CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the section behind space shuttle Atlantis’ nose cone is exposed after a special crane lifted the forward reaction control system away from the vehicle. The system provided some of the maneuvering capabilities to the spacecraft during its missions. Atlantis glided to a landing, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility, completing NASA’s final space shuttle mission, STS-135. The shuttle is in OPF-2 being decommissioned and prepared for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date August 10, 2011