Saturday, April 21, in a ceremony set beneath space shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, two veteran astronauts were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®.
Thomas D. Jones, PhD and Captain Scott D. Altman, who have each demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery, brought the total number of astronauts in this prestigious society to 97.
Both Dr. Jones and Captain Altman have had illustrious careers centered around their love of space and science:
Each year the Astronauts Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center to remember the astronauts who gave their lives while serving to further the NASA mission of space exploration. It is generally held on the last Thursday of January, since many of the tragedies occurred around this time of year.
This year, the annual Day of Remembrance was held at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation building at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC), as well as at the Space Mirror Memorial.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) has long been known as the gateway to outer space for those seeking to get a close up view of our nation’s space program. Between housing space artifacts and memorabilia, to actual spacecraft like the orbiter Atlantis, as well as hosting viewings of launches from the historic pads, they have always been on the cutting edge of space related tourism.
With the introduction of the all new Astronaut Training Experience (ATX), KSCVC will continue the tradition of offering hands-on interactive exhibits, but with a twist – you actually get to experience training for simulated space missions!
Otronicon is normally a family friendly event, but Saturday night, January 14, sees the return of the popular adults-only Science Night Live at the Orlando Science Center.
Interact with some of the latest and greatest technology while learning more about STEM careers and the innovations being made right here in Orlando. At Otronicon, play and interact with the best in gaming, simulation and digital technology.
Literally decades in the making, Heroes and Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame is now open at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.
Positioned just inside the entrance, the attraction takes guests on a journey through an awe-inspiring immersive exhibit that uses cutting-edge technology and interactive elements to introduce the legendary men and women who pioneered our journey into space.
Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex will open their newest attraction, Heroes & Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, on Friday, November 11, 2016.
Literally decades in the making, the attraction will provide the emotional background and context for space exploration and the legendary men and women who pioneered our journey into space.
As we get closer to the opening date for the Heroes & Legends attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, it’s been announced that The Boeing Company will be the title sponsor.
During the announcement ceremony, a ten-foot long silhouette of an X-15 rocket plane was raised to the top of the building.
The X-15, which was manufactured by a legacy Boeing company, North American Aviation, flew for nearly a decade, achieving hypersonic speeds and exploring the upper edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. Its technology contributed to the development of the historic Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs.
This week, NASA announced two new inductees to the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center.
In recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery, veteran astronauts Brian Duffy and Scott Parazynski have been selected for induction.
This weekend was the return of Otronicon, an annual digital media, gaming, and tech festival at the Orlando Science Center, and as usual, it was a lot of fun.
I started at the first floor and worked my way up to the fourth, and it took several hours to see and enjoy everything.
A new memorial designed to pay tribute to the crews of Challenger and Columbia has opened at the Kennedy Space Center.
At nearly 2,000-sq-ft, the “Forever Remembered” memorial contains the largest collection of personal items of both flight crews, along with recovered hardware from both shuttles, never seen by the public before.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has broken ground on a new attraction called Heroes and Legends, which will include the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, June 29, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex held opening ceremonies for their newest exhibit, Space Shuttle Atlantis. In attendance were NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and KSC Director Bob Cabana, both previous shuttle astronauts, and over 40 NASA astronauts.
It is now the world’s most comprehensive and interactive attraction devoted to NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle Program.
Inside, guests to KSC will find the Space Shuttle Atlantis with cargo bay doors open and tilted on a 43.21-degree angle to allow easier viewing inside. Because the payload bay doors were not designed to be opened in Earth’s gravity, a complex process was developed to support and suspend the doors using steel cables.
Space Shuttle Atlantis is included with regular admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
If you’d like to watch the opening ceremonies, KSC was kind enough to share this video with us:
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has announced that it will open the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit on June 29, 2013.
This $100 million project will feature the shuttle as its centerpiece. Atlantis will be suspended off the ground and placed at a 43-degree angle with its payload doors open and its robotic arm extended.
The 90,000-square-foot exhibit will also include 60 interactive stations detailing the history of the space shuttle program.
“Although the multimillion-dollar interactive exhibit encompasses much, much more than the display of Atlantis, there is no denying, she is truly the star of the show,” said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. “We know that this majestic beauty, which safely ferried men and women to space and back on 33 successful missions, is the real reason that our guests will travel thousands of miles, across oceans and across continents to visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see her in all her glory. There are no words to accurately describe the emotions and insights guests will gain when this attraction opens this summer, for there has truly never been anything like it before.”
Atlantis was rolled to its new home in a ceremony we covered last November. It has been covered in shrink wrap since then to protect it from construction dust and debris, and will be unwrapped in May, prior to the exhibit opening.
For more information on the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, go to kennedyspacecenter.com.
On Friday, November 2, 2012, the Kennedy Space Center launch facilities were left without an orbiter in the program for the first time since 1979.
At 6:30am, Atlantis began her 9.8 mile journey from the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to her new permanent home at the KSC Visitors Center just outside the secure KSC launch facilities. As she rolled out of the VAB for her last mission, she was greeted by members of the team that had cared for Atlantis over the years since being put into commission in April 1985.
There was a palpable sadness in the air — from the Atlantis team that had put so much of their lives into the orbiter; to the press corps that have covered the shuttle missions over the years; as well as the KSC and USA staff involved in so many launches and landings of the beautiful spacecraft.
One Atlantis team member recited this fitting saying, often attributed to Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over – smile because it happened.” It set the mood perfectly in the chilly predawn morning as they watched Atlantis leaving her working facilities for the final time. The workers, some who have already lost their jobs as shuttle operations ended, carried a banner that read “We Made History – Atlantis” as they walked behind the orbiter.
Atlantis team members say goodbye as she is rolled from the VAB for the last time
Atlantis, the last shuttle to fly in space, rode atop 76 wheels on the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) for her final journey, with a top speed of only 2 miles per hour. The orbiter weight was 154,000 lbs., and with the transporter, the combined vehicles weighed well over 300,000 lbs. as they made their way on the roads from the VAB to the Visitors Center. In order to avoid having obstacles in the way of her move, 120 light poles, 23 traffic signals, and 56 traffic signs had to be removed to ensure a clear path during transport.
As Atlantis travels Kennedy Parkway, traffic lights and road signs had to be removed from her path
CitySurfing Orlando was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the new construction at the Kennedy Visitor Center that will house space shuttle Atlantis which was moved on November 2, 2012.
.
Although not a lot of specifics are being released to the public yet, we can report that the project is budgeted at around $100 million.
The new building will be about 90,000 square feet of space to show off not only Atlantis, but hardware associated with the launch pad (remember the “beanie cap” that was raised from the external tank right before launch? They’ve got the actual one from Pad 39B on exhibit!) and models of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as lots of hands-on interactive exhibits.
Our hardhat tour was led by Tim Macy, Director of Project Development & Construction for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Mr. Macy has a very impressive background in working with public displays, including developing and planning of Olympic facilities in Atlanta and Sydney, and managing Navy Pier in Chicago.
He has been involved with preparing the Atlantis facility for over 2 years, and is excited to have Atlantis finally arrive at her permanent home. He told of the exceptional care that is being taken to ensure that Atlantis will be maintained as a national treasure for future generations, including special LED lighting that won’t harm the orbiter with ultraviolet or infrared rays.
Visitors will enter the building by walking between a mock-up of 2 solid rocket boosters, under an attached external tank, and then through various exhibits in a switchback configuration, taking them higher in the building. After turning a corner they will suddenly come face-to-face with Atlantis, poised as though in space flight, with her bay doors open.
There will be handheld units that allow a virtual view under the skin of the orbiter, with an almost x-ray vision. From there, guests can walk around, even underneath the Atlantis, and enjoy all of the other exhibits and displays that tell the story of the 30 year Shuttle program, as well as giving a view of what we can expect in future space exploration.
There are lots of other exciting surprises that will await those that visit the exhibit when it opens in July of 2013.
Be sure to check out our coverage of the final move of Atlantis. We’ll have pictures and coverage from the time Atlantis leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building, until she arrives at the Visitor Center after a 10 mile journey.
Here are some photos from the tour of the future home of Atlantis:
