The training simulator was loaded onto NASA's unique cargo plane called the guppy -- at Ellington field this morning. The simulator has been used at the Johnson Space Center for the past 30 years to prepare every crew for shuttle missions. Next week, it will be flown to its new home at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington where it will be put on display.
Pieces of the shuttle program are already spread across the country. The shuttle Discovery was flown over the National Mall on its way to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The Enterprise went past Lady Liberty en route to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in New York City. The Atlantis will stay at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Endeavour is going to Los Angeles, California.
You'll remember earlier this month, the Explorer shuttle replica arrived in Clear Lake. Visitors to Space Center Houston are getting an up-close look at the newest attraction, but it will be a while before you'll actually be able to go inside.
Space Center Houston is now building an education center as part of the display for the shuttle replica which arrived earlier this month. Right now, you can get close enough to take pictures, but once the permanent display is finished, you'll be able to take tours inside. That's expected to happen sometime this fall.
