Gallery: Inside Space Shuttle Atlantis' New Digs

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    atlantis-1

    The exhibit's first visitors examine Atlantis.
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    dedication-ceremony

    NASA officials and astronauts spoke at the dedication ceremony on Saturday, beneath a full scale replica of the Shuttle's solid rocket boosters and external tank.
  • astronauts
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    astronauts

    Dozens of former astronauts who served on Atlantis attended the dedication ceremony.
  • iss
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    iss

    Astronauts Karen Nyberg and Christopher Cassidy, currently aboard the International Space Station, recorded a video to commemorate the event.
  • atlantis2
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    atlantis-2

    Visitors can peer inside the orbiter's open payload bay, designed to carry large satellites to orbit.
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    heat-shield-tiles

    The shuttle's heat shield tiles absorbed and deflected heat generated during the Orbiter's re-entry.
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    space-station

    Children play in a Space Station exhibit. With the lull in manned launches, Kennedy Space Center is embracing education as a key component of its remit.
  • launchpad
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    launchpad

    Launchpad 39-A, the 350 foot tall scaffold from which several Apollo missions lifted off. Its companion pad, 39-B, is undergoing significant restoration in preparation for future rockets.
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    The replica external tank forms a key part of the Space Center's skyline.
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