Astronauts and Skydivers to Help Open Houston 747-Shuttle Exhibit

The countdown is on to the grand opening of Houston's newest landmark — a $12 million, eight-story tall attraction dedicated to the largest single artifact saved from NASA's 30-year space shuttle program. Independence Plaza, featuring the space agency's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft — a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet — topped by a full-scale model of a space shuttle orbiter, will open on Saturday (Jan. 23) at Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space