CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's third and last surviving space shuttle will move to its retirement home on Friday after a 10-mile road trip from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. <\/p>\n
Atlantis, which ended the 30-year-old space shuttle program with a final flight last year, will be the star attraction of a new $100 million exhibit at the privately operated Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex adjacent to the NASA spaceport. <\/p>\n
Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, which operates the visitors' center, plans to suspend the 154,000-pound (69,853-kg) spaceship from the ceiling with its cargo bay doors open to simulate the vehicle in orbit. <\/p>\n
Atlantis, which flew 33 missions, is the third and last operational space shuttle to become a museum piece. <\/p>\n
Discovery is on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Endeavour last month took a cross-country flight on a transporter plane to Los Angeles for display at the California Science Center. <\/p>\n
The prototype shuttle Enterprise, which was used for atmospheric tests but never flew in space, was relocated from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, located on the Hudson River in New York City. <\/p>\n
The storm Sandy knocked out power to Enterprise's pressurized pavilion as it passed over on Monday, causing the pavilion to deflate. The shuttle sustained minor damage, the museum said in a statement. <\/p>\n
Travel plans for Atlantis are simple but moving a 122-foot long (37-meter), 78-foot (24-meter) wide spaceship requires planning. <\/p>\n
\"We have some logistics we're handling but actually it's really manageable,\" said Tim Macy, director of project development and construction for Delaware North. <\/p>\n
To make way for Atlantis, crews have temporarily removed 120 light poles, 23 traffic signals, 66 road signs and one high-voltage power line. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read more: <\/p>\n
NASA's last space shuttle heading to Florida retirement home<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's third and last surviving space shuttle will move to its retirement home on Friday after a 10-mile road trip from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis, which ended the 30-year-old space shuttle program with a final flight last year, will be the star attraction of a new $100 million exhibit at the privately operated Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex adjacent to the NASA spaceport. Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, which operates the visitors' center, plans to suspend the 154,000-pound (69,853-kg) spaceship from the ceiling with its cargo bay doors open to simulate the vehicle in orbit Continue reading