It’s a great American tradition. When something is old and less useful than it once was, we just tear it down to make room for new and more useful things. That’s exactly what’s happened to the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It used to mount Space Shuttles on 747s. Now it’s scrap metal.
NASA just announced the demolition of this 35-year-old structure. The job took nearly two months and yielded 844,700 pounds of recycled steel, tin and aluminum which could ostensibly be used to build whatever NASA’s planning to put in the MDD’s place. Then again, we’ve learned with other Space Shuttle-related gadgets that it’s best to just say goodbye to some these pieces of history—and hello to the auction block for the rest.
Rest in peace, giant Space Shuttle lifting device. We’ll always remember you at your finest.
[NASA]
Images via NASA
