A reusable spacecraft
The Space Shuttle flew from the Kennedy Space Center for three decades, beginning with Columbia’s STS-1 mission on 12 April 1981. Its orbiters launched from the pads of Launch Complex 39, the same pads used for Apollo.
Atlantis on display
NASA announced in April 2011 that Atlantis would be displayed at the visitor complex. Its exhibit opened on 29 June 2013, and the orbiter is shown with its payload bay doors open, as it would have looked in space. Full-size replica boosters and an external tank stand at the entrance.
Look a little closer
Inside the building, look for the replica of the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched and serviced by Space Shuttle crews. The building also holds a memorial to the crews of Challenger and Columbia; it is a place to pause quietly.



