KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida -- Beginning Saturday and continuing through November 11, 2012, visitors to
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will have a limited opportunity to
see Space Shuttle Atlantis inside its new home, according to a news release from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Atlantis
was set to arrive today at the visitor complex from Kennedy Space
Center and begin its new mission as the dramatically displayed
centerpiece of a $100 million exhibit scheduled to open in July 2013.
Atlantis is scheduled to be moved inside the 90,000-square-foot exhibit
building, which has been under construction since January.
Guests will be able to “Sneak-a-Peek” at the orbiter as part of regular admission to the visitor complex.
Construction
will pause on weekends and weekday afternoons to allow visitors to have
an up-close and personal look at Atlantis. A Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex tour guide will escort guests through the construction
zone, provide information about the orbiter’s new home, and allow guests
to take pictures and pose within the secured area.
“We
are excited to offer this rare opportunity for Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex patrons,” said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. “We know they will cherish seeing
Atlantis in this unique setting before construction is completed and the
exhibit is unveiled to the world next July.”
The “Sneak-a-Peek” tour of Atlantis in its new exhibit building will be offered:
Nov. 3, 4 – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Nov. 5 to 9 – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Nov. 10, 11 – 2 p.m. to 5.p.m.
Over
the next month, Atlantis will be raised 36 feet off the ground and
rotated about 43 degrees so that it will be showcased on an angle as if
it were in space – only as the astronauts from its 33 missions have had a
chance to see it. When it is displayed, its payload bay doors will be open and the Canadarm (robotic arm) extended.
Work will resume to enclose
Atlantis in the exhibit building by completing construction of the
final wall, which is expected by mid-December. Atlantis will be
encapsulated in a protective wrap before that work begins.
Delaware
North Companies Parks & Resorts has operated Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex for NASA since 1995. The Atlantis exhibit was designed
by PGAV Destinations, architects headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The
Atlantis exhibit building is being constructed by Whiting-Turner
Contracting Company in Orlando. The six-story exhibit is being built
adjacent to the existing Shuttle Launch Experience.
A
work of art in itself, the exterior of the Atlantis exhibit features
two sweeping architectural elements, or “wings” representing the space
shuttle’s launch and return. The outer layer of the building, which is
being cloaked in iridescent hues of orange and gold, represents the
fiery-glow of re-entry. The taller, internal wing of the building is
being covered in a shimmering tile pattern in varying tones of gray
designed to represent the tiled underside of the orbiter.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. Closing times vary by season. Admission includes the Kennedy Space Center Tour, Shuttle Launch Experience, 3D IMAX® space films, Astronaut Encounter, Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted and all exhibits. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®,
featuring historic spacecraft and the world's largest collection of
personal astronaut memorabilia, open from noon until 6:00 p.m. daily.
Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages
3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Commander's Club Annual
Pass is $63 + tax for adults and $53 + tax for children ages 3-11. For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
