mile through Exposition Park.
Other mothballed shuttles
The Discovery is found in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., the Enterprise is in the Sea-Air Space Museum in New York City, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida has the Atlantis. That makes the Endeavor the fourth shuttle to get shelved in a gallery.
Spaceship jam
On October 13, the hug shuttle will be moved, and that is most likely the day LA commuters might want to stay away from freeways. The 405 and 110 already have terrible traffic. The route has not been publicized yet, but the average lane on a freeway is only 12 feet wide, and the shuttle is over 78 feet long with its wingspan.
Slashgear points out that there are a ton of angry residents about the journey. This is because many old growth trees were cut down for the trip.
Shuttles end with Toyota
A 2012 Tundra truck will pick up the Endeavor and tow it to the California Science Center. This will happen after Oct 13 when the Endeavor, at 300,000 pounds, takes a 12 mile road trip from LAX to Exposition Park.
Historical benefit
Toyota has a pretty sweet arrangement with the California Science Center where it is able to get a ton of publicity. There are some 2012 Tundra CrewMax -ton pickups on display. Ed Laukes of Toyota Motor Sales marketing spoke about it.
"There is no larger or more recognizable icon of the U.S. space program's success than the shuttle, and to have it towed by the Toyota Tundra is not only an incredible example of the capabilities of the truck, but an honor to be part of history. The entire journey is something the world will be watching, and gives us a chance to prove that the 'overbuilt' Tundra is built to do any job -- even tow the space shuttle."
Normally, a Tundra truck, with its 5.7-liter V8 motor and 10,000 pulling limit, would be vastly inadequate for the job. However, the Endeavor has been fitted with a specially-designed dolly, making the task feasible. And it is not like the Endeavor has to be hauled by Toyota to Atlanta. It just has to go a quarter of a mile through Exposition Park.
Other mothballed shuttles
The Discovery is found in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., the Enterprise is in the Sea-Air Space Museum in New York City, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida has the Atlantis. That makes the Endeavor the fourth shuttle to get shelved in a gallery.
Spaceship jam
On October 13, the hug shuttle will be moved, and that is most likely the day LA commuters might want to stay away from freeways. The 405 and 110 already have terrible traffic. The route has not been publicized yet, but the average lane on a freeway is only 12 feet wide, and the shuttle is over 78 feet long with its wingspan.
Slashgear points out that there are a ton of angry residents about the journey. This is because many old growth trees were cut down for the trip.
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