Santa Ana, we have no problems

It took 12 hours, 20 people and two cranes to set it upright. But then the 85-foot-tall piece of space history had to be handled with care.

Boeing Corp.’s Delta III rocket that launched the Mars Rovers and Deep Impact satellites made its last journey from its Huntington Beach assembly plant to the parking lot of the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana on April 7.

The rocket now stands tall alongside its 50-foot-deep concrete berth in the parking area looped by the Santa Ana (5) Freeway, its permanent home. Boeing donated the rocket as part of its partnership with the center to add to its collection of space memorabilia.

“[Ten] million cars will go by the rocket everyday,” said Jay Witzling, retired vice president of the Delta Launch program. “If it inspires a few rocket engineers from future generations, it would’ve served its purpose.”

Witzling and his team of volunteers spent 300 hours getting the rocket ready for public display. The aerospace industry was a big driver of the Orange County economy, as the country entered the Cold War era, and peaked in the 1980s when a number of aerospace companies set up in Southern California.

For Witzling, the hardest part of the project was getting separate agencies to work together, and obtaining the required construction permits.

“It’s a very unique event and so it just took a long time,” he said.

“I feel great that it’s there and since so many people worked on it, it would be quite a tribute to them.”

Boeing plans to put up information plaques for the rocket once the parking area is completed. Witzling is looking at other hardware it could give to the center.

“Maybe a satellite. That would be neat.”

Boeing workers have left off the engine covering ? capable of producing about 25,000 pounds of propelling force using liquid hydrogen and oxygen as fuel ? so visitors can see it up close. The rocket will stand without its fuselage, which would have added to its height problems, said Boeing spokesman Robert Villaneuva.

The company has retired the Delta III series and is building on its family of Delta IV rockets at the Huntington Beach facility.

“We would normally use the hardware on our new Delta IV rockets but we thought this would be a good addition for the Science Center,” Villaneuva said.

The center plans to use the Delta III rocket as an interpretive exhibit to highlight the history and significance of aerospace industry in Southern California during the latter part of the 20th century.

The city of Santa Ana has agreed to provide the site where the rocket will be displayed. The site will include an expanded parking area for center visitors. The rocket will be placed on the new lot, opposite to the 10-story tall cube at the center.

Boeing and the Discovery Science Center plan to have a grand opening for the rocket in May. In addition to donations by Boeing and Pratt & Whitney, which provided the engine, the California Cultural Historical Endowment gave $262,000 for the restoration of the rocket’s nose cone and the structural support for the rocket. hbi.13-rocket-kt-CPhotoInfoHF1PSDE520060413ixkiurncKENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)Boeing Corp.’s Delta III rocket, moved to Santa Ana’s Discovery Science Center