Posted on 05/27/2010 10:55:46 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
US museums are wasting no time in jostling to showcase the three retiring space shuttles after Atlantis touched down on Earth this week, capping the last scheduled mission of its 25-year career. "No doubt the competition is fierce," said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
His institution is among some 21 others competing to preserve and exhibit the Atlantis, Discovery or Endeavour space shuttles.
The trio is being retired after President Barack Obama opted not to fund a successor program, deciding instead to encourage private spacecraft development.
NASA has announced it would seek to preserve the space shuttles for the historical record about a year after Endeavour's last scheduled flight in November, unless the orbiters's missions are extended.
While the US space agency has already offered Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum, a decision has not yet been made on where the other two shuttles will be placed upon retirement, NASA spokesman John Yembrick told AFP.
Discovery is the oldest of the group, having completed 39 missions in space.
Museums are pushing and shoving to be first in line to land the prestigious opportunity to show the awe-inspiring spacecraft.
(Excerpt) Read more at space-travel.com ...
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This may turn out to have been one of the most inadvertently smart things Obama has done. But this depends on removing bureaucratic obstacles (such as the unbelievably expensive and long-drawn out FAA certification) from said private ventures.
One should be here to go with the Saturn V. The Saturn has its own building which is climate controlled. It use to be out in the open.
I am sure that it would be brought indoors.As soon as they build a hangar to hold it.
You’d have to re-create the Saturn V. The plans were lost decades ago.
I think they’ve been using the same Vehicle Assembly Building for the shuttle that they used to use for the Saturn. Not to mention the colossal crawler.
Actually, I’d love to see them shut off the air conditioning for a day. An old book I read way back when sad if they ever did that the building would form it’s own clouds and rain.
There’s a hangar for the retired (and never designed to actually fly except in the test glide mode) shuttle Enterprise at the Udvar-Hazy Nat’l Aerospace museum annex right by Dulles Airport here in the D.C. area.
That place is magnifique, and it’s still only half-full.
I did not know that. You have found a possible home for a shuttle.
:)
Nah, HSV has the real deal.
You’re in Huntsville?
I hope the Air Force museum in Dayton, OH gets one of the shuttles. My son loves it there. I saw the Challenger when it landed at Edwards AFB.
Why leave a shuttle at Kennedy? No one cares about unmanned launches. The real space program is moving to the New Mexico spaceport.
Get Wonderbread to sponsor a home for these flyin’ breadtrucks.
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