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I had the rare opportunity to visit the flight deck of space shuttle Endeavour on May 3, 2012 while the orbiter was powered up. Technicians powered the shuttle up so they could continue with removing hazards and toxins to safe the vehicle for public display at the California Science Center later this year.

While on the flight deck I met a gentlemen named Rene Arriens, one of the many unsung heroes of the shuttle program. Rene spent the last 30 years working on the shuttle program in various capacities; spacecraft operator, pad technician, and was even a member of the closeout crew who helped board the astronauts on the shuttle before their historic flights, and he took a few minutes to go over some of the many workings of the powered up flight deck of a space shuttle.

For ZeroG News (www.zerognews.com)

@ Copyright 2012 Mike Killian, www.mikekillianphotography.com