Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Also Unveils Name, Logo For New $100 Million Home To The Retired Shuttle

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has marked another major milestone in the construction of its 90,000-square-foot, $100 million home for space shuttle Atlantis. The center on Thursday announced the official name and visual identity for the exhibit, as well as the grand opening date of June 29, 2013.

The exhibit not only will showcase Atlantis as if it were in space—raised 30 feet off the ground and rotated 43 degrees—but also will tell the story of the entire shuttle program, including the thousands of people behind this incredible feat of engineering, its key role in the development of the International Space Station and the launch and repair of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as how it paved the way for today's new space programs and the future of space exploration.

More than 60 interactive, immersive exhibits and simulators will provide guests a never-before-experienced perspective on the shuttle's complex systems, components and capabilities. "We are so proud to partner with NASA to build the only place in the world to experience the remarkable voyage of Atlantis – one of the most storied spacecrafts in the U.S. space program. Without question, Kennedy Space Center is the best place to experience, learn about and be inspired by space exploration – past, present and future. With the addition of Space Shuttle Atlantis to the world-class Visitor Complex, visitors can now experience a space shuttle in "flight" – which is truly an engineering marvel," said Rick Abramson, who was president and chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and is now president of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts.

To create the multi-million-dollar home for Atlantis, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and NASA have been working in partnership with St. Louis-based PGAV Destinations, a company with nearly 50 years' experience in the attractions/destinations industry. After weeks of development and testing, dozens, if not hundreds of name combinations were considered. All agreed that the name must convey emotion, fun, excitement and inspiration, and should be easy for both adults and children to understand, repeat and remember. Ultimately, the partners chose to go with a simple name that resonated the most powerfully with guests— "Space Shuttle Atlantis."

"Although the multimillion-dollar interactive exhibit encompasses much, much more than the display of Atlantis, there is no denying, she is truly the star of the show," said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. "We know that this majestic beauty, which safely ferried men and women to space and back on 33 successful missions, is the real reason that our guests will travel thousands of miles, across oceans and across continents to visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see her in all her glory. There are no words to accurately describe the emotions and insights guests will gain when this attraction opens this summer, for there has truly never been anything like it before. Therefore, we decided to be true to the heart and soul of the exhibit and name it simply and reverently, Space Shuttle Atlantis," Moore said.

The logo will appear on monument signage at the entry, on a variety of retail merchandise, on marketing and promotional materials, and complements the new Space Shuttle Atlantis in inspiring future space explorers.

Next month will see the beginning of the installation of a full-scale external tank and two solid rocket boosters at the entry to Space Shuttle Atlantis. These components of the space shuttle "stack" will serve as a grand gateway, with guests walking beneath the massive orange external tank, which will be suspended 24 feet above the ground, mounted between the two solid rocket boosters and reaching 185 feet 11/16 inches tall into the air. Installation of the entryway structure will be completed in June.

Construction continues on schedule inside the exhibit as well. In May, Atlantis will be unwrapped from the shrink wrap that was applied in November 2012 to protect it from construction dust and debris. The payload bay doors will be opened and a full-scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope will be installed. This view, with Atlantis rotated 43 degrees, showcases the shuttle on an angle as if it were in space, as only the astronauts from its 33 missions have had a chance to see from the International Space Station. Atlantis' Canadarm (robotic arm) also will be extended.

(From left to right: Space Shuttle Astronaut Jon McBride, Visitor Complex Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts President Rick Abramson, Visitor Complex Director of Project Development and Construction Tim Macy and PGAV Destinations Principal Mike Konzen.)

FMI: www.KennedySpaceCenter.com