Citizens don’t easily get an opportunity to personally see the awesomeness of NASA’s capabilities. This is one of the reasons why a new exhibit at Space Center Houston that is showcasing the Boeing 747 jetliner that carried the space shuttles to and from the United States holds so much significance.

On January 23, the Space Center, located next to the Johnson Space Center, home of NASA's mission control, organized a grand-opening ceremony for its latest exhibit, known as Independence Plaza.

In the exhibit, visitors can step inside the modified jetliner called NASA 905, and a replica of the shuttle. To witness the huge spacecraft duo personally is at once awe-inspiring. Touring inside both of them adds another thrill to the experience.

The first thing most of people on approaching the exhibit noticed was just how huge the two vehicles are. The space shuttle replica was loaded up on top of the aircraft, which made the pair of them stand eight stories tall, and reached higher than most of the Space Center building.

The 747 is 231 feet long and has a wingspan of 211 feet. Its tail number, N905NA was awarded the nickname ‘NASA 905’, and was the largest preserved artifact from NASA's shuttle program.

Many people have travelled in airplanes passengers generally enter from the confined safety of a jet bridge, but it is not the case with the showcased ones. At Space Center Houston, the open stairway that leads to the airplane gives visitors a chance to enter up to this huge metal bird, come in contact with the exterior, and witness its full scale.

The pairing has also highlighted the huge size of the shuttle. The angular, black-and-white frame is proudly hovering on top of the airplane, balancing with amazing grace on the numbered struts connecting it to the aircraft. The arrangement is unlike anything, ever flown before, but the vehicles appear totally natural in this position.

The interiors of the replica shuttle, dubbed ‘Independence’ include two different levels, the upper and the lower one. The upper deck showcases the cockpit and part of the crew quarters, and the lower level allows visitors to step into the cargo bay, which holds the real cradle used for holding an Intelsat satellite on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992.