Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Photo Essay: The Space Shuttle in its New Homes


Space Shuttle Discovery on display in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.  Photo by Dane A. Penland, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York City announced the opening of Intrepid’s Space Shuttle Pavilion. Within the Pavilion, space shuttle Enterprise sits just 10 feet off the ground, allowing visitors to walk directly underneath this historic artifact, while an elevated viewing platform allows guests to gain even greater perspective. The exhibit has been engineered to express the shuttle program’s stories of human triumph and technological feats. Photo courtesy Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum


Used by the Space Shuttle crews for decades to train for every single mission, the NASA FFT (Full Fuselage Trainer) is now installed in its new home at The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA. The FFT exhibit opens Nov. 10.  Photo courtesy Museum of Flight.


Space shuttle Endeavor circles its new home, the California Science Center, on Sept. 21.  The shuttle is currently being stored in a United Airlines hanger at Los Angeles International Airport.  On October 12-13, the shuttle will be pulled through the streets of Los Angeles County from the airport to the Science Center by a Toyota Tundra pickup.  It will be on display in a temporary pavilion until the museum’s new air and space wing is ready, for which Endeavor will be the centerpiece.  Photo courtesy California Science Center.


The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex held a Toppy Off Ceremony for the pavilion that will be the new home of space shuttle Atlantis, with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana participating.  The topping off ceremony is a tradition in the construction community. An evergreen tree is placed at the top of a building upon completion of the overall structure. The tree hoisted atop a beam, symbolizes growth and luck.  The Atlantis pavilion will open in 2013.  Photo courtesy Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Joe Kleiman
Joe Kleimanhttp://wwww.themedreality.com
Raised in San Diego on theme parks, zoos, and IMAX films, InPark's Senior Correspondent Joe Kleiman would expand his childhood loves into two decades as a projectionist and theater director within the giant screen industry. In addition to his work in commercial and museum operations, Joe has volunteered his time to animal husbandry at leading facilities in California and Texas and has played a leading management role for a number of performing arts companies. Joe previously served as News Editor and has remained a contributing author to InPark Magazine since 2011. HIs writing has also appeared in Sound & Communications, LF Examiner, Jim Hill Media, The Planetarian, Behind the Thrills, and MiceChat His blog, ThemedReality.com takes an unconventional look at the attractions industry. Follow on twitter @ThemesRenewed Joe lives in Sacramento, California with his wife, dog, and a ghost.

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