Lockheed Martin has completed production of the external tank for the space shuttle with the delivery of the final tank to Nasa.
The delivery marks the end of 37 years of the production programme that began with a 1973 contract award.
The external tank is 154ft tall, measuring about 28ft in diameter and weighing close to 1.7 million pounds when filled with propellant.
During launch, the tank delivers 535,000gal of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants to the shuttle’s three main engines, powering the orbiter into space.
The tank then separates from the orbiter and burns up upon re-entry into the atmosphere.
Currently, two more shuttle launches remain in the programme, one in November 2010 and the other in February 2011.
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