The original display at the California Science Center, the one they are currently replacing, had the shuttle in a large room, and about 9-10 feet off the ground

The original display at the California Science Center, the one they are currently replacing, had the shuttle in a large room, and about 9-10 feet off the ground. You might have been able to touch it if you jumped up. It was a very intimate encounter with the shuttle. It's big enough to be amazing, small enough to be comprehensible in human scale. I was really quite awestruck being in its presence. (Did you know all of the heat tiles has serial numbers? In hindsight, "of course the did", they were probably all unique in their shape. But it was one of those things you discover when your nose is 4 feet away from the bottom of the craft.) That said, I can hardly wait for the new display, with the shuttle in launch form, mounted on the external tank with the SRBs. Seeing the designs they have, you'll actually still have a "close encounter" with this craft, despite its size. The rear of the shuttle will be quite close to the ground. It's going to be, I think, a very exciting exhibit.