Space shuttle tile missing from KSC Visitor Complex

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Officials at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex are searching for a missing piece of history.

A heat-resistant testing tile went missing Sunday while an education volunteer was giving a presentation at the complex in the Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit.

The tile is a black 6-inch square encased in Plexiglas and on loan to the Visitor Complex from NASA, KSC Visitor Complex spokesperson Andrea Farmer told News 6.

There is an investigation underway to determine the whereabouts of the tile by both Visitor Complex and Kennedy Space Center officials, Farmer said. It is unclear if the tile was stolen or just misplaced.

The thermal-testing tile never left Earth and was not part of the Atlantis exhibit.

Each tile has a unique identification number; the docent said the missing tile’s serial number begins with VT70-191.

Social media users have been spreading the word and asking people to keep an eye out for the tile on eBay, after the volunteer posted about what happened on Facebook.

If anyone finds the missing thermal tile, they can contact the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.