Shuttles to Switch Places in Preparation for Move
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
By: Matthew Peddie

The last two retired shuttles remaining at the Kennedy Space Center, Endeavour and Atlantis, will trade places Thursday morning as NASA prepares to move them into permanent display. It's the last time the shuttle Endeavour rolls out of its hangar before it leaves for California.

For a short time during the change over the two shuttles will be nose to nose outside Orbiter Processing Facility 2, where technicians have been preparing Endeavour for display.

Endeavour was built to replace the Challenger, and first blasted into orbit in 1992. It will go on permanent display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The shuttle is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on the back of a 747 shuttle transporter next month. Endeavour will be temporarily housed in the Vehicle Assembly Building until it flies out.

The shuttle Atlantis is destined for display at the Kennedy Visitor Center- it will spend the next few months inside the OPF- 2 hangar preparing for the move.