Space Shuttle 'Explorer'

Seen here at the turning basin dock, waiting to be shipped to Houston. The space shuttle Atlantis, NASA's second-oldest orbiter, is replacing the Explorer replica at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex much like Discovery replaced Enterprise at the Smithsonian.

Space Shuttle Explorer (honorary Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-100) is a full-scale, high-fidelity replica of the Space Shuttle. It was built in Apopka, Florida by Guard-Lee and installed at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 1993. It was built using schematics, blueprints and archival documents provided by NASA and by shuttle contractors such as Rockwell International. While many of the features on the replica are simulated, some of the model's core parts, including the Michelin tires used on the landing gear, are authentic to the Space Shuttle Program.[1] The model's length is 122.7 feet, its height is 54 feet, and its wingspan is 78 feet.