14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, August 16, the space shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour met each other face to face for the last time ever. Their locations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, were switched, and the spacecraft met nose-to-nose on a runway.
Atlantis had just been removed from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), and was yesterday heading for the Orbiter Processing Facility 2 (OPF-2), where engineers continue their efforts to decommission it from active use.
Endeavour was making the exact same trip, but from OPF-2 to the VAB. The shuttle is being prepared for its delivery to the California Science Center, in Los Angeles, later this year. The two met in front of the Orbiter Processing Facility 3 (OPF-3).
Atlantis will be moved to the KSC Visitor Complex this November. A permanent exhibition will be opened in July 2013, NASA reports. The third shuttle, Discovery, is currently displayed at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, in Washington.