#SpaceSaturday: After #NASA retired the Space Shuttle, the #Orbiters were given to #museums, but not before being prepared. On this photograph of #Atlantis, the 2 aft Orbital Maneuvering System Pods and forward Reaction Control System pod are missing. The missing forward #RCS is covered with clear tarp. The OMS pods left a silver-lined connection on the #ShuttleOrbiter.
In addition, the 3 Space Shuttle Main Engines have been removed for reuse on the #SLS #rocket.
Two Orbiter Processing Facilities are in the background, all were eventually leased to Boeing for the #-37B and Starliner programs.
#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleAtlantis, # ReactionControlSystem #RCS, #Orbital ManeuveringSystem #OMS, #OrbiterProcessingFacility, #OPF,
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-moved-to-vab-4-heron-and-fox.html

#SpaceSaturday: After #NASA retired the Space Shuttle, the #Orbiters were given to #museums, but not before being prepared. On this photograph of #Atlantis, the 2 aft Orbital Maneuvering System Pods and forward Reaction Control System pod are missing. The missing forward #RCS is covered with clear tarp. The OMS pods left a silver-lined connection on the #ShuttleOrbiter.
In addition, the 3 Space Shuttle Main Engines have been removed for reuse on the #SLS #rocket.
Two Orbiter Processing Facilities are in the background, all were eventually leased to Boeing for the #-37B and Starliner programs.
#SpaceShuttle, #SpaceShuttleOrbiter, #SpaceShuttleAtlantis, # ReactionControlSystem #RCS, #Orbital ManeuveringSystem #OMS, #OrbiterProcessingFacility, #OPF,
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-moved-to-vab-4-heron-and-fox.html

After #NASA ended the #SpaceShuttle Program, the three #Orbiters, #Discovery, Endeavour, and #Atlantis, were all lent out to #museums for public viewing. This required the #spacecraft to be decontaminated from toxic propellants, and have their #SSME / RS-25D #rocket #engines removed for use in the #SpaceLaunchSystem and replaced by replicas.
This retrofitting required some awkward Orbiter dancing as #KSC only had 3 Orbiter Processing Facilities, and had already rented one out. So one Orbiter remained in the #VAB while another was processed.
In this #photograph, Discovery and Atlantis are changing places and meet in the middle.
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-and-discovery-meet-heron-and-fox.html

After the end of the #SpaceShuttle program, the #Orbiters were given by #NASA :nasa: to several museums; #Smithsonian got #Discovery, the #CalifoniaScienceCenter got #Endeavour, and #Atlantis went the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex #AtlantisMuseum, built with private funding.
Atlantis is displayed is if in #orbit, with its payload bay doors open and mounted up tall so that visitors can investigate every angle.
This shot shows the forward #landinggear doors on the Orbiter's nose, which is the first thing people see after exiting the short video introduction.
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/atlantis-nose-underside-heron-and-fox.html

At the end of :nasa: #NASA’s #SpaceShuttle program, the #Orbiters were given to museums for display to the public. #Discovery went to the #Smithsonian, #Atlantis remained in #Florida the #KSCVC / #VisitorsComplex at the privately-funded #AtlantisMuseuem.
#Endeavour was given to the #CaliforniaScienceCenter, which planned to display the orbiter as if ready for launch, attached to a spare #ExternalTank and replica #SRBs.
Here, Endeavour is in the #MateDemateDevice / #MDD. The MDD lifts the Orbiter up so that the #ShuttleCarrierAircraft, a #Boeing 747, can have the Shuttle mounted on its back to fly elsewhere, or be removed from the #SCA after being returned to #KSC after landing elsewhere.
The carrier aircraft is visible just under and behind Endeavour.
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/endeavour-in-the-mate-demate-device-heron-and-fox.html

To continue our #introduction, Fox (the #photographer) studied #physics, and covered #spacescience and the work and #launches from #KennedySpaceCenter/#KSC and #CapeCanaveral/#CCAFS.
He covered the end of the #SpaceShuttle Era, including the finishing work on the #Orbiters to get them ready for display, and flying #Discovery and #Endeavour off. #Atlantis remains at the KSC Visitor's Complex Atlantis Museum.
He also covered a number of #EvolvedExpendableLaunchVehicle/#EELV launches for #NASA :nasa: , #NOAA, the #DOD, and the #NRO. Fox covered a variety of #UnitedLaunchAlliance #AtlasV and #DeltaIV #rockets, as well as the beginning of the #Falcon9's career.
Shooting the Shuttle was the best, though.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-3-port-name-heron-and-fox.html

https://youtu.be/2ie3TmZR1ew Need a recommendation for #Guitar #strings ??? Check out #Stringjoy #orbiters #coated strings!