Looking down at Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Unlike the image above, Atlantis is currently wrapped in plastic [as shown below], getting ready for it’s June unveiling for it’s final resting place at Kennedy Space Center in Florida which you can read more about here.

A Space Shuttle on the Streets of Los Angeles - APOD
Credit & Copyright: Bryan Chan, Los Angeles Times; Music: Keeper of the Wind (Eleni Hassabis, Firstcom)

“Was that the space shuttle that just went by? Garnering attention that could make even a movie star blush, thousands of people watched in awe as a quintessential icon of the space age was towed through the streets of Los Angeles. After landing at LAX airport late last month, the shuttle Endeavour was carefully loaded onto rolling trailers and maneuvered down roads and across bridges to the California Science Center, 20 kilometers away. To many, there was a majesty to the voyage that was beyond description, inspiring people to line the LA streets and wait at windows and balconies towitness and photograph this once-in-a-lifetime event. Narrowly avoiding some buildings and trees, the retired shuttle made it safely to its new home and will soon be ready for permanent display. Although the journey took place over three days, it has been shortened in the above artistic time-lapse video to about three minutes.”

Shuttle Endeavour Crossing

“The space shuttle Endeavour is seen atop the Over Land Transporter (OLT) after exiting the Los Angeles International Airport on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. 

Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.”

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

mrsdfsneezy:

discoverynews:

Beautiful…

timelightbox:

Dan Winters grew up during the golden age of space reporting and is one few who have mastered the craft of photographing space launches. The magnificent images in his new book, Last Launch, prove that he is a virtuoso at his work.

See more photos here.

Oh My God.

(via asonlynasacan)

spacewatching:

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Rogers Dry Lakebed during the second of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, as part of the Shuttle program’s Approach and Landing Tests (ALT).

The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia beginning in April 1981.

A tail cone over the main engine area of Enterprise smoothed out turbulent air flow during flight.

[Today is the 35th anniversary of her first free flight - ed]

Waterway to Orbit - Discovery: 04/05/2010 at 6:21am - STS-131

04/05/2010 6:21 am - STS-131 Space Shuttle Discovery launches into orbit in the minutes before dawn, leaving a beautiful reflection through the light fog on the Intracoastal Waterway in Ponte Vedra, Florida, 115 Miles from the launch.


Copy Credit : James Vernacotola

Source.

Astronomy Picture of the Day - Discovery Departs

April 19 2012 

Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper (Launch Photography)

“Explanation: Climbing into cloudy skies, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (OV-103) took off from Kennedy Space Center Tuesday at 7 am local time. This time, its final departure from KSC, it rode atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Following a farewell flyover of the Space Coast, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Washington DC, Discovery headed for Dulles International Airport in Virginia, destined to reside at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Discovery retires as NASA’s most traveled shuttle orbiter, covering more than 148 million miles in 39 missions that included the delivery of the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit. Operational from 1984 through 2011, Discovery spent a total of one year in space.”

Source.

stressface:

Space shuttle Discovery wows Washington in 45-minute flyover. 

A spectacular aerial tour pulled Washingtonians out of their offices Tuesday morning as the space shuttle Discovery, riding piggy-back on a 747, flew low and slow over the Capitol, White House, the Mall and much of the Potomac River. The duo touched down at Dulles International Airport, just a few miles from Discovery’s retirement home, the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.

Read more here.

********

I am heartbroken that I missed this because I was stuck in a meeting.  It is a sad sad day. 

cwnl:

unknownskywalker:

The Intrepid’s New Enterprise Space Shuttle Museum

The Intrepid Museum have recently revealed a plan for its giant Space Shuttle museum. If approved, the Space Shuttle Enterprise Museum will be an educational and public programming center in New York, literally built around the giant space shuttle.

The Intrepid Museum acquired the Enterprise this past April, and it is one of only 4 space shuttles donated by NASA to museums in the country. Susan Marenoff-Zausner, President of the museum, decided to feature the shuttle while improving the surrounding neighborhood by giving it its own space in Hell’s Kitchen.

Plans reveal a spiraling glass and steel structure built to surround the intact shuttle. Plenty of open spaces allow for visibility, natural light, and ventilation. The non-profit museum will not only bring in 300,000 more visitors, generating nearly $150 million in revenue, but will also create over 1,000 new jobs.

I will find employment here if it’s the last thing I do.

uh-mazing!

(via ikenbot)