Work has started on the future home of the space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

The $100 million, 65,000 square-foot Atlantis exhibit will give visitors a unique vantage point to view Atlantis up close, while telling the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program through a number of hands on, interactive and immersive mediums. The grand opening of the showcase facility is slated for summer 2013.

The exterior of the Atlantis exhibit will be comprised of two sweeping architectural elements, or "wings" representing the space shuttle's launch and return - a journey that Atlantis made 33 times. The outer layer of the building, which will be cloaked in iridescent hues of orange and gold, represents the fiery-glow of reentry. The taller, internal wing of the building will be covered in a shimmering tile pattern in varying tones of gray designed to represent the tiled underside of the orbiter.

At the entrance to the Atlantis exhibit, guests will be greeted by a full-size, upright, replica external tank and two solid rocket boosters. On the opposite side of the tank and booster assembly, a silhouette of the orbiter is attached to show guests its exact size and placement. The 184-foot-tall space shuttle stack will give visitors a true sense of the massive size and awesome power used to thrust the shuttle into low-earth orbit.