Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Parked outside of an Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, Atlantis is visited by KSC workers and their families prior to being temporarily stored inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Jim Grossmann

Atlantis: Retirement Update... Three days after her sister orbiter Endeavour finally reached her new home at the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles, Atlantis herself moved one step closer to becoming a museum display when she was brought to the Vehicle Assembly Building today for temporary storage. On November 2, the second oldest shuttle in NASA's retired fleet will be towed down the street to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitor Complex...where the ship will sit silently as construction continues on her new exhibit, prior to Atlantis officially opening to the public next July.

In a position not seen since March 24, 1979, one day before Columbia arrived at Cape Canaveral to begin preps for her first flight, STS-1, KSC will soon find itself shuttle-less.

At KSC, Atlantis is about to be towed out of OPF-2 to undergo temporary storage inside the VAB on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Tim Jacobs

At KSC, Atlantis is towed out of OPF-2 to undergo temporary storage inside the VAB on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Tim Jacobs

A close-up of Atlantis as she is about to undergo temporary storage inside the VAB at KSC on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Jim Grossmann

At KSC, Atlantis approaches the VAB on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Tim Jacobs

At KSC, Atlantis is placed in temporary storage inside the VAB on October 17, 2012.
NASA / Jim Grossmann
Posted by Richard Par at 7:55 PM
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