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Renderings courtesy of PGAV Destinations
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Even before Belleville, Ill., native Sandra Magnus caught the last ride into space aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, St. Louis had cemented a place in NASA history. PGAV Destinations, the local company that created the Saint Louis Zoo’s Sea Lion Sound, was commissioned to design the orbiter’s final resting place, the $100 million “Space Shuttle Atlantis” exhibit at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The attraction opens June 29, three years after project manager Emily Howard and her colleagues began the massive undertaking. “I was always a space geek,” Howard says, “so this was kind of a dream-come-true project.”
Building an Icon: A full-scale replica of the shuttle stack, rising 184 feet—slightly taller than Niagara Falls—greets visitors. “You can see it from a long way away,” Howard says, “so it becomes a real icon.”
Ups & Downs: Two swooshes wrap around the sides of the building. One is deep orange, to mirror the shuttle bursting through the Earth’s atmosphere. The other has three shades of gray tile, similar to the orbiter’s underside. “We wanted to capture the essence of launch and landing,” Howard says.
In the Limelight: During its 26-year career, Atlantis flew 33 missions, orbited Earth nearly 5,000 times, and made cameos in the movies Armageddon and Deep Impact. “We’ve joked around that Bruce Willis will have to come and fly Atlantis one day,” Howard says.
Working Out: The orbiter is elevated 30 feet off the ground and tilted at a 43-degree angle, so visitors can peer inside. The payload bay doors are held open and a replica of the robotic arm is extended. “It was a workhorse,” Howard says, “so we wanted to make sure people understood this thing didn’t just sit.”
Beyond Atlantis: Scattered throughout the 90,000-square-foot attraction are more than 60 exhibits, including simulators, a three-story replica of the Hubble Space Telescope, an International Space Station display… “One of the most common questions is ‘How do you go to the bathroom in space?’” Howard says, “so we talk about that.”
Past & Present: Though NASA’s shuttle program has ended, the exhibit touts the ongoing influence of space exploration, whether through the International Space Station or spinoffs like the cellphone and artificial heart. “They’re still doing experiments on the space station now,” Howard says, “and it affects our lives here on Earth.”
