Space Shuttle ''Independence'', formerly known as ''Explorer'', is a full-scale, high-fidelity replica of the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...

. It was built by Guard-Lee in

Apopka, Florida Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 55,000 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ''Apopka'' comes from Seminole word ''Ahapopka'' for "Potato eating ...

, installed at

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus to ...

in 1993, and moved to

Space Center Houston Space Center Houston is a science museum that serves as the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was designated a Smithsonian Affiliate museum in 2014. The organization is owned by NASA, and operated under a co ...

in 2012. It was built using schematics, blueprints and archival documents provided by NASA and by shuttle contractors such as

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...

. While many of the features on the replica are simulated, some parts, including the landing gear's

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...

tires, have been used in the

Space Shuttle program The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...

. The model is long, high, has a wingspan, and weighs .

Kennedy Space Center

''Independence'', then known as ''Explorer'', was displayed at the

atop cement pilings and secured with steel cabling. Visitor access was provided by a gantry-style tower with ramps and an elevator for accessibility. Inside, visitors could view a

mock-up In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale model, scale or physical model, full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''protot ...

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

, a mannequin wearing an early model of the orange launch/entry pressure suit used by shuttle astronauts, and a mock cockpit with controls and instruments. Adjacent to ''Explorer'' were two

solid rocket boosters A solid rocket booster (SRB) is a large solid propellant motor used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from initial launch through the first ascent. Many launch vehicles, including the Atlas V, SLS and space shuttle, have used SRBs to give ...

mated to a full-size mock-up of an

external tank The Space Shuttle external tank (ET) was the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contained the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to ...

(originally used by Stennis Space Center for fit tests).

Space Center Houston

Because Kennedy Space Center was to receive the retired ''Atlantis'', Space Shuttle ''Explorer'' was removed from the KSC Visitor Center on December 11, 2011, and relocated to the

Vehicle Assembly Building The Vehicle Assembly Building (originally the Vertical Assembly Building), or VAB, is a large building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), designed to assemble large pre-manufactured space vehicle components, such as the massive Saturn V and th ...

's turn basin dock adjacent to the

Launch Complex 39 Press Site The Launch Complex 39 Press Site is a news media facility at Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center, John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Merritt Island, Florida where journalists have observed every U.S. crewed space launch since Apollo 8 ...

. The move was performed by Beyel Bros. using a 144-wheel trailer towed by truck. To accommodate the shuttle, several light poles and street signage along the route were taken down, and the shuttle itself was lifted by

hydraulic jack A jack is a mechanical lifting device used to apply great forces or lift heavy loads. A mechanical jack employs a screw thread for lifting heavy equipment. A hydraulic jack uses hydraulic power. The most common form is a car jack, floor jack o ...

s over a KSC

guardhouse A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have historically been dormi ...

. The vehicle remained at the turn basin until May 24, 2012, when it began its move by barge to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center outside

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas. The replica shuttle was stripped of the name ''Explorer'' as part of the dismantling process. Upon arriving in the Houston area by barge on June 1, 2012, guided by the Presiding Officer of the Houston Pilots Robert Thompson, the shuttle was taken to the Johnson Space Center dock on Clear Lake, and preparations were made to move the shuttle to Space Center Houston during the early morning hours. As with Florida, several light poles along NASA Parkway were taken down and trees trimmed back to allow passage. The shuttle was moved by another 144-wheel trailer down the closed highway to the visitor center. Johnson Space Center hosted a celebration for the arrival of the replica. "Shuttlebration" events began on June 1, at the southeast corner of Clear Lake by the Nassau Bay Hilton Hotel. The festivities included the arrival of the shuttle at the dock and its move onto visitor center grounds. This was the largest item to arrive at the JSC dock since a Saturn V arrived for display in 1977. Space Center Houston announced on May 2, 2013, that it had acquired NASA 905, one of NASA's two modified Boeing 747

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) are two extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA used to transport Space Shuttle orbiters. One (N905NA) is a 747-100 model, while the other (N911NA) is a short range 747-100SR. The SCAs were used t ...

. The center planned to display the replica shuttle atop the SCA with interiors of both vehicles accessible to visitors. A competition to name the shuttle opened on July 4, 2013, and concluded on September 2, 2013, with over 10,000 entries received. The winning entry was submitted by Timothy Judd, and the new name, ''Independence'', was revealed on October 5, 2013. ''Independence'' underwent extensive renovation in 2013 and 2014 to repair damaged components and update its appearance to more closely match that of the modern shuttle fleet. Modifications include a re-skinning of the exterior, replica thermal tiles, publicly accessible mid-deck and payload bay, a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

on the flight deck, and display cases with shuttle program artifacts. On August 14, 2014, a heavy lift was completed to place ''Independence'' on top of NASA 905, which had been moved to Space Center Houston from

Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...

on April 30, 2014. The combined exhibit, named "Independence Plaza", opened to the public on January 23, 2016, at an estimated cost of .

Gallery

SpaceShuttleExplorer.JPG, Shuttle mock-up ''Explorer'' at

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...

Hughes satellite booster mockup in Shuttle Independence cargo bay (24652005131).jpg, Mock-up of an Orbus 21 kickmotor in ''Independence'', similar to one carried on

STS-49 STS-49 was the NASA maiden flight of the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'', which launched on May 7, 1992. The primary goal of its nine-day mission was to retrieve an Intelsat VI satellite, Intelsat 603, which failed to leave Low Earth orbit two yea ...

for attachment to

Intelsat 603 Intelsat 603 or IS-603, previously named Intelsat VI F-3, is a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1990, it was the second of five Intelsat VI satellites to be launched. The Intelsat VI series was constructed by Hughes Airc ...

Shuttle Independence and NASA 905 at Space Center Houston.jpg, Shuttle ''Independence'' and NASA 905 in Independence Plaza at

References

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Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Tourist attractions in Houston Independence, Space Shuttle

Kennedy Space Center

Space Center Houston

Gallery

See also

References