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Space shuttle Endeavour's massive fuel tank installed for display at California Science Center

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Space shuttle Endeavour's massive fuel tank installed for display at California Science Center


EXPOSITION PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The assembly of an upright display of the space shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center was another step closer to completion Saturday, as crews lifted a massive external fuel tank into vertical position and finalized its move into its permanent location.

Crews at the Science Center had planned to begin the lifting of the 65,000-pound tank, known as ET-94, late Thursday night, but the operation was delayed by winds. Overnight and during the morning hours, crews were able to attach the tank to a large construction crane, which lifted ET-94 vertically and over a wall of the under-construction Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which will house the one-of-a-kind shuttle display.

On Friday morning, the tank was sitting upright near the future display. It was later lifted one more time and dropped into its exact position — nestled between two 149-foot-tall rocket boosters that have been in place vertically since early December. Officials were hoping to accomplish that move Friday morning, but with winds again becoming a factor, the operation was put on pause. On Saturday, officials announced that the tank’s installation was complete as of shortly after 11 a.m.

On Wednesday, a “self-propelled modular transporter” was used to slowly move the large orange tank approximately 1,000 feet through Exposition Park and into position for its crane ride. It took roughly two hours to move the massive tank, which is 154 feet long and 27.5 feet in diameter.

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ET-94 is the last remaining flight-qualified external tank in existence.

The $400 million project will double the science center’s educational exhibit space by adding 100 authentic artifacts.

The twin rocket boosters that were installed upright in December are each 149 feet tall, including the aft skirts — or base — of the boosters, along with the 116-foot-long rocket motors and the “forward assembly,” or cone-shaped tops.

The addition of ET-94 to the vertical display will leave the star attraction — the shuttle Endeavour itself — as the only component left to move.

It was unclear exactly when the shuttle will be moved from its existing horizontal display and lifted upright. Science Center officials said only that the move will occur in the “coming weeks.”

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The Endeavour had been on display horizontally at the Science Center for more than a decade. Public access to the shuttle, however, ended on Dec. 31 so preparations could begin for its eventual move to the new exhibit, which will be the only launch-ready display of a former NASA space shuttle in the world.

Science Center officials have dubbed the months-long effort to create the vertical shuttle display as the “Go For Stack” process.

The shuttle launch display will be the centerpiece of the 200,000- square-foot Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which will nearly double the Science Center’s educational exhibition space. The building will include three multi-level galleries, themed for air, space and shuttle. The new facility will also house an events and exhibit center that will house large-scale rotating exhibitions.

An opening date for the $400 million center has not yet been determined.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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First look: Space Shuttle Endeavour in ready-to-launch position at California Science Center

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First look: Space Shuttle Endeavour in ready-to-launch position at California Science Center


This fall, space fans will get to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour like never before in its new permanent home at the California Science Center in the Exposition Park area. 

What we know:

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The new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center officially opens on November 13. 

Also, an introductory film includes footage from Endeavour’s final launch before being retired in 2011. 

“We felt from the beginning this is the most impressive way to see the space shuttle and it gives people views that almost no one ever got a chance to see,” said Jeff Rudolph, President & CEO of the California Science Center. 

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What they’re saying:

Since 2012, Los Angeles has been home to the Space Shuttle Endeavour. It has been on display horizontally at the California Science Center.  

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But the vision was always to have it on display upright

“It’s really exciting and everyone who sees it is in awe and that’s really what we were trying to do was create that real sense of emotional high and inspire people to learn more,” said Rudolph. 

This is the only display of its kind and it can’t be duplicated. The orange tank attached to the shuttle is the last mission-ready one in existence. 

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“I think what we’ve done is present something that is going to be a truly life-changing and transformative experience for education,” said Kenneth Phillips, Curator for Aerospace Sciences at the California Science Center. 

Visitors will also be able to see inside the space craft that carried astronauts to space 25 times, including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space and now-Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.  

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When the exhibit opens to the public in November, visitors will be able to ride up an elevator alongside the space shuttle and view it from the top. 

“That’s the view that nobody but the crew saw. That was a very special vantage point. Nobody got to do that,” said Phillips. 

What’s next:

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The California Science Center expects the exhibit to be popular. Tickets will go on sale well before the opening. 

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5.6 earthquake strikes near Ukiah, triggers alerts across Northern California

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5.6 earthquake strikes near Ukiah, triggers alerts across Northern California


A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was centered 7 miles north of Redwood Valley in Mendocino County, north of Ukiah, and east of Highway 101. It had a depth of 5.0 miles.

A ShakeAlert notification went off on many people’s phones moments before the earthquake hit at 8:10 a.m., initially forecasted as a 6.1 magnitude quake by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and downgraded moments later.

People across Northern California felt the quake. Reports came in from as far away as Eureka, Redding, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. Most people reported light to moderate rolling and shaking.

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Since the initial quake, several aftershocks have hit the same area. Three smaller quakes between 2.6-2.7 magnitude were detected in the same area between 8:17 a.m. and 9:06 a.m., and are expected to continue.

So far, there have not been any reports of major damage or injuries.

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DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history

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DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history


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Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of healthcare fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another that allegedly defrauded Medicare out of approximately $27 million.

The charges were part of the Justice Department’s broader “2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,” which resulted in charges against 455 defendants nationwide in schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as “the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating healthcare fraud in history.”

“Fraudsters can no longer rip off American taxpayers,” Blanche said during a news conference announcing the initiative. “If you seek to harm or cheat Americans, we will find you, seize any assets and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

FBI ADDS 2 FUGITIVES TO ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AMID HISTORIC $6.5B HEALTHCARE TAKEDOWN: PATEL

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference announcing what federal officials described as the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history, resulting in charges against 455 defendants nationwide. (Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)

In the Central District of California, federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against 10 defendants accused of defrauding government-funded healthcare programs or abusing their positions as medical professionals to illegally prescribe controlled substances.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said five individuals were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area for allegedly participating in a scheme that involved submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs.

Among those charged was Christina Mareik, 61, also known as Christina Marie Sanchez Hernandez, of Whittier.

HOSPICE FRAUD USES STOLEN IDENTITIES FOR FAKE PATIENTS

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The Justice Department announced charges against 10 Southern California defendants in connection with multiple healthcare fraud schemes. (Department of Justice)

Prosecutors allege Mareik helped facilitate fraudulent prescriptions that generated nearly $270 million in claims to Medi-Cal, which ultimately paid out more than $178 million.

According to prosecutors, the claims involved expensive drugs containing low-cost generic ingredients that were either not medically necessary or were never provided to the purported recipients.

Authorities said Mareik also sent thousands of fraudulent prescriptions to a co-conspirator and caused the submission of fraudulent prescriptions under her own name.

LOS ANGELES HOSPICE FRAUD REACHES BILLIONS AS MEDICARE PROVIDERS SCAM FEDERAL SYSTEM WITH FAKE COMPANIES

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Federal prosecutors allege Southern California defendants participated in schemes that defrauded Medicare and Medi-Cal of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Department of Justice)

Mareik was arrested June 17 and charged with healthcare fraud.

The charges also include a San Fernando Valley man accused of operating hospice care companies that fraudulently billed Medicare approximately $27 million, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors also charged Oren David Shachar, 59, of Van Nuys; Abraham Shin, 66, of Corona; and Jeannie Choi, 57, of Torrance.

The three defendants face a 16-count indictment alleging they conspired to defraud Medicare out of approximately $27 million.

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The charges include conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft, monetary transactions involving criminally derived property exceeding $10,000, and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.



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