14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, January 18, a number of NASA officials and astronauts attended a very important ground-breaking ceremony that took place at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. On that site, a new exhibition hall that will showcase the space shuttle Atlantis will be opened in 2013.
The American space agency has divided the three orbiters it retired in mid-2011 between three museums around the country. Atlantis was given to the KSC, the spaceport that hosted the spacecraft for more than 30 years.
But the KSC Visitor Center – which currently holds a full-scale replica of the orbiters – is not equipped to host an actual shuttle. As such, officials at the spaceport decided to build a 65,000-square-foot (6,038-square-meter) exhibit, with Atlantis as the centerpiece.
The project will be completed by 2013, and will cost around $100 million. When completed, Atlantis will be placed in a museum worthy of showcasing all of its impressive achievements, Space reports.
“It's very fortunate we can celebrate this milestone. Fortunate we had the foresight and resources to preserve Atlantis to serve as a reminder of the limitless potential of the citizens of the United States of America, and inspire those who will come after us,” said Chris Ferguson.
The NASA astronaut was the Commander of the STS-135 flight to the International Space Station (ISS). This was the last flight of Atlantis, as well as the last flight in the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).
He attended the groundbreaking ceremony with NASA and Florida state officials. KSC deputy director Janet Petro and Florida's Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll were amongst the most prominent attendants.
“This is an incredible day for our nation's space program,” said the Chief Operating Officer at the KSC Visitor Complex, Bill Moore.
“Today marks the start of a new era in which this magnificent ship, Atlantis, which has traveled to space and back an astounding 33 times, will remain docked in her home port, displayed in all her glory with a new mission to uphold – to inspire a new generation of space explorers who will take us to even greater heights,” he concluded.
The other two shuttles, Endeavour and Discovery, will be delivered to the California Science Center, in Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center, respectively.