The new exhibit displaying the retired shuttle Atlantis has opened at the KSC Visitors Center. It is getting impressive reviews.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-shuttle-atlantis-exhibit-opens-20130629,0,1687718.story (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-shuttle-atlantis-exhibit-opens-20130629,0,1687718.story)
Space Shuttle Atlantis inspires generations of explorers
By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel
7:10 p.m. EDT, June 29, 2013
With a giant question mark hovering over the future of the U.S. space program, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opened its $100 million Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit Saturday.
"A lot of people, when the space shuttle's final flight took place … sort of misunderstood that this was the end of the space program," said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the visitor complex.
The absence of a straightforward goal for the manned space program â€" "We're going to go to Mars" â€" makes the future murky for the public, Moore said.
The new Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction in Brevard County can help people understand that the program is in transition, he said.
For example, NASA is working with private companies on the Commercial Crew Program, which would send manned spacecraft from the U.S. to the International Space Station, and is planning a Space Launch System to take astronauts back into deep space, beyond the shuttle program's scope.
Now, the retired Atlantis shuttle lives in a 90,000-square-foot building, tilted at a 43-degree angle so that it's visible from multiple perspectives. The dusty and nicked orbiter is bathed in theatrical lighting and flanked by interactive stations to educate about the shuttle program, which ended with Atlantis' touchdown at Kennedy Space Center in July 2011.
It's a view not usually seen by earthbound folks, said astronaut Tom Jones, who was on two of Atlantis' 33 missions.
"This is the way Atlantis is seen in orbit, by astronauts," he said. "You never get a chance to see the shuttle like that on Earth. It's always cocooned in scaffolding or maintenance platforms."
Jones and 39 other astronauts greeted hundreds of guests at the grand opening of the attraction Saturday morning.
The ceremony took place in the shadow of a replica of the solid rocket boosters and fuel tanks that lifted all 135 shuttle missions into space from the Florida coast.
Among the dignitaries were Bob Crippen, who flew on the first shuttle in 1981, and Chris Ferguson and Sandy Magnus, who were aboard the final flight in July 2011.
"I couldn't be more proud of the display of Atlantis," said Bob Cabana, a former astronaut and current director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
"We think they did it right," he said, speaking for the astronaut corps.
The attraction's location amid world-famous theme parks and sunny beaches has pros and cons, Moore said.
"On the marketing side, it's the most competitive place in the world," he said. "But on the other side, it's where everybody has to come."
NASA administrator Charles Bolden said Atlantis had a new mission.
"She'll inspire a new generation of explorers," he said.
He also thanked the KSC work force and the residents of the Space Coast.
"This nation owes you a super debt of gratitude," he said.
The attraction's target audience is "people who like science centers, who like to go to museums, who like to go to historically significant places," Moore said.
That looks amazing. Side note, that external fuel tank is still sitting in the Green Cove Springs Marina - in tall grass. It's a poor man's trip if you want to get your nostalgic space fix in the interim. You can literally drive right up to it....
Obviously not the same one, but a cool vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoNHhTyaxJg&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Gotta add this to my upcoming vacation list.