The Liberty Star was built under hull number 183 by Atlantic Marine Shipyard in Fort George Island, Florida . In October 1980 it was delivered to its original owner, United Technologies , who later sold it to NASA. There the Liberty Star , like the Freedom Star , was used for years to recover the solid rocket rockets of the Space Shuttles from the Atlantic, using it as a tug. She also transported the space shuttle's external tank from the manufacturing facility , the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans , Louisiana , to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
On August 21, 2012, shortly after the end of the space shuttle missions, NASA and the US Department of Transportation agreed to leave the Liberty Star to the United States Merchant Marine Academy as a training ship . Nevertheless, the ship is available to NASA for future missions.
Technical specifications
The ship is powered by two General Motors diesel engines with an output of 1119 kW each. A stern thruster allows the ship to move in any direction with the aid of a jet of water without using the propellers. This system was put in place to protect the endangered manatee population in the Banana River, home to the Liberty Star and Freedom Star's home port . It will also reduce the risk of divers working near the ship during the missions.
