NASA PHOTO: With its twin solid rocket boosters and three main engines churning at seven million pounds of thrust, the Space Shuttle Atlantis thunders skyward from Launch Pad 39A. Liftoff of Mission STS-45 occurred at 8:13:40 a.m. EST, March 24, 1992. On board for the 46th Shuttle flight are a crew of seven and the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-1 (ATLAS-1). The launch is the second in 1992 for the Shuttle program and Atlantis' 11th flight.

Shuttle Atlantis

Atlantis was named after the two-masted boat that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966. The boat had a 17-member crew and accommodated up to five scientists who worked in two onboard laboratories, examining water samples and marine life. The crew also used the first electronic sounding devices to map the ocean floor.

 

Atlantis Returning to Kennedy Space Center

On April 12, 2011, NASA announced the final disposition of the retiring shuttle orbiters. Atlantis would become part of a $100 million new complex at the Kennedy Space Center.

The plan is funded through money generated by visitor admission, food and retail sales, all at no additional taxpayer expense.

SHUTTLE ATLANTIS: Atlantis will play a major role in the new Shuttle Plaza set to open in the Summer of 2013. This will be part of a major redesign of the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.

NASA PHOTO: Fish-eye view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as seen from the Russian Mir space station during the STS-71 mission.

ATLANTIS

Construction of the orbiter Atlantis began on March 3, 1980 and thanks to lessons learned in the construction and testing of orbiters Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger, Atlantis was completed in about half the time in man-hours spent on Columbia. This is largely attributed to the use of large thermal protection blankets on the orbiter's upper body, rather than individual tiles used on the early shuttles requiring more attention. When Atlantis rolled out of the Palmdale, California assembly plant it weighed 151,315 pounds which was nearly 3.5 tons lighter than Columbia. The new orbiter arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 9, 1985, and over the next seven months was prepared for her maiden voyage.

New Shuttle Display Complex in the Works at Kennedy Space Center

With Atlantis back on Earth for the final time, plans are well underway to put her on display as part of a dynamic new facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Plans were announced that the retiring shuttle orbiter will be the star attraction at a new 66,000 square foot pavilion.

NASA IMAGE: Atlantis' final landing in July 2011

Besides the space-flown Atlantis, the pavilion will also have interactive features displaying historic accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program. The new complex will be built in the Shuttle Plaza, and will incorporate the current Shuttle Experience building.

The building also include displays highlighting the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope -- two hallmark accomplishments tied to the 30-year shuttle program.

The new Atlantis exhibit is just part of the 10-year master plan to upgrade the visitor complex, which is Brevard County's most popular paid tourist attraction, drawing about 1.5 million visitors a year.

The proposed a multi-story building will feature the Atlantis suspended in front of a digital projection of the Earth which will rotate behind the orbiter. It is hoped that the display will show the spacecraft at work in space providing a unique vantage point for guests to look at Atlantis close enough to almost touch.

ABOVE: Rendering of the new Shuttle Plaza expected to open in the Summer 2013.

It is anticipated that construction will begin in 2012 and be open to visitors during the summer of 2013. The Atlantis building is just part of a major reconstruction of the Kennedy Space Center.