Atlantis is suspended in a special section of the building at an angle of 43.21 degrees, with its payload bay doors open and its extendable Canadarm—just as one would see it from space, for example, after docking with the International Space Station.
The building itself is architecturally deliberately designed: On the outside, there are two "wings" symbolizing launch and re-entry. The facade colors and textures represent the heat and light during atmospheric re-entry and the tiled underside of the orbiter.
In front of the entrance is a replica of the external tank with two solid rocket boosters in an upright position, similar to the launch assembly.