Last NASA Space Shuttle Tank Begins Journey by Sea

The ET-94, a 15-story external tank, was meant to be latched onto a space shuttle, thrust it into the outer space, then detached and burnt up. However, it remained on Earth. It almost didn't survive Hurricane Katrina, and now it is the last of 136 external tanks in New Orleans.

The tank began its journey from Michoud's Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Los Angeles on Tuesday. ET-94 will be travelling by sea for the next five weeks through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Coast then in Marina del Rey by mid-May. Its final destination is at the California Science Center in Exposition Park where it will be put on a permanent display with the space shuttle Endeavour.

ET-94 was also one of around a dozen external tanks that survived the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, 2005. Other employees evacuated but a crew of 38 stayed at the facility on Old Gentilly Road during the hurricane and for weeks after. They manned pumps and generators so it would keep running while everything around them was submerged in water. Many members of the crew lost their homes to the storm while they stayed behind.

ET-94 is the "sister" of ET-93, external tank to the space shuttle Columbia. The space shuttle burned upon reentry in 2003, killing seven astronauts on board. The ET-94 helped scientists and investigators figure out what went wrong and how they could make future flights safer.

The tank's departure from the facility after its more than 15-year tenure was a bittersweet moment for the NASA employees at Michoud.

Engineer Patrick Whipps said that it represents the past and the future, LA Times reported. He was disheartened with the end of the shuttle program but continues to hope that the Endeavour and ET-94 on display will inspire children to become engineers and scientists. Pictures of ET-94's departure can be seen in Collect Space.