CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Media are invited to a photo opportunity of two space shuttles moving to different locations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 9.
Shuttle Discovery will move from its current location, Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1), and be parked between OPF-1 and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Shuttle Atlantis will be moved from the VAB to take Discovery’s place in OPF-1. This move provides an opportunity to see both shuttles together as Atlantis is rolled past Discovery.
Discovery’s first motion is set for about 9 a.m. EST. Media must arrive at Kennedy’s Press Site by 8 a.m. for transportation to the event.
U.S. journalists without NASA Kennedy accreditation need to apply for credentials by noon, March 8. International media accreditation for this event is closed. Badges can be picked up at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405. Media representatives must apply for credentials online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
Any updates on the move will be available at 321-867-2525.
The move is scheduled to be the final time that Discovery will roll out of an OPF. Discovery will remain temporarily in the VAB until April. Discovery is set to be transported atop a modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17. It then will be moved on April 19 to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles for permanent public display.
In OPF-1, Atlantis will undergo preparations for public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and is scheduled to roll over to the complex in November. The visitor complex plans to open its display of Atlantis in July 2013.
Highlights of the move will air on NASA Television’s Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the shuttle’s preparations for public display, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/transition
