25% off #sale on wall #Art like #posters and #Canvas #Prints:
When #NASA’s #Space #Shuttles were being retired, the #Orbiters had to spend time waiting for an open Orbiter Processing Facility in the Vehicle Assembly Building (#VAB).
#Photographers were allowed to go up to a higher level in the building to allow them to get shots like this, with Atlantis’ starboard wing painted with its name and the US flag.

Get a print of this or another image at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-moved-to-vab-19-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceShuttleAtlantis, #SpaceShuttle, #VehicleAssemblyBuilding, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Photograph

When #NASA’s #Space #Shuttles were being retired, the #Orbiters had to spend time waiting for an open Orbiter Processing Facility in the Vehicle Assembly Building (#VAB).
#Photographers were allowed to go up to a higher level in the building to allow them to get shots like this, with Atlantis’ starboard wing painted with its name and the US flag.

Get a print or other items with this image at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-moved-to-vab-19-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceShuttleAtlantis, #SpaceShuttle, #VehicleAssemblyBuilding, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Photograph

After #NASA retired the #Space #Shuttle in 2011, they planned to send the #Orbiters to museums. To get them ready, NASA removed the #SSME #rocket #engines and replaced them with replicas and decontaminated the parts of the Orbiter that held toxic fuel for in-space maneuvering, then be put on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

In this #photograph, #Atlantis (closer on the left) and #Endeavour (on the right) have been brought nose-to-nose for #photographers and #journalists to tell the story of the Shuttle’s #retirement.

Get a print of this image, or other merchandise, at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-and-endeavour-meet-2-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleAtlantis, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #spacecraft, #Photography

After #NASA’s #Space #Shuttle Program was discontinued, the #Orbiters were given to museums, but they first required some modification, including removing the main engines and thruster systems.
The engines are being reused on SLS #rockets, while the thrusters, which used a toxic fuel, needed before it was safe for the public.
In this image, Shuttle #Atlantis is being moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building to wait for its turn to be refitted.

Get a print or other merchandise at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-moved-to-vab-5-heron-and-fox.html

#KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #SpaceShuttle, #VehicleAssemblyBuilding, #VAB, #Photography

When #NASA’s Space Shuttle #Orbiters were being assigned to #museums, the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex proposed to build a privately-funded museum to house #Atlantis and other space artifacts.
#KSCVC built a life-size replica of the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters outside their #AtlantisMuseum.

Get a print or other merchandise at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/kscvc-atlantis-et-and-srb-display-1-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleProgram, #SpaceShuttleAtlantis, #Replicas, #ExternalTank, #SolidRocketBoosters,

When #NASA retired the #Space Shuttle #Orbiters, three institutions received them: Discovery would go to the Smithsonian, Atlantis would be put on display at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex, and #Endeavour would be flown to the California Science Center.
Here, #Endeavour is being raised up in the Mate-Demate Device, designed to put the #Shuttle on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and remove it.
Get a print or other merchandise at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-nose-and-forward-gear-in-the-mate-demate-device-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleEndeavour, #MateDeMateDevice, #KennedySpaceCenter, #KSC, #Photography