IN PICTURES: Space Shuttle Atlantis: STS-132 It was a lot of fun," Atlantis commander Kenneth Ham told Mission Control after landing. NASA is retiring the space shuttles this year, with just two more flights remaining after this one. But the space plane is leaving an impressive legacy in its wake.Ītlantis returned to Earth Wednesday with a smooth landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida that capped a 12-day trek to the International Space Station. It is included with daily admission, and no visit to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is complete without making Atlantis a part of your day.After 25 years and 120 million miles of spaceflight, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has flown its final planned mission with life as a museum exhibit ahead in its future. With more than 60 interactive and immersive exhibits, Space Shuttle Atlantis is a moving celebration of one of mankind’s greatest achievements that’s sure to be as fascinating as it is inspiring. Here, learn about these brave astronauts and how their legacies live on through their missions and families. This solemn tribute honors the 14 crewmembers of Challenger and Columbia. The entrance to the Shuttle Launch Experience(R) is located on this level, as well as numerous training simulators to hone your skills.īefore you leave, be sure to visit Forever Remembered. On the bottom floor, you will get a closer look at how astronauts lived aboard the shuttle and the ISS, the expert mechanics and engineering of the orbiters, and the legacy of the Space Shuttle Program. Tip: Look for Maxime Faget’s real Space Plane Prototype in the attraction after seeing its importance in the preshow! It's 22-degree incline is exactly the same angle the shuttle used on its final approach as it prepared to land on Earth! Then, continue down the ramp to get to the main floor, or take the slide. Learn about the science of re-entry, and the dangers faced when re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. The ramp purposefully illustrates the S-curve path a shuttle would take upon Earth’s reentry to slow down. Space shuttle Atlantis, suspended “in flight.”Īs you move down to the lower level, you’ll get a 360-degree view of the orbiter before the S-Turn Run. You’ll also see a full-scale replica of the Hubble Space Telescope. Learn the different components inside and out of the orbiter and let you conduct a virtual spacewalk. Explore various interactive exhibits that highlight what Atlantis did in space. Her suspension is at a 43.21-degree angle, a lesser-known nod to a launch countdown. You’ll greet Atlantis on the top floor, seeing her suspended in space as only astronauts saw her: with the payload bay doors open and Canadarm fully extended. Space Shuttle Atlantis takes you on a journey that mirrors the orbiter’s time in space and return to Earth. Here is what you will see and experience inside. When planning a trip to the visitor complex, Space Shuttle Atlantis ® is a don’t-miss attraction. This impressive machine now calls Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex home, continuing the program’s legacy for future generations. Atlantis completed 33 missions and logged more than 126 million miles and 307 days in space.ĭid you know? Atlantis measures 122.17 feet long, roughly the size of three 40-foot-long school buses parked end to end!.It also brought back nearly 5,700 pounds of unneeded materials from the station, back to Earth. Her final mission, also the final Space Shuttle Program mission, carried more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, spare equipment, and other supplies to the ISS, including 2,677 pounds of food.
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