Tue, Apr 12, 2011
Florida, California, Washington, DC, And New York City Will
Display The Spacecraft
After 30 years of spaceflight, more than 130 missions, and
numerous science and technology firsts, NASA's space shuttle fleet
will retire and be on display at institutions across the country to
inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers.
Enterprise Launches From NASA B747
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Tuesday announced the
facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed
permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle
Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the
Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in
New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for
shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission
in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final
flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science
Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned
shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space
Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Atlantis
"We want to thank all of the locations that expressed an
interest in one of these national treasures," Bolden said. "This
was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the
American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the
greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the
history and accomplishments of NASA's remarkable Space Shuttle
Program. These facilities we've chosen have a noteworthy legacy of
preserving space artifacts and providing outstanding access to U.S.
and international visitors."
Endeavour
NASA also announced that hundreds of shuttle artifacts have been
allocated to museums and education institutions, including:
- Various shuttle simulators for the Adler Planetarium in
Chicago, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville,
OR, and Texas A&M's Aerospace Engineering Department.
- Full fuselage trainer for the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
- Nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer for the National
Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Ohio.
- Flight deck pilot and commander seats for NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston.
- Orbital maneuvering system engines for the U.S. Space and
Rocket Center of Huntsville, AL, National Air and Space Museum in
Washington, and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.
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