Hurricanes, Transporters and Grand Openings: Busy Week for Retired Space Shuttles

By Nancy Atkinson November 5, 2012
Hurricanes, Transporters and Grand Openings: Busy Week for Retired Space Shuttles

Atlantis is seen in the Vehicle Assembly Building Highbay 4 for the last time before she was rolled to her final home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center. Credit: John O'Connor/nasatech.net

Enterprise damaged during Hurricane Sandy. Credit: AP

Space shuttle Atlantis is transported along Kennedy Parkway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its 10-mile journey to the Kennedy Visitor Complex where it will be put on public display. Credit: NASA/Tony Gray

Space shuttle workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, watch as the space shuttle Atlantis is transported to the Kennedy Visitor Complex. Credit: NASA/Tony Gray

Flag waving children welcome space shuttle Atlantis as it approaches Space Florida's Exploration Park. Credit: NASA/ Tony Gray

Guest walk around space shuttle Endeavour after the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Endeavour's Grand Opening Ceremony. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com