Retiring shuttles new homes

[squirrel 0]

why didn't they just leave the Enterprise where it was...?

"On April 12, 2011, NASA announced that Space Shuttle Discovery, the most traveled orbiter in the fleet, will be added to the collection once the Shuttle fleet is retired. When that happens, Enterprise will be moved to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, to a newly constructed hangar adjacent to the museum"

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Where is Darwin when you need him?

[jimmytavino 16]

it's always a TOUGH situation,,,, when only a few "prizes" can be shared among a Dozen hopeful recipients....

How about THIS????

as long as the Boeing 747s which piggybacked those shuttles aren't doing anything else....

Use one of them to permanently Mount an orbitor on it... and then....... get this now !!!
SHUTTLE it....
hahaha... get it?? Shuttle It..????\
Shuttle it all across the country,, on a circuitous and regular route.... flying low and slow, wherever it goes....[/cool] so that EVERYone from coast to coast can SEE that impressive sight.. live.. over the skies of their respective cities..!!!! then everybody Gets a shuttle,, and Nobody is excluded...
.... for my Vote though,, i would agreee that YES.....Houston, because of it's crucial role in the space program, since the 50's and 60s... certainly has EARNED one....AND by that same theory... I think Kevin Keenan should have one,,, permanently on display,,, right ON his front yard!!!!!!

jimmy

[Dean358 0]

From the NY Times 4/12/2011:

Intrepid museum officials have said they plan to house the shuttle in a building they will construct on Pier 86, next to the decommissioned aircraft carrier that houses the museum. They have estimated that the shuttle could draw as many as a million sightseers to the city. To make room, the museum would probably have to move a retired Concorde supersonic jet that now sits on the end of the pier, which juts into the Hudson River.

Now comes the hard part: raising the money to pay for the Enterprise. The space agency’s latest estimate of the cost of preparing and delivering one of the used shuttles was $28.8 million; the Enterprise, which is already on display, should require less work. Intrepid officials have not yet identified any sources of funds for the project and city officials have indicated to them that the city is in no position to offer much financial assistance.

www.wci.nyc

[nt8us 0]

Palmdale California should have received one .after all they were all built and serviced (for a period) there.I understand that Rapter actually worked on the avionics

[MX304 0]

Quote

From the NY Times 4/12/2011:

Intrepid museum officials have said they plan to house the shuttle in a building they will construct on Pier 86, next to the decommissioned aircraft carrier that houses the museum. They have estimated that the shuttle could draw as many as a million sightseers to the city. To make room, the museum would probably have to move a retired Concorde supersonic jet that now sits on the end of the pier, which juts into the Hudson River.

Now comes the hard part: raising the money to pay for the Enterprise. The space agency’s latest estimate of the cost of preparing and delivering one of the used shuttles was $28.8 million; the Enterprise, which is already on display, should require less work. Intrepid officials have not yet identified any sources of funds for the project and city officials have indicated to them that the city is in no position to offer much financial assistance.

Yet another reason that one should go to Houston...

[wmw999 2,114]

LA was a sop to Palmdale; it's in the same state at least.
Houston has had mission control for all shuttle missions. I was an avionics software programmer for the shuttle for the last 17 years.

Trust me when I say that Houston feels pretty slighted.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[normiss 619]

As they should feel. They were slighted.

[PhreeZone 14]

Houston was really slighted!

Here is where I would have put them.

1) KSC - pretty natural since they fit all the requirements and its only fitting for them launching all the shuttles. I would have given them Atlantis.
2) Houston - Huge contribution to the program and had control of 99% of the flight time on them. They would have got Endeavor.
3) Smithsonian - They get one by default basically. Discovery would have went here for its history in the program.
4) Wright Patt - Give them Enterprise since its just a test bed and they have prototypes of most other platforms here.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[cocheese 0]

If I were on the space station, I would want a shuttle up there at all times at least for an extra life boat or garage. Why not leave one up there?

[PhreeZone 14]

There is already a Souyz craft parked there just for that reason. To leave a shuttle there means leaving a fully trained pilot and co-pilot there too.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[wildblue 4]

Quote

I was disappointed to see that the NMUSAF was not getting one.

+1. Birthplace of aviation and all that.

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[cocheese 0]

I said EXTRA life boat or garage. Thanks Mr. Obvious.

[ryoder 1,380]

Meh, unless I can manifest for a load on it, I could care less what they do with old unflyable carcases.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[squirrel 0]

Quote

Meh, unless I can manifest for a load on it, I could care less what they do with old unflyable carcases.

now that would be cool. imagine the feeling when someone yells "Door!" and those doors open.

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Where is Darwin when you need him?

[lawrocket 3]

[Reply]the Endeavour, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles

[champu 1]

lawrocket

The orbiter itself? The curators did something that I believe is fantastic - they put here there with damage. They didn't clean her up and left her damaged tiles on there. She looks dirty. She looks used. And to me that just adds to it. She's not a pretty plane painted with a fancy livery. It's a spacecraft without smooth shiny metal surfaces.

I agree, attached photo is from a couple years ago when I was there. (from a cell phone, but I think it gets the point across.)