December 18, 2013

— Space shuttle Independence has a new parking spot.

Space Center Houston's full-size space shuttle replica embarked on a short trip on Tuesday (Dec. 17) as it was moved from its outdoor display location of more than a year to a spot in the adjacent parking lot.

Riding on top of a motorized transporter similar to the 144-wheel vehicle that in June 2012 brought it to Space Center Houston, the visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center, the 123-foot-long (37 meters) shuttle mockup was moved from its place alongside the center's main building into the lot, where it will stay for the next several months.

The replica, which earlier this year was renamed the space shuttle Independence, was repositioned to make way for the arrival in March 2014 of the original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). The modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet will be topped by the shuttle mockup to create a new $12 million, six-story attraction scheduled to open to the public in 2015.

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Mock orbiter moved in Houston for jet display