posted 11-24-2012 12:44 PM               

I wish I had know the next day you could go inside the building, I did however drive back the next weekend to see her in her new home under construction.

I have also included a photo showing the final home of the "bennie cap," albeit covered up.

posted 11-30-2012 09:46 PM               

Angling Atlantis: Space shuttle raised and tilted for public display

The countdown to space shuttle Atlantis opening on public display has moved into a "hold" — three stories off the ground. But rather than the clock ticking down T-minus 4, 3, 2, 1 seconds, the shuttle itself was ticked down to an angle of 43.21 degrees.

Workers at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida shrink-wrapped, lifted and then on Monday (Nov. 26), slowly and carefully tilted the 152,700 pound (69,300 kilogram) retired spacecraft, such that they placed Atlantis at an angle only previously seen when it was in space.

posted 12-02-2012 05:17 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by MrSpace86:
This display will make the Udvar-Hazy display look boring!

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I have to say that each new display has its own special feeling. While I can understand that you would consider the Discovery display boring it has features the other will not. I think it is wonderful that each vehicle is being displayed in a different flight configuration and that it will be a treat to see each one.

When I went and saw Discovery, for me it was great, set down on the gear in the landing mode and here I am doing the same walk around the astronauts would (except for getting underneath the vehicle, which is understandable considering the crowds of people the Smithsonian command). Also, as the engineer in me, getting to see the gear, and the mechs that goes with it, was an added bonus and something that I find greatly interesting.

My only concern with the KSC display is the cost associated to go and see the display. While there is a ton of things to see and do at the Space Center, if you have a family of four you are looking at $186 just to get into the facility (that is if they are small children, if older, it would be $210). I know of a couple of families I have talked to recently that where going on a vacation to Florida with the thought of doing KSC only to bypass it due to cost, a real shame for their youngsters.

posted 02-07-2013 10:08 AM               

You can see daily images of the internal construction progress here, courtesy a webcam view on the Visitor Complex's website.

They are also publishing updates on Facebook. Their latest status was shared on Feb. 6 (yesterday):

The new home for space shuttle Atlantis is taking shape inside and out. The color panels of the orange "swish," representing the shuttle's fiery re-entry into earth's atmosphere, are being installed and have a beautiful glimmer, especially in sunlight. Black and gray shapes across the building's exterior surface are being added, reminiscent of the black and grey tiles covering the bottom of the orbiter.

posted 02-21-2013 12:05 PM               

'Space Shuttle Atlantis' exhibit gains logo, official opening date

NASA's final space shuttle to return from Earth orbit will be exhibited to the public in a facility that bears simply the retired orbiter's name, the Florida visitor center that has been entrusted with space shuttle Atlantis' display announced on Thursday (Feb. 21).

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida also revealed the logo for its new 90,000 square-foot, $100 million "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit, which will be used on monument signage at the entrance and on a variety of retail merchandise, marketing and promotional materials when the building opens to the public on June 29.

"Although the ["Space Shuttle Atlantis"] multimillion-dollar interactive exhibit encompasses much, much more than the display of Atlantis, there is no denying, she is truly the star of the show," Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the visitor complex, said.

posted 03-06-2013 07:39 AM               

Space shuttle Atlantis under wraps as exhibit's boosters begin to rise

With just about four months remaining before its public debut, the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida is taking shape — both inside and out....

collectSPACE recently has the chance to tour the construction site, where even in its still-under-wraps condition, the space shuttle Atlantis is an impressive sight, as the following photos capture.

posted 03-06-2013 10:41 AM               

Here is the opening through which the Hubble will span the two floors:

The area around the Hubble will be a amphitheater dedicated to telling the story of the orbiting observatory.

Speaking of theaters, you're only seeing in these photos the main gallery of the building. Before reaching Atlantis, guests will pass through two theaters with pre-shows providing context for the space shuttle program and its history.

posted 04-11-2013 03:14 PM               

Today, using a 200-foot-tall crane, the Atlantis construction crew successfully installed lower portions of two full-size, high-fidelity solid rocket boosters (SRBs) that, when vertically mated with a high-fidelity model of the external tank (ET), will form a dramatic, 184-foot-tall gateway under which visitors will pass to visit the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction opening June 29, 2013.

posted 04-12-2013 08:39 AM               

Replica rocket boosters rising over Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit

Thirty-two years after NASA's first pair of solid rocket boosters (SRBs) launched the space shuttle's maiden mission, a set of the tall twin rockets has again begun rising over Florida's Cape Canaveral horizon. This time however, the towering rockets are serving as the launch pad for visitors touring the retired space shuttle Atlantis.

On Wednesday (April 11), a 200-foot-tall (61 meters) crane continued the erection of two full-size, high-fidelity solid rocket booster replicas, which when vertically mated with a full scale model of an external tank (ET), will form the dramatic, 184-foot-tall (56 meters) gateway to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's new home for the space shuttle Atlantis.

posted 04-12-2013 04:05 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by MrSpace86:
Are there plans to display Shuttle memorabilia around it, similar to Endeavour?

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posted 04-25-2013 07:18 PM               

Revealing Atlantis: Shrink-wrapped space shuttle uncovered for display

How do you un-shrink-wrap a space shuttle?

As workers at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex learned Thursday (April 25), very slowly and very carefully.

NASA's retired space shuttle Atlantis, which since November has been covered in 16,000 square feet (1,486 square meters) of white plastic was partially revealed Thursday at the Florida spaceport's visitor center. The planned day-long process to unwrap the orbiter stretched into two — work will pick up again Friday morning — and required cherry pickers, vacuum cleaners, box cutters and patience.

"This is the very first step in unveiling Atlantis," said Tim Macy, director of project development and construction for Delaware North Parks and Resorts, which runs the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for NASA. "She has been in a plastic 16-millimeter-thick cocoon."

posted 04-26-2013 01:32 PM               

Atlantis exposed: Space shuttle now fully unwrapped for NASA exhibit

Space shuttle Atlantis is ready for its spotlight — well, almost.

The retired NASA orbiter, which is set to go on public display June 29 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, was fully revealed Friday (April 26) after workers spent two days peeling off its protective shrink-wrap cover of the past five months.

"It looks fantastic," Tim Macy, director of project development and construction for Delaware North Parks and Resorts, which runs the visitor complex for NASA, said after seeing Atlantis unwrapped. "It looks better than I thought it was going to look."

"It looks completely different with the plastic on it than the plastic off," Macy told collectSPACE.com. "But this is the way it is supposed to look. It looks so much like the [exhibit's conceptual] drawings."