News
This page highlights some of the latest Space Transportation System (STS) Recordation activities. Visitors are encouraged to check back often to view additional announcements and content additions. Click on each link to expand the article.
June 7, 2013 – Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit Enters Final Countdown to Launch
Space Shuttle Atlantis is “go” for launch. The retired NASA orbiter and the new $100 million exhibit that bears its name is on schedule to open to the public on June 29 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
To view the full article, click here.
May 7, 2013 – Space Shuttle Enterprise’s New York Exhibit Reopening July 10
Space shuttle Enterprise, NASA’s retired prototype orbiter, will reopen on public display July 10, just shy of one year since its exhibit in New York first opened. Enterprise’s new “Space Shuttle Pavilion,” located at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan, replaces its original display home that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
To view the full article, click here.
April 17, 2012 – Space Shuttle Discovery Makes Final Flight to the Smithsonian
Space shuttle Discovery departed NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time with an early-morning takeoff atop NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). Instead of blazing a trail toward low Earth orbit, the agency’s most-flown shuttle is on its way to Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
To view the full article, click here.
January 24, 2012 – Space Shuttle Discovery headed to the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough says the shuttle will be flown to Washington Dulles International Airport on the back of a Boeing 747 in April. A flyover is planned above the nation’s capital before Discovery makes its final home at the museum’s massive hangar in northern Virginia.
To read the full article, click here.
October 10, 2011 – California Science Center Formally Receives Ownership of Endeavour
On Tuesday, the California Science Center will be one step closer to receiving what officials believe will be one of its most prized possessions — the retired space shuttle Endeavour.
Officials will hold a ceremony at the center to formally transfer ownership of NASA’s newest space shuttle — worth $1,980,674,785 — to the state-run museum near downtown Los Angeles.
To read the full article, click here.
September 12, 2011 – NASA Offers Shuttle Tiles And Space Food To Schools And Universities
NASA is offering space shuttle heat shield tiles and dehydrated astronaut food to eligible schools and universities. The initiative is part of the agency’s efforts to preserve the Space Shuttle Program’s history and technology and inspire the next generation of space explorers, scientists and engineers. The lightweight tiles protected the shuttles from extreme temperatures when the orbiters re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The food, which was precooked or processed so that refrigeration is unnecessary, is ready to eat or could be prepared simply by adding water or by heating.
To read the full article, click here.
April 11, 2011 – Space Shuttle Orbiter Placement Announced
After 30 years of spaceflight, more than 130 missions, and numerous science and technology firsts, NASA’s space shuttle fleet will retire and be on display at institutions across the country to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Tuesday announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex in Florida.
For more information on the placement of the orbiters, click here. You can also find an interactive map here.
