Space Shuttle Endeavour donating water tanks to International Space Station

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is being pressed back into service. A NASA team is removing vital parts of the shuttle for reuse on the International Space Station.

Endeavour is the star attraction at the California Science Center, garnering fans from around the world. It's now attracting NASA engineers, who are planning another mission for the retired shuttle's water tanks.

"So the components that were part of Endeavour will be flying above us again, maybe one day, 200-some-odd miles above us, you know, filled with water," said Mike Parrish with NASA.

It was unknown how much money NASA will be saving by reusing the water tanks.

For the Science Center, the thought of NASA taking part of their display was a little unnerving until they heard the details.

Jeffrey Rudolph, the center's president, said the news came as a surprise to him since NASA already took parts of Endeavour for possible reuse before the shuttle was put on display.

"That's really neat that they're going to use things still," Rudolph said.

There are five water tanks inside the Endeavour. Each one will be thoroughly checked before getting shipped off.

The tanks are normally hidden from view and won't be missed by the public. The project will not have any impact on the shuttle display. Visitors said they're excited to see NASA find a way to use the parts again.

Endeavor may be retired, but parts of the amazing machine could soon be back in space back where it was designed to be, pushing the frontiers of space flight into the future.