ET-122 Nose Art Emblem

External Tank 122 (ET-122) was in the large, vertical integration cell (Cell-A) at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. It was damaged by debris falling from the roof and was pulled from its normal production flow while being assessed. It was eventually repaired, deemed flight worthy, and was used on STS-134 very late in the program. It was the first ET to fly with nose art painted on the Intertank door. That nose art represents the dedication of the proud employees at Michoud whom although experiencing much personal loss, came back to work to finish out the ET program. Over 50% of Michoud’s employees lost nearly everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina.