Here's a Space Shuttle Main Engine. The only large-scale reusable rocket engine in the world, the Space Shuttle sports three of these babies. Each are rated to run continuously for 7.5 hours but only get exercised 8.5 minutes on each Shuttle flight. Such an engine can be used on about 30 Shuttle missions before being retired. Hmmm, I wonder if this is a retired one? Probably not. It's probably just a plastic model.
Okay, time to tour a mockup of the Space Shuttle. On my way up the stairs I noticed a tear in the Shuttle's heat insulation covering. Good thing this isn't a real Shuttle. Maybe I should look into being a Quality Control Specialist for NASA?
Into the Shuttle I venture. This is the 580 Bulkhead, whatever that means. 580? In any event, this looks like it's just a place to store things, there's also a bathroom in here as well.
Up the stairs I go into the cockpit area. God Lord, look at all those switches and dials! And I thought setting the time on my VCR was difficult. Multiply that effort by about a million and you get close to the complexity of operating this spacecraft. Good thing much of the labor is handed-off to multiple, redundant computers.
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