Boeing was able to soften the blow after the last modification period, when the orbiter Atlantis was in Palmdale in 1998, by finding other jobs for shuttle workers within Boeing. There were about 100 layoffs after that project. Boeing management is continuing to look for other additional work for the Palmdale facility, Salazar said. Columbia arrived in Palmdale in September 1999. The glass cockpit, similar to those used in the latest airliners, consists of touch-screen electronic panels to replace the orbiter's 1970s video screens and mechanical gauges.
Discovery is also due to get the glass cockpit as well as other modernizations and inspections.