5. Space Shuttle Explorer

Space Shuttle Explorer

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Explorer
Space Shuttle replica Explorer at Kennedy Space Center, Florida
OV designation	OV-100
Country	United States
Contract award	Guard-Lee
Status	Awaiting interior refurbishment at Johnson Space Center

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.
Internal details of the mock-up are not remarkably accurate, though the size and scope of the payload bay is correct.^{[citation needed]} Externally, the mock-up features simulated thermal protection system tiles (bearing numbers, as the genuine flight articles used to), paneling that looks like reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edges of the wings, and actual Michelin tires on the landing gear which were flown in space. Handling points are also shown, but the external detailing does not extend to the inclusion of thermal blankets.^[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Explorer