|
Author
|
Topic: Exhibiting NASA's retired orbiters
|
kr4mula
Member Posts: 363
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006
|
posted December 16, 2009 11:52 AM
   
quote:
Originally posted by thump:
...does length of runway, and weight come in to play?
Sure the runway specs are important. They need a way to get the shuttle to whatever museum gets them. For example, the Air Force Museum has its own runway as a legacy of its Wright Field origins, but it was designed for WWII-era (and earlier as a grass strip) aircraft, so it currently isn't up to spec for a shuttle/SCA combo landing there. That's how most of the flying aircraft make it to the museum (like a C-141 recently). I heard that the SCA could fit with some runway upgrades or else waivers of the landing safety margins. The other half of Wright-Patterson AFB has a great SAC-era runway quite capable of taking the shuttle, but then they have to haul the orbiter down to the museum and worry about overpasses, power lines, etc. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 482
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
|
posted December 16, 2009 01:42 PM
I work with the fellow who flew the BI-B into Air Force Museum runway. Just made it in and knew that they could not fly it out (nor would they need to. So getting the SCA out may be the big issue. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted January 15, 2010 05:46 PM
NASA release NASA Revises Cost and Schedule for Displaying Retired ShuttlesNASA has issued a follow-up Request for Information, or RFI, for ideas from education institutions, science museums and other appropriate organizations about the community's ability to acquire and publicly display orbiters after the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. The original RFI in December 2008 noted that a potential shuttle recipient would have to pay an estimated $42 million for the cost of "safeing" an orbiter, preparing it for display and ferrying it to a U.S. destination airport. NASA has updated the requirements and tasks needed to make each orbiter safe for disposition. The agency will not ask recipients to provide the funds for this activity. Except for cost and scheduled delivery changes, the 2008 and 2010 RFIs are virtually the same. In this follow-up RFI, NASA revised the estimated display preparation and ferrying costs to $28.8 million. The schedule for transferring the orbiters may be six months earlier than originally anticipated. NASA also desires to make selections a year before receipt of the orbiters, so recipient organizations will have sufficient time to conduct any fundraising activities necessary to support preparation and ferry costs. RFI responses are due to NASA by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. Organizations that responded to the original RFI do not need to resubmit a full response, but should clarify their positions with respect to these changes. NASA is planning to transfer space shuttle Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum. Shuttle orbiters Endeavour and Atlantis will be available for placement no earlier than July, 2011. See also the collectSPACE News article: NASA cuts price for retired space shuttles |
Rob Joyner
Member Posts: 1059
From: GA, USA
Registered: Jan 2004
|
posted January 15, 2010 06:15 PM
Now that NASA has slashed the price to only $28.8 million each I think we should consider it. If we paid just $500 each we'd only need 57,600 members! So let's all get crackin' on that membership drive!I vote for Endeavour! She has less miles than Atlantis!  |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 814
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
|
posted January 15, 2010 09:12 PM
Rob, great idea! I'm sure we can get some stimulus dollars. And if we reconfigure my house, we could almost fit it in. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 377
From: Ridgecrest, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2000
|
posted January 17, 2010 07:37 PM
I wonder what will happen if they can't get the cash for a used Shuttle? Keep all three in in the OPF and run a tour to see them? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted January 17, 2010 07:47 PM
Based on the organizations that replied to the original Dec. 2008 RFI, I think it is almost a certainty that Atlantis and Endeavour will not become hangar queens (the Smithsonian has already begun planning to receive Discovery). |
stsmithva
Member Posts: 764
From: Centreville, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted January 17, 2010 07:54 PM
The Smithsonian already has Enterprise at Udvar-Hazy. Will Discovery be placed there also? Surely it wouldn't fit at NASM in DC. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted January 17, 2010 08:11 PM
Discovery will be taking Enterprise's place at the Udvar-Hazy and Enterprise will be loaned by the Smithsonian to another museum, to be named as part as NASA's selection process for Atlantis and Endeavour (as noted in the revised RFI, "NASA may also have the opportunity to place an unflown Orbiter for display in addition to the two retired Orbiters discussed..."). |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted January 27, 2010 10:24 PM
The orbiters won't be going to New Mexico, reports UPI. Officials at New Mexico space museums said two NASA space shuttle orbiters are too expensive for their facilities, despite a drop in price to $28.8 million.Monte Marlin, spokeswoman for the White Sands Missile Range, said the facility would welcome space shuttle orbiters Endeavour and Atlantis, but the reduction in price from $42 million to $28.8 million isn't steep enough of a discount to make them affordable, the Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday. ...Mike Smith, registrar at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, said the price tag is also well out of his museum's range. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted January 28, 2010 05:13 PM
KPRC video: Houston Hopes To Keep Shuttle Here Three space shuttles will be used for educational purposes and Houston hopes to keep one here. Carl Willis reports. |
kr4mula
Member Posts: 363
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006
|
posted February 02, 2010 11:27 AM
A recent article from the Dayton Daily News on some recent thinking from the national Museum of the US Air Force. If NASA eventually awards a space shuttle to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force for permanent display, there is still another issue to be decided: where the shuttle would be landed when it is flown to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted February 16, 2010 01:55 PM
KTUL-TV Tulsa: Museum Lobbies DC For Shuttle Next Monday, [the Tulsa Air and Space Museum will] boldly go to the strange world of politics. "It's going to be a very political decision, so we are heading to Washington D.C. We're going to talk to a number of senators and representatives, not just from the state of Oklahoma, from the region and try to create a coalition of folks that would support us getting a space shuttle." |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 1986
From: Renton, WA USA
Registered: Jan 2000
|
posted February 16, 2010 02:41 PM
Looks like we have something similar here in Washington State to get a shuttle here in Seattle. I'd be a big supporter of this for sure. |
thump
Member Posts: 496
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004
|
posted March 01, 2010 08:28 AM
While volunteering at the downtown National Air and Space Museum yesterday, a visitor had just returned from the Hazy center and informed us that NASA was there inspecting the flightwothiness of Enterprise, and while there had the crew hatch opened, giving a supposedly good view into the mid-deck and flight-deck. Not sure how long this hatch will remain open... |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted March 05, 2010 04:27 PM
Puget Sound Business Journal: Museum of Flight weighs a high-stakes bid to land one of three shuttles slated for retirement The Museum of Flight's board must decide within weeks whether to build a $12 million glass gallery to display one of three available space shuttles -- nine months before NASA will decide which museums will get one of the famous spacecraft.The Seattle museum's board is wrestling with the gamble of building a home for a space shuttle that it may not get, said Bonnie Dunbar, museum president and CEO. Dunbar is a former astronaut who flew five shuttle missions. But the museum has little choice. NASA won't consider donating a shuttle to a museum unless it has a display pavilion completed before the shuttle arrives... |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 961
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted March 05, 2010 08:51 PM
I'm not exactly crazy about an orbiter being displayed vertically, as proposed by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. It may save horizontal floor space, but to me, there are just a few risks involved with raising it vertical and can it really stay in a vertical state for many years? At most, I think an orbiter has been vertical maybe four months. As such, I really hope Tulsa goes for the horizontal approach if they opt to get one (long shot in my opinion). I personally think Seattle should make a try for Enterprise since its history is linked with that of the Boeing 747 to become the world's largest air launched vehicle (since Buran's analog was jet powered, it wasn't air launched). The USAF Museum in my opinion should get one as ironically enough they flew more Department of Defense (DoD) missions after Challenger then before (I believe they manifested six flights after 51L). Plus, it was DoD involvement and funding that dictated the shuttle's capabilities and thus its configuration (such as the high cross range capability). Plus, planned DoD use got the Soviets to build Buran to try and counter it and a lot of people consider Buran to be one of those projects that contributed to the downfall of the Soviet Union since it was so expensive a project. All shuttle pilots have also either been military members or retired military (but joined NASA when they were still military). |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted March 15, 2010 05:08 PM
collectSPACE Photo Gallery: How to display a retired space shuttle ...some of the 20 organizations vying for an orbiter have released concepts for how they plan to exhibit a retired shuttle, should they receive one. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 205
From: England, U.K.
Registered: Apr 2008
|
posted March 17, 2010 10:35 AM
I wonder, does anyone think or know if a shuttle may go on tour after retirement? A visit to the UK would be very welcome! |
OV-105
Member Posts: 377
From: Ridgecrest, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2000
|
posted March 17, 2010 10:59 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Tykeanaut:
I wonder, does anyone think or know if a shuttle may go on tour after retirement? A visit to the UK would be very welcome!
One rumor is the last flight will land at Edwards. Then they will use the ferry flight to fly it around the different NASA centers. I do not see an overseas tour. A waste of money and a chance at a loss of an orbiter. |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 270
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted March 17, 2010 01:44 PM
Yes... I sympathize with our overseas friends who have never seen an orbiter "in person," but I'm guessing to do so you'll have to cross the pond yourself. Any kind of transcontinental trip or tour would be an expensive, somewhat risky, and logistically complex undertaking. I don't see it happening.The thought did get me wondering, though... Has the SCA/orbiter ever appeared on non-US soil? If so, I can't recall it. |
drjeffbang
Member Posts: 20
From: Virginia
Registered: Nov 2009
|
posted March 17, 2010 01:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
collectSPACE Photo Gallery: How to display a retired space shuttle
Those are some interesting display concepts, although I don't care for the vertical display idea.Udvar-Hazy really did it right in my opinion. Enterprise is an overwhelming display. We were there on Saturday, and you always overhear people remark when they see it "Wow, I had no idea the shuttle was so big!?" I am fortunate to live two hours from Udvar-Hazy but I encourage everyone to try and visit. Even if you just have a layover at Dulles Int'l, try to get a few hours to go see the Air and Space Museum. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 18210
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted March 17, 2010 01:59 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
The thought did get me wondering, though... Has the SCA/orbiter ever appeared on non-US soil? If so, I can't recall it.
Enterprise, atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, traveled to the 1983 Paris Air Show and then toured Europe and Canada before returning to the United States. |
advertisement