NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is unveiling the Atlantis orbiter from protective shrink wrap, hoping to draw summer tourism interest. It is intended to be the centerpiece for the new 90,000 square foot Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction, set to open June 29th, 2013.
Space Shuttle Atlantis visually recounts NASA’s 30 year Space Shuttle Program through multi-media presentations, interactive exhibits and high-tech simulators, highlighting the building of the International Space Station and the launch maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope as notable milestones in space history. Guests may tour an actual Saturn V moon rocket, play through the Angry Birds Space Encounter, watch the shuttle launch experience in 3D IMAX, and more.
The attraction has been under construction for 15 months, totaling $100 million to complete. To simulate orbit, Atlantis is titled at a 43.21 degree angle, climbing 30 feet above the ground to allow guests a 360-degree close-up view of the shuttles exterior, which still displays marks and dents from its 33 missions.
The attraction will also feature two full-sized high-fidelity solid rocket boosters connected by a model of an external tank, forming a 184 foot tall gateway for visitors to pass under when entering the attraction.
Kennedy Space Center is 45 minutes from Orlando, FL. Admission is $50 for adults and $40 for children ages 3-11. For more information visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
