Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
4 August 2012

Images of Space Shuttle Atlantis during its final days of storage in High Bay #4 of the VAB. Soon Atlantis will be moved to Orbiter Processing Facility #2 to undergo final work in preparation for the move to Atlantis' permanent display site at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is displayed with the Astrovan used to transport the astronauts to the launch pad.

Facts about Atlantis:
Total Distance Traveled: 125,935,769 miles (202,673,974.23 km)
Total Time in Space: 307 days
Total Orbits: 4,848
Total Flights: 33
Total # of Crew Members: 203
Mir Dockings: 7
International Space Station Dockings: 12
Satellites Deployed: 14
A bit of the future is on display in the VAB, a mockup of the Orion Launch Abort System, a tractor motor designed to pull the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle away from the Space Launch System rocket in the advent of a problem during launch. Orion and the SLS will replace the Space Shuttle for crewed missions away from the Earth.
All contents copyright Lunar Cabin