Space Center Houston is preparing to launch its latest attraction, a new US$12m (£8.4m, €11m) exhibit where guests can explore the first shuttle carrier aircraft and a replica shuttle.

Opening tomorrow (23 January) guests will be able to explore the inside of a NASA 905 aircraft, which is an extensively remodelled Boeing 747 airliner used to transport space shuttles on its back between launch sites, and a replica of the Independence shuttle.

The eight-storey Independence Plaza is the space centre’s largest project to date since its launch in 1992. The complex itself was designed by PGAL, with Jacobs Engineering Group handling project engineering.

When Independence Plaza opens, guests will able to explore the inside of the massive aircraft, which has been repurposed as an interactive exhibition on the Space Shuttle Programme and the aircraft’s history.

The exhibition – planned, designed and project managed by Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) – honours those who founded the US space shuttle programme, recounting stories from astronauts, engineers and pilots. It also focuses on problem-solving concepts and possible career paths in STEM. The attraction highlights the role that Houston's NASA Johnson Space Center played in the shuttle’s development and the research currently being performed by NASA for future space exploration.

“It’s going to be a spectacular and historic day,” said Richard E. Allen Jr, president and CEO of Space Center Houston. “Visitors will be a part of history entering the one-of-a kind exhibit on opening day.”