June 2 - 3, 2012  -- I think this event was planned to celebrate by birthday (June 2nd)...

Sharing the ongoing story of human space exploration is about to get a major boost with a new Space Shuttle visitor experience coming soon to Space Center Houston. The full-scale attraction is set to arrive on June 1, kicking off “Shuttlebration Weekend” to celebrate the opening of a new era in space exploration, outreach and education.

“Shuttlebration Weekend” begins on the afternoon of Friday, June 1, when the Space Shuttle attraction will arrive by barge at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) NASA Road 1 dock on Clear Lake near the Nassau Bay Hilton hotel. This will be the largest item to arrive at the dock since the Saturn V arrived for display in 1977.

The public is invited to a free street party between the dock and the hotel to witness and celebrate the historic arrival. The street party will include exhibits and static displays of new technologies and space vehicles that are being developed for the future of exploration, as well as local marching bands, food and entertainment.

On Saturday, June 2, the Space Shuttle attraction will be loaded onto a mobile transfer vehicle for transport to Space Center Houston. The lakeside load-out will take a full day to complete. No public events are planned.

Early in the morning on Sunday, June 3, the attraction will make a three-hour trek down NASA Parkway from the Hilton to its permanent home at Space Center Houston. It will receive a futuristic VIP escort from JSC’s prototype planetary rovers for future solar system exploration. Upon the Space Shuttle attraction’s arrival, Space Center Houston, along with the Johnson Space Center, will host a free public celebration in its parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon. The family-oriented event will include more opportunities to see the Shuttle attraction up close, and to get a look at the latest ongoing developments in space exploration taking place at JSC.