including howard goldstein. >> people think of the tiles and blankets as new technology. well they predate apple computer by 10 years. >> reporter: how would you like to go inside space shuttle atlantis. john fowler did that in 2000. what he found was surprising in a lot of ways. here is what he brought us 14 years ago. >> reporter: lift off of space shuttle atlantis. astronauts say it's like a train wreck. flight deck cameras show how surprisingly violent the ride can be. 2,000-tons of controlled high explosives blasts the shuttle into orbit to a speed 10 times faster than a rifle bullet. at the shuttle maintenance base we got a rare close up look at this $2 billion flying machine. and it may startle you just how fragile it seems. cargo bay doors, the largest moving parts are flimsy if not supported in earth's gravity. workers tie on inhalation with bits of thread. built to be as designers put it just strong enough, it's no more rugged than the average plane. >> it's only able 66 thick. >> reporter: it's the most complex machine ever made. more than a million moving part