![]() And that is exactly as it should be in my opinion too. More than 60 exhibits, hands- on activities and artifacts surrounding Atlantis will tell the complete story of the three-decade long Space Shuttle program and the thousands of shuttle workers who prepared all five orbiters for a total of 135 space missions spanning from 1981 to 2011.Ītlantis has been lovingly preserved exactly as she returned upon touchdown at the shuttle landing strip at the conclusion of her last space mission, STS-135, in July 2011 – dings, dents, scorch marks, you name it. Star Fleet like headquarters- still under construction – is the permanent new home for Space Shuttle Atlantis due to open in June 2013 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. ISS module mockups, simulators and displays will tell the story of the massive stations intricate assembly by several dozen shuttle crews. The wing tip top soars 87 feet from the ground.Īnd sitting right beside Atlantis will be a co-orbiting, high fidelity full scale replica of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope which was deployed and upgraded by the astronaut crews of six space shuttle missions. Although her nose soars 26.5 feet above ground the portside wingtip sits only 7.5 feet from the floor. Walkways will provide exquisite up close viewing access.Ītlantis rises some 30 feet off the ground. You’ll gaze from stem to stern and from above and below – and all while peering down into the humongous open cargo bay, up to the heat shield tiles, or across to the engines, wings, tail and crew flight deck. Walkways will provide exquisite up close viewing access. Rear-side view of plastic wrapped Space Shuttle Atlantis inside museum home under construction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor complex in Florida. Atlantis flew 33 total space missions, spent 307 days in orbit and conducted the final flight of the shuttle era. The ISS and Hubble are the primary legacies of the Space Shuttle program. Inside her new 90,000-square-foot home, everyone will be treated to breathtaking, up close views of the real ‘Space Shuttle Atlantis’ mounted high on steel pedestals – tilted at exactly 43.21 degrees – simulating the outlook as though she was ‘in flight’ orbiting Earth and approaching the International Space Station (ISS). Then the payload bay doors will be carefully opened and the Canadian built remote manipulator system (RMS) - or robotic arm - will be installed and extended. ![]() ![]() The plastic wrap is protecting the orbiter from construction debris and will be unfurled in May. Shrink-wrapped Space Shuttle Atlantis inside museum home under construction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor complex in Florida – mounted on steel pedestals. The orange exterior pavilion facade is meant to evoke the scorching heat of reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Scan through my photo album walking around Atlantis – covered in 16,000 square feet of shrink wrap plastic – and the Star Fleet like pavilion that truly reminded me of an exciting Star Trek adventure to see what’s in store soon. ![]()
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