Retired space shuttle “Atlantis” is set to go on public display June 29th, in Florida.

It was recently relieved of its plastic shrink-wrap protection, as the exhibition building was being built from around the shuttle. Workers removed around 16,000 square feet (1,486 square meters) of the plastic covering.

Check out this gallery for more cool images of the new Atlantis display!

(Source: pennyfournasa)

Plastic Wrapped Shuttle Atlantis Slated for Grand Public Unveiling in June | by Ken Kremer

Imagine visiting Star Fleet headquarters in the 23nd Century and being engulfed by a holodeck journey to a 21st century NASA Space Shuttle; complete with a full sized Hubble Space Telescope – perhaps the important science instrument ever constructed and an outstanding legacy of the Space Shuttle Program.

Well that’s the thrilling new experience awaiting the visiting public and space enthusiasts alike starting this summer at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida – after the ghostlike Space Shuttle Atlantis is unveiled from a thick coating of shrink wrapped plastic.

But – there is one important caveat regarding the holodeck dream sequence.

Starting on June 29 you will be seeing the ‘real deal’, an actual space flown NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter – not a high tech imaginary glimpse, engineering reproduction or holodeck recreation.

During the recent SpaceX CRS-2 launch events, I was very fortunate to take a behind the scenes inspection tour all around of the new ‘Space Shuttle Atlantis’ pavilion that’s been under construction at the Kennedy Visitor Complex for a year and is now racing towards completion.

And Atlantis is still supremely impressive beneath that white plastic wrap – unlike any shuttle view I’ve see over the years.

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. The orange exterior pavilion facade is meant to evoke the scorching heat of reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The plastic wrap is protecting the orbiter from construction debris and will be unfurled in May. 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.

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).

The ISS and Hubble are the primary legacies of the Space Shuttle program. Atlantis flew 33 total space missions, spent 307 days in orbit and conducted the final flight of the shuttle era.

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.

Atlantis rises some 30 feet off the ground. Although her nose soars 26.5 feet above ground the portside wingtip sits only 7.5 feet from the floor. The wing tip top soars 87 feet from the ground.

And 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.

ISS module mockups, simulators and displays will tell the story of the massive stations intricate assembly by several dozen shuttle crews.

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.

Atlantis 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. And that is exactly as it should be in my opinion too.

Shuttle Atlantis was towed to the Visitor Complex in November. The orbiter is housed inside a spanking new six- story museum facility constructed at a cost of $100 million that dominates the skyline at the largely revamped Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Standing tall right outside the entry to the museum pavilion, visitors will see full scale replicas of the twin solid rocket boosters mated to the orange external fuel tank, suspended 24 feet above ground – and reaching to a top height of 185 feet. They will be erected vertically, precisely as they were at the Shuttle Launch Pads 39 A and 39 B. It will give a realistic sense of what it looked like atop the actual shuttle launch complex.

The mighty steel framework for holding the boosters in place (in case of hurricane force winds up to 140 MPH) was coming together piece by piece as workers maneuvered heavy duty cranes before my eyes during my pavilion museum tour just days ago.

Well, get set to zoom to space as never before beginning on June 29 with the last shuttle orbiter that ever flew in space.

article, photos credit: Ken Kremer

main image mockup: A full-scale space shuttle external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters will serve as a gateway at the entry to Space Shuttle Atlantis. The metallic “swish” on the outside of the new exhibit building is representative of the shuttle’s re-entry to Earth. credit: PGAV Destinations

thats-s0-weird:

there’s a special place in hell for people who put pictures of themselves as their facebook cover. 

I resent this. Mine has Space Shuttle Atlantis in it because I was close enough to touch that beauty.

Rich Beyond Measure.

(Source: themisadventuresofsteph, via pielgitana)

astronautjimblows:

Look at these posters I picky up the other day at the antique store! #NASA #spaceshuttle #Atlantis #antique #posters

holymoleculesbatman:

STS-135 Atlantis Launch

Space shuttle Atlantis is seen as it launches from pad 39A on Friday, July 8, 2011, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fl. The launch of Atlantis, STS-135, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

(Source: yimmyayo, via freshphotons)

spacewatching:

The space shuttle Atlantis is seen on launch pad 39A of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back, Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Cape Canaveral,

Chasing Atlantis: An Upcoming Film about the Shuttle’s Legacy

The team behind Chasing Atlantis, an upcoming film talking about the legacy of the space shuttle program, is asking the public for help funding the post-production.

This weekend, the five Canadians involved in the production opened an IndieGoGo campaign online to crowdsource $15,000 from the masses. (IndieGoGo is a similar service to Kickstarter, but unlike Kickstarter, it accepts banking information from outside of the United States.)

“We’ve gone from a small road trip doc to sitting before astronauts like Chris Hadfield, and now actors such as Wil Wheaton,” wrote team member Matthew Cimone in a statement sent to Universe Today.

“The whole film, to date, has been completely self funded, but to assist in the final post-production push, we are launching an IndieGoGo campaign.”

The team says the money is not supposed to recover the whole cost of the project, but just the final stages of it. They plan to use the money for additional on-location shooting as well as post-production costs such as sound design, colour grading, research assistance and an original score.

Potential contributors have until Dec. 17 to donate, and the team will receive all of the money donated even if they do not reach their goal.

About the project:
Take five shuttle fans and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, mix in some artistic creativity, and you will understand the enthusiasm and love behind the Chasing Atlantis film production.

Five Canadians made the trek to Florida to watch the final shuttle launch last year. They are wrapping up filming and interviews — which included astronauts and sci-fi stars — to discuss the legacy of the program.

They plan to release Chasing Atlantis in November. Team member Matthew Cimone talked to Universe Today by e-mail about why they made the journey in the first place.

UT: What is your connection to space?

There were five of us in total. Matthew Cimone, Paul Muzzin, Melanie Godecki, Chris Bourque and Rebecca Mead. We ranged from total space geeks and sci-fi junkies to those who were simply interested in being part of an adventurous road trip.

Matthew had a deep personal connection to shuttle in that he had a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut that was foiled by myopia. He now gives public speeches through his site No Borders From Orbit, which promotes awareness of social justice issues through a space sciences/science fiction lens.

- Paul is a filmmaker from Sheridan College in Ontario. Also a space aficionado, Matthew recruited Paul and Paul’s studio, Riptide Media, to help bring the documentary to life. Paul is serving as director and editor on the film.

- Melanie is a photographer by trade and came along to do production stills. Her favorite photographer, Annie Leibovitz, shot several shuttle and Apollo astronaut portraits, and so she was excited to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

- Matthew attended university with Chris and Rebecca and they both came to support the journey and by provided much needed second vehicle for our convoy. Despite our love of space, none of us had seen a shuttle launch in person. Matthew rallied together the group as his last opportunity to participate in the shuttle program and wanted to bring as many people with him as possible. You can only fit so many in two cars, but you can bring many more with you if have a camera.

UT: How did you get down there? What did you do while you were on site?

We drove the entire journey from Toronto to the Titusville/Cocoa Beach area. Along the way, we stopped at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to shoot prototype shuttle Enterprise before it was moved to New York City. We felt Enterprise, which marked the start of the shuttle program, also made a great start for our journey.

We left Toronto on July 4 and arrived in Titusville on the evening of July 5. Prior to Atlantis’ launch we shot everything we could on the Kennedy Space Center grounds, including Atlantis on the launch pad. The “space culture” in Southern Florida is undeniable. It permeates everything around you. Businesses are space themed, the Vehicle Assembly building and launch towers can always be seen on the horizon. And a huge percentage of the population is employed by the space industry or tourism related to space travel; a large concern in the shadow of Shuttle’s retirement

UT: Had any of you seen shuttle launches before, or visited the Kennedy Space Center before?

Matthew had been to the Kennedy Space Center as a young child, but only had vague memories of the journey. He admitted that after discovering he couldn’t make the air force, (a common route for astronauts to take to becoming part of the space program), he buried some of his interest in shuttle for many years. This was an awakening of sorts and a chance to reconnect with that childhood wonder of escaping Earth’s gravity.

Many of the team felt like big kids while wandering the halls of the Kennedy Space Center or the Smithsonian. But this was the first launch for all of us. It was an experience you’ll never forget, especially when you get hit with the rumbling shockwave even 15 kilometres away from the launch pad.

Atlantis lifts off for the last time. (Melanie Godecki)

Who was interviewed?

We have been incredibly blessed by the interviews we conducted. We have sat down with Canadian astronaut and future International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield, 2003-2007 director of the Kennedy Space Center James Kennedy, American astronaut Story Musgrave, Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and Big Bang Theory guest star Wil Wheaton, a dozen NASA software and hardware engineers, and a host of interviews with those who had traveled the globe to see the shuttle launch.

What did we learn from these amazing individuals? Chris Hadfield spoke of the fragility of Earth. Wil Wheaton referred to space as the place where those who felt like they didn’t fit in at home would fit in. James Kennedy referred to the “I” in International Space Station.

We learned that space unifies and it humbles.We still treat the world, and its people, using the map we created when we only had sailing vessels – but not as if we have seen the world with space vessels. The colored maps and borderlines we teach do not exist when looking down on the Earth from above. And the social ills suffered by those across the planet are difficult to dismiss as somebody else’s problem when you can circle the globe in just 90 minutes.

Likewise, when you turn Hubble to the stars, you see that our planet is the only place we can inhabit that will support us and we don’t always treat it as such. Commander Hadfield described the Earth’s atmosphere appearing as thin as the “peel of an onion.” Our planet is fragile, and its people diverse but interconnected. Space provides a perspective that really galvanizes our planet. That unity of spirit was shown to be true as we stood with nearly one million people on the shores of Titusville who had come to see Atlantis fly.

In terms of the future, we are trying to negotiate an interview with members of the leadership team at new space asteroid mining company Planetary Resources.

How did you get into the VAB, and what did you see there?

During our trip, we had written the Chasing Atlantis Twitter account and site URL on our cars (along with various hand-drawn shuttles and stars that were somewhat recognizable). A NASA software engineer, Ryan Horan, saw our car with Paul shooting out the window as we passed by the sign for the Kennedy Space Center. He was interested in our project and sent us a tweet.

Ryan arranged for us to join one of the first tours following the reopening of the Vehicle Assembly Building to the public. It had been closed off since the start of the shuttle program in 1981. The building is monstrously huge. It will generate its own weather system inside, sometimes producing micro-rain clouds. Hung on the VAB walls dozens of meters in the air are banners dedicated to each mission, all signed by members of the crew and tourists who had come to wish the crews a safe journey.

Endeavour was parked inside. Endeavour’s landing was a precursor to Chasing Atlantis. Watching the orbiter fly in for its final landing (the second last shuttle mission) inspired us to see Atlantis. But that wasn’t our last journey to the VAB. We returned this past March to see both Discovery as well as Atlantis itself. We had “caught” the shuttle on take-off but in the VAB, we were only 30 feet away from the nose of this iconic vehicle.

How did you fund the film?

The film was completely self-funded as an independent project straight from credit cards and lines of credit. We will be posting an Indie-Go-Go or Kickstarter profile up in hopes of helping to cover the post-production costs related to things such as follow up interviews and the musical score.

The film is being produced through Riptide Media. Matthew provided the initial vision for the film and is writing the narration, while Paul is bringing the feature-length documentary to life through the incredible footage he shot and is presently editing. All of us still have day jobs. For example, Matthew currently works as a residence life co-ordinator at Simon Fraser University. The University has been supporting Matthew’s efforts with the film by promoting Chasing Atlantis through its networks. We expect Chasing Atlantis to be completed by November of this year.

UT: What has been the response to the film so far?

Outstanding! The interviews we secured alone demonstrate an interest not only in the film, but for sharing the experience of space travel and how it has influenced so many people. Of those we spoke to, we sensed a certain catharsis in being able to talk about shuttle and the transition to “what’s next”.

We recently showed an extended preview at the Polaris science fiction and fantasy convention in Toronto, Ontario. Our two sessions at the convention were standing room only, and brought forward many sci-fi and space fans who shared anecdotes about their first time seeing shuttle and hopes for a strong future for human space exploration.

UT: What is your goal in releasing the film?

We are sharing a personal journey, but one that we believe will resonate with a wider community of space and science fiction fans. As one Polaris convention goer told us following our preview, “It was like I was there with you.” That’s the feeling we wanted to convey. You can go to Discovery Channel for the technology. However, while the technology served as the backdrop for our story, Chasing Atlantis is really about people; about the pursuit of a dream, about taking risks and about exploration both of space but also of oneself.

UT: What do you think was the legacy of the shuttle program?

There is debate on the shuttle’s effectiveness. Being a reusable space vessel, it was intended to reduce the overall cost of bringing payloads to space. At the end of the program, space travel is still far more expensive than was anticipated; by a factor of thousands.

Shuttle also didn’t have the best safety record. Two catastrophic failures over the course of the program is a level of risk many deemed unacceptable.

However, the two accomplishments that stood out the most among our interviewees were the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. The ISS has allowed us to have a permanent human presence in space for over 10 years now, and is a platform for us to conduct research on the effects of long-term space travel on the human body. Hubble has provided us with an unprecedented understanding of the universe. It has provided astronomical vistas that define beauty, helped us better understand how planets are formed and shown us images of the most distant and earliest galaxies which began to take shape billions of years ago.

Without the shuttle, neither the ISS nor Hubble would’ve been possible.

UT: Is there anything else you would like to include?

A huge thank you to those who supported us in the creation of Chasing Atlantis, our first film. We invite anybody who has a passion for space, feels that the continuation of space exploration is important, or just wants to geek out to connect with us. You can find us online (www.chasingatlantis.com) , on twitter (@chasingatlantis and @riptidestudios), and on Facebook. Chasing is all about community, and connecting with that community that is truly important to us!

mothernaturenetwork:

Atlantis begins its final journey
Atlantis will leave the Kennedy Space Center, where it launched to space 33 times, to land at the KSC Visitor Complex located just down the road.

space-pics:

How Atlantis will look inside KSC Visitor Complex

http://space-pics.tumblr.com/

The Last Roll-Out.

jtotheizzoe:

The Last Roll-Out

Touching time-lapse for your Friday, watch Atlantis on her journey to decommissioning.

What will we roll out next?

(by Philip Andrews)

astronomer-in-progress:

Atlantis Landing 

Credit: NASA, Kennedy Space Center

Explanation: Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Space Shuttle is the first orbital space vehicle to land on a runway like an airplane. Space Shuttles sometimes have the option of landing in White Sands, New Mexico or at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The runways the shuttles land on are among the longest in the world. Shuttles that do not land in Florida must generally be strapped to the back of a 747 airplane and flown back.

(via likeaphysicist)

thekidshouldseethis:

A Blast From The Past: Shuttle Through The Decades

One year ago today at 11:29 a.m. EDT, Atlantis launched into orbit at 17,500 mph. A bittersweet launch, it was the very last NASA shuttle mission — though thankfully not the last of the excitement for space explorers. 

If you and your kids can handle some sensory overload, watch all 135 space shuttle launches at once. It gave us a chance to talk about the Challenger disaster and provided a new perspective on the 1981-2011 shuttle program.