Read also: Name the Shuttle
The replica of Houston's Space Shuttle, now named "Independence", is set to be the next tourist attraction in Texas. It used to be on exhibit at NASA in Florida's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex under its former name "Explorer" but it will soon be the upper part of the Texas' 6-level space attraction, Space Center Houston . The spacecraft replica will be set on top of NASA's original carrier plane, 747 Shuttle Carrier Jumbo jet. And because the spacecraft is modeled after a genuine NASA space shuttle, the interior will offer an authentic ambience of space as experienced by astronauts. It will definitely give visitors an amazing and incomparable space-like experience.
The "Name the Shuttle contest" was conducted to find the proper name for the space shuttle. All residents in Texas were asked to send their entries within the period July 4 to Sept. 2. The name must embody the Texan values of "optimism and can-do attitude."
After going through 10,263 submissions, the carefully selected judges finally chose the winner Sept. 5. "It was a tough decision, but we ultimately chose a name that celebrates the Lone Star State and highlights its distinct contribution to America's space shuttle program,” said Space Center Houston President Richard Allen to SPACE.com.
Tim Judd, a 29 year old resident from Kingwood won the competition after being the first to enter the name "Independence". He said that when he sent his entry, his mind was focused on the concept of freedom and its significance to all Americans including Texans. "We enjoy freedom every day, striving for a greater sense of ‘Independence.' It was that exact mindset that brought settlers here in the first place and what drives explorers into space today," Judd shared.
He joined the inauguration program Saturday which also announced that the tourist space attraction is scheduled to launch by 2015 and its exhibit will also bear his name and his hometown Kingwood.
