News Space Shuttle Retirement Homes

[Orbinaut Pete]

Today (12th April 2011 - the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight and the 30th anniversary of STS-1), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will announce the permanent retirement homes for four Space Shuttle orbiters. The announcement will be made in front of OPF-1 at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:00 PM GMT.

It is likely that Shuttle Discovery will go to the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC, and reports suggest that Atlantis will go to KSC in Florida. Strong contenders for Endeavour and Enterprise are JSC in Houston Texas, the US Air Force museum in Dayton Ohio, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum in New York, the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and the March Field Air Museum in Los Angeles California. (Read more here.) Needless to say, all but two of these locations will be disappointed.

Here's what I'm hoping for:
• Discovery > NASM, Washington DC.
• Atlantis > KSC, Florida.
• Endeavour > JSC, Houston, Texas.
• Enterprise > Los Angeles, California.
Under this plan, the states which contributed the most to the Shuttle program would get an orbiter, and it would place an orbiter in three corners of the US, and place all orbiters near large population centres.

As for where they will end up, we'll have to wait and see, but we'll know for sure in a few short hours!

 

[Scruce]

Here's what I'm hoping for:
• Discovery > NASM, Washington DC.
• Atlantis > KSC, Florida.

I completely agree that KSC and the NASM should get a shuttle.

 

[astrosammy]

Atlantis to KSC would be great. That way you don't have to travel through the whole country if you want to see both KSC and a shuttle. A shuttle in Europe would be nice, but I'm sure that this is not going to happen...

 

[Scruce]

A shuttle in Europe would be nice, but I'm sure that this is not going to happen...

We would probably only get an SRB.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

And as expected, it's already leaking.

Enterprise will go to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City!
Source.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

BREAKING NEWS:

Looks like that Atlantis will indeed retire right at KSC!

...Meanwhile, Enterprise will move to... DOWNTOWN NYC!? :blink:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

So, this is how it's looking at the moment:

• Discovery > NASM, Washington DC.
• Atlantis > KSC, Florida.
• Enterprise > Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, NYC.

That just leaves Endeavour - which is anybody's guess right now.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

So, this is how it's looking at the moment:

• Discovery > NASM, Washington DC.
• Atlantis > KSC, Florida.
• Enterprise > Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, NYC.

That just leaves Endeavour - which is anybody's guess right now.

WSJ is reporting that a museum in Texas will get one: JSC?

 

[deltawing777]

OMG! 4 mins ago sources are saying that Houston will not get one. Are you kidding me? Mission control don't get a shuttle? That makes no sense to me.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/technology&id=8067440

---------- Post added at 11:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:18 AM ----------

OMG! 4 mins ago sources are saying that Houston will not get one. Are you kidding me? Mission control don't get a shuttle? That makes no sense to me.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/technology&id=8067440

Oh boy..there are some mad people here in houston...read the comments.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

OK here's the final decision:
Discovery: Smithsonian, DC (as expected)
Atlantis: KSC (an obvious choice)
Endeavour: California Science Center, LA (hmm.... not bad, but could the museum attract more visitors? SoCal isn't exactly a spaceflight-hot area...):hmm:
Enterprise: Intrepid Museum, downtown NYC (nooooo..... the Hudson riverside isn't exactly the best place to house an orbiter... look at the BA Concorde there... ):facepalm:
And I fear that a large riot would start out down in Texas, with the epicenter at JSC in Houston...:shifty:

 

[Schmidtrock]

I simply cannot believe that Houston didn't get one.

SoCal and NYC?? Wow.

 

[kevin580]

We would probably only get an SRB.

Oh, only a SRB? :lol: :rofl: But no, I'm serious. Why don't ask the NASA?

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

The offical press release:​

David Weaver
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
[email protected]

RELEASE: 11-107

NASA ANNOUNCES NEW HOMES FOR SHUTTLE ORBITERS AFTER RETIREMENT

WASHINGTON -- 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.

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's Complex in Florida.

"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."

NASA also announced that hundreds of shuttle artifacts have been
allocated to museums and education institutions.
- Various shuttle simulators for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville, Ore., 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, Ala., National Air and Space Museum in
Washington, and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

For more information about other shuttle program artifacts that are
available to museums and libraries, visit:



http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/NASA_SSPA_Pamphlet.pdf


NASA also is offering shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and
universities that want to share technology and a piece of space
history with their students. Schools can request a tile at:



http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm


For a map of the future locations for the orbiters and shuttle
artifacts and for more information on visiting the facilities, visit:




http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/shuttle_map.html


For more information about NASA's placement of the space shuttle
orbiters, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/transition

**********************************
Houston got a pair of flight deck seats. That's right, no orbiter, no shuttle simulators, no OMS engines, not even a part of the trainer at JSC, just the little shuttle seats. Dear me, I thought I could heard the Texans raging with anger, even with me 15000 km away...:leaving:

 

[Tommy]

Have to say that I'm very disappointed that all four shuttles will be on one coast or another. That makes them fairly inaccessable for those of us in the mid-west. With NYC being a relativly short train ride from Virginia, that location (NYC) simply doesn't make sense. Houston, while still not convienient for me, would have been a better choice.

 

[astrosammy]

But no, I'm serious. Why don't ask the NASA?

Well, that would be a good idea. The museum in Speyer was interested in getting Enterprise, so I guess there's enough space for a SRB!

 

[Zachstar]

I worry about the shuttle location paintings they have shown.

There seems to be nowhere near enough protection against those without honor or integrity throwing things at it or pounding it. I agree with letting visitors having a form of physical contact with a history making part of our national pride but some people think it is better do act hostile towards it to look cool.

 

[Ark]

Huston is the home of Mission Control for every single Shuttle mission ever flown, and all they get is a couple of chairs?

NASM makes sense, KSC makes sense, but LA? They don't have anything to do with spaceflight, why do they deserve one?

 

[Star Voyager]

First off, if you remember the Saturn V incident from a few years ago, Space Center Houston doesn't have enough money to handle something like the orbiter. The California Science Center is near the old Rockwell plant in Palmdale, where the orbiters were built.

http://space.flatoday.net/2011/04/nasa-selects-shuttle-retirement-homes.html

The only thing that doesn't make sense is Enterprise going to NY Intrepid (why not the Air Force Space Museum in Dayton?). New York really didn't contribute ANYTHING!

 

[Eli13]

Why not nashville? I'm sure music city would love an orbiter! And if it did go to Dayton I'd be really mad cuz i just moved from Ohio haha

 

[Star Voyager]

From Florida Today:

http://space.flatoday.net/2011/04/shuttle-contenders-upset-with-nasa.html