Toyota, however, asserts that it bought the Tundra directly from a nearby dealer and did not alter it in any way. The Sarens Group’s specially constructed gear, which helped the truck haul the massive space shuttle, provided assistance.
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Was the space shuttle actually pulled by a Toyota Tundra?
LA LOS ANGELES (Oct. 13, 2012)
Without any additional modifications, a Toyota Tundra half-ton pickup truck successfully hauled the space shuttle Endeavour and a specially made dolly, weighing a combined total of approximately 300,000 pounds, across a bridge over the busiest motorway in the country on Friday, October 12. The tow was the outcome of a 20-year collaboration between Toyota and the California Science Center to promote public education about the space program through exhibits and activities.
The shuttle travels through city streets for 12 miles, crossing the 405 Freeway once on the way to its new location at the California Science Center. The Tundra helped tow the Endeavour across the Manchester Boulevard Bridge, which needed a different towing setup than the rest of the trip in order to distribute weight more evenly. To create a dolly to transfer the Endeavour across the bridge, Toyota conducted significant testing and collaborated with the Sarens Group, a heavy lifting and engineering transport company.
Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of community affairs and philanthropy, said, “We’ve partnered with the California Science Center since the early ’90s as part of our ongoing commitment to inspiring youth in the fields of engineering, innovation, and future technology. We are honored to lend our support to this historic event.
The model chosen was a factory 2012 Tundra CrewMax 44 powered by a 381 horsepower, 5.7-liter Toyota iForce V8. Only at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas in San Antonio are all Tundra trucks made. No modifications or unique gear were made to the truck before it was bought from a Toyota dealer in Southern California to tow the Endeavour.
Matt McBride, a veteran Toyota professional driver, was operating the Tundra. Garrett Reisman, one of the astronauts on board the orbiter during its 2008 trip to the International Space Station, was traveling alongside. It took around five minutes to traverse the bridge from beginning to end.
Garrett Reisman, an engineer and former NASA astronaut, stated, “I’m honored to be a part of the space shuttle Endeavour’s final trip to the California Science Center. ” I appreciate Toyota’s assistance in bringing this space icon to the people of Southern California.
The Science Center includes a well-liked functional exhibit that uses a Tundra to show the principles of leverage. When the Endeavour display debuts on October 30, 2012, the current truck will be swapped out for a Tundra.
The space shuttle is towed by what.
Last night in Inglewood, California, a Toyota Tundra pickup pulled the defunct space shuttle Endeavour across a motorway bridge in a publicity coup that highlighted Toyota’s ties to the United States.
From Los Angeles International Airport, the shuttle is making its way windingly toward a museum close to downtown Los Angeles. It is being towed the majority of the way by a tractor on top of a sophisticated vehicle. However, the crews had to lessen the load for roughly 100 yards in order to bring it over the Manchester Avenue overpass and across the San Diego Freeway.
Toyota has been preparing for the transition for months, as we have previously stated. We discovered last night that the operation’s internal code name, Blue Ox, was actually given by executives, and that training for the move, which would cover around 100 yards, started months ago.
In fact, the reason for the short wait before the draw was mostly to set up workers and equipment for the Toyota television ad that is being shot. At one point, a director instructed staff to impersonate an inspection of the rig carrying the shuttle. He requested, “Give me a few of guys in front of the tow hitch.”
Silver truck with 2-foot-tall Tundra letters printed on the side, this vehicle pulled the trailer. The words “Born in America” were printed on the front, making it plain that Toyota, a Japanese automaker, is attempting to utilize the shuttle pull to once more try to convince Americans that it is an American manufacturer. San Antonio is where the Tundra is produced.
Pulling the 292,000-pound trailer turned out to be simple, despite months of effort. The engine seldom ever even made high revs. A few hundred people started chanting “USA, USA” when the truck began to pull the shuttle with ease while in low four-wheel drive.
Can a Tundra tow?
The 2021 Tundra can pull up to 10,200 pounds when fully equipped. Models with this capability come with the heavy-duty TripleTeach frame option, which includes a built-in tow hitch receiver. Other factors, such as gross weight, drivetrain, and box length, can have an impact on the towing capability. When properly equipped, the 2021 Toyota Tundra can tow up to 1,730 pounds in the box. Payload capacity is impacted by a number of variables, including gross weight, drivetrain, box length, and others, just like towing capacity. The engine is not relevant in this case because every 2021 Tundra has a 5.7L V8 engine, unlike many other trucks.
The space shuttle weighed how much?
A shuttle weighs 4,500,000 pounds and is 184 feet tall when fully constructed. The bay is large enough to accommodate a school bus or 50,000 pounds of payload because it is 15 feet in diameter and 60 feet long.
Which Tundra is capable of the most towing?
The SR or SR5 is required if you want your Tundra to be able to tow as much as it can. Maximum towing capacity for these two Tundra trim levels are 10,200 pounds. The Tundra Limited, which has a maximum capacity of 10,100 pounds, is also a fantastic option.
Can an RV be pulled by a Tundra?
The Tundra stands out among capable full-size pickup trucks without a doubt. But it has its limitations, just like any truck. If you’re considering buying a travel trailer, make sure it will fit your Toyota Tundra. We have conducted the necessary research and compiled some data to assist you in selecting the travel trailer that might be ideal for you.
Depending on the year, model, and drivetrain, the Toyota Tundra has a towing capability ranging from 4,000 to 10,800 pounds, making it a half-ton truck. So a travel trailer weighing between 2,000 and 7,000 pounds is thought to be secure.
The Tundra can tow a wide variety of travel trailers with no issues within this range. We’ll examine each of the following categories of trailer choices in more detail:
- Drop-dead trailers
- Portable trailers
- Airstream
- Ultra-lite
- Standard
What Toyota has the highest towing capacity?
The Highest Towing Capacity Toyota Models Guide Bangor ME
- a 10,200-pound towing capacity for the 2021 Toyota Tundra.
- 7,400-pound towing capacity for the Toyota Sequoia in 2021.
- 6.800-pound towing capacity for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.
- 43,500-pound towing capacity for the 2021 Toyota RAV.
What does a gallon of rocket fuel cost?
Don’t look now, but NASA has already paid $350,000 toward its initial mission to Mars.
Future Ground System Development and Operations Range envisioned by NASA. NASA is the picture’s source.
Last month, NASA explained how it turned one of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s (AJRD 2.40 percent) RS-25 rocket engines on its side and turned it on full-blast to evaluate its performance in a post on the space agency’s Facebook page (yes, nobody has a Facebook page anymore).
In reality, they increased the volume a little bit past full blast. The RS-25 burned through 60,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 150,000 liters of liquid oxygen during the 535-second test. As a result, the engine quickly overcame its approved maximum sea-level output and reached 109 percent of its rated capacity, or 512,000 pounds of “vacuum thrust.”
A NASA fact page states that the cost of LOX and LH propellant to the agency is roughly $1.65 per gallon. So, approximately speaking, the cost to the taxpayers of the test firing last month was around $346,500, or $647.66 per second over the course of a nine-minute test.
All that remains when 210,000 gallons of liquid gas transform into vapor is the plume. But rest assured, there is also an RS-25 in there. NASA is the picture’s source.
Pennywise, pound dumb is not a suitable space flight strategy. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RS-25 engine, last used to launch the Space Shuttle, has been improved and selected by NASA to power its new Space Launch System, which was manufactured by Boeing (SLS). SLS will need two potent five-segment Solid Rocket Boosters, or SRB, manufactured by Orbital ATK(OA), working in tandem with a core stage fueled by no less than four RS-25 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne to produce the 8.4 million pounds of thrust required to place a 70-ton payload in orbit.
However, when those RS-25s were in operation, NASA paid around $40 million for each one to be used in the Space Shuttle program. Since the last shuttle landed in 2011, inflation probably hasn’t reduced their cost at all. So it will cost NASA at least $160 million each time to launch one of the SLS rockets with four of them in the core stage. It is probably worth $350,000 to ensure that the $160 million investment operates as intended, before it is required to.
In fact, it might be worthwhile to test it multiple times. In fact, NASA claims that it still needs to complete a few tests before approving SLS for flight. Another developing RS-25 will receive another warming later this fall. In preparation for the first combined flight of SLS and its Orion spacecraft, to be called Exploration Mission-1, a full set of four RS-25s will later be lit up. This test-firing will involve the entire SLS main engine.
If everything goes according to plan, EM-1 should launch in late 2018 and go around the Moon and return for seven days.
NASA’s intended course for the initial “EM” mission. Will Mars be on the upcoming trajectory? NASA is the picture’s source.
The implications for investors For the men and women of NASA, the launch of EM-1 will mark one enormous step back into space, and an even greater leap for humanity. What does it mean, though, for the shareholders of the businesses that are assisting NASA in making this happen?
It portends positive outcomes and abundant wealth. Currently, NASA is investing around $3 billion annually to launch the SLS program. The cost should have reached $18 billion by the time SLS conducts its first full-power test launch in 2017, on the way to a final overall program cost that NASA forecasts at $35 billion.
To put all that cash in context, $35 billion is more than 20 times the annual income stream from all the items produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Its annual revenue is over ten times smaller than Orbital ATK’s, but only about a third of what Boeing generates.
What is the lesson in this for investors? The Orion crew ship for SLS is made by Boeing and Lockheed, which will soon be dominating the headlines as SLS picks up steam, performs test flights, and scores additional successes in orbit. However, businesses that exclusively focus on space work have the ability to significantly increase their revenue levels.
If I had to guess whose businesses will profit the most from this space program, I’d put my money squarely on Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital ATK.
Depending on the needs of the mission, SLS will come in many different forms and dimensions. Here’s how NASA envisions the family photo appearing in a few years. NASA is the picture’s source.
How much fuel does a space shuttle need to launch?
The Space Shuttle weighed 165,000 pounds empty. Its two solid rocket boosters each weighed 185,000 pounds when empty, and its external tank weighed 78,100 pounds. 1.1 million pounds of fuel were contained in each solid rocket booster. The exterior tank contained 383,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, totaling 1,359,000 pounds (226,000 pounds). Nearly 20 times as much fuel as the Space Shuttle. The weight of the entire launch systemthe Shuttle, external tank, solid rocket boosters, and fuelwas 4.4 million pounds. The payload capacity of the Shuttle was 65,000 pounds.
How much did Toyota have to lift of the space shuttle’s weight?
Given that its maximum towing capacity is only 10,000 lb, the Tundra’s accomplishment was all the more impressive. It is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 with 381 horsepower. The shuttle itself weights a monstrous 150,000 pounds, and the towing apparatus added another 120,000 pounds to the payload.
How far was the Space Shuttle pulled by the Tundra?
From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the research center, Endeavour will travel 12 miles (19 kilometers) on city streets with the Tundra towing the shuttle for the final 0.1 miles (400 meters).
How much does a fully-fueled Space Shuttle weigh?
The external tank is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, weighing roughly 59,400 pounds (27,000 kilograms) when empty and 1,658,900 pounds (752,000 kilograms) when filled with fuel and oxygen-dizer.