CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload bay of space shuttle Atlantis comes into view as one of the bay doors swings open with the help of the strongbacks attached. Strongbacks are used to support and operate the doors when the shuttle is not in space. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future home -- a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date March 13, 2012