posted 04-16-2011 08:43 PM            

Museum of Flight Awarded Full-Fuselage Shuttle Trainer

The Museum of Flight announced today it will house a full-fuselage space shuttle trainer in its new state-of-the-art, 15,500-square-foot Space Gallery. The space shuttle trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which every space shuttle astronaut trained for space flight.

The Space Gallery had the potential to house a retired United States space shuttle, but today NASA announced the space shuttles will be given to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

"While we are happy for the cities which have been awarded one the retiring space shuttles, we are thrilled to receive the full-fuselage shuttle trainer," said Doug King, Museum of Flight president and CEO. "Not only is it a unique and exciting educational artifact to have as a centerpiece of our Space Gallery, but, unlike the actual shuttles, we will be able to allow the public to walk inside it and actually see where the shuttle astronauts trained."

The gallery will also house numerous other rare space artifacts that will be part of a one-of-a-kind exhibit about space and engaging the next generation of space explorers through hands-on learning.

The Space Gallery is being built on the west side of East Marginal Way, connected to the main building by the T. Evans Wyckoff Memorial Bridge. Soon after the completion of the Space Gallery, construction will begin on a new building for Aviation High School on the Museum campus.

"The new Space Gallery and Aviation High School building will be invaluable and significant additions to The Museum of Flight and will continue to grow our reputation as one of the premier air and space education institutions in the nation," said Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, retired astronaut and Wings Over Washington executive director. "The new Space Gallery and Aviation High School building will serve as a beacon to both youth and young adults, and help add to the more than 140,000 individuals that are already served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs."

posted 11-19-2011 09:09 PM               

Seattle-bound space shuttle sim segmented for shipping

NASA began this week taking apart a full-size mockup of the space shuttle in preparation for shipping it next year to Seattle, Washington.

The Full Fuselage Trainer, or FFT, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas is being given to Seattle's The Museum of Flight for display. Used for 30 years as a test bed for shuttle upgrades and for astronaut training, the FFT is the oldest and largest of Johnson's shuttle trainers having been built in the 1970s.

posted 01-17-2012 08:46 PM            

NASA to Hand Over Shuttle Trainer 'Keys' to Seattle Museum

NASA's Johnson Space Center will officially hand over the "keys" to the Space Shuttle Full Fuselage Trainer to the Seattle Museum of Flight in a ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 19.

The ceremony will include an official signing of the Space Act Agreement that will transfer ownership of the trainer, which includes both a crew cockpit and shuttle cargo bay area, and was used to familiarize astronauts with shuttle cockpit controls and emergency exit procedures over the life of the Space Shuttle Program.

The museum will accept responsibility for the Full Fuselage Trainer, and its transportation to Seattle. By donating Johnson Space Center's shuttle training resources to outside partners, NASA hopes to find areas of common interest that will foster new technologies that improve life here on Earth, and pave the way for future human exploration in space.

JSC Director Michael L. Coats and Mission Operations Director Paul Hill will welcome guests, including the Museum of Flight's President Douglas King, who will provide remarks on the partnership agreement.

posted 01-22-2012 02:04 PM               

NASA hands over shuttle trainer 'keys' to Seattle museum

NASA handed over the "keys" for its only full-size space shuttle trainer to the Seattle Museum of Flight last week, clearing the wooden mockup to leave Houston for its new home in the northwest.

During a ceremony held last Thursday (Jan. 19) inside the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center, NASA mission operations director Paul Hill signed an agreement and presented Museum of Flight president Doug King with a "Remove Before Flight" pin to symbolize the transfer of the 120 foot (36.6 meter) long Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT)...

posted 04-17-2012 09:47 AM            

The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery in Seattle unveils three NASA Shuttle Trainer Engine Bells on Tuesday, April 17, marking the arrival of the first portion of the Full Fuselage Shuttle Trainer which will be housed permanently in the Space Gallery. Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King will host a brief news conference to announce the arrival and will then unpack one of the three Engine Bells for media and interested public.

posted 04-17-2012 04:48 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by JSC01:
I hope all our friends in Seattle are excited, you have a historic piece of hardware heading your way!

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posted 06-16-2012 12:11 AM            

Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Cabin Arrives June 30

The 28-foot-long crew cabin section of the Museum's full-scale space shuttle trainer is scheduled to be delivered to the Museum on June 30 via NASA's "Super Guppy" cargo plane.

The plane will be flown from NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston by Seattle astronaut Greg C. Johnson and is scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m. after a fly-by over Lake Washington and the Seattle Center.

Arriving with Johnson will be astronaut and University of Washington alumnus Janet Kavandi, Director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA JSC.

The Museum will celebrate the delivery of this significant artifact all day, beginning with a ceremony next to the Guppy in the Museum parking lot.

Guests include Washington state elected officials, former astronauts, NASA representatives and Museum Trustees. The Sounders Band will provide music, while Seattle TV personality Steve Pool will be Master of Ceremonies.

The ceremony is free and open to the public.

The Super Guppy will remain on display in the Museum parking lot for the weekend, with free tours with admission to the Museum.

posted 06-25-2012 12:47 PM               

collectSPACE to fly with NASA's Super Guppy on space shuttle crew cabin delivery flight

Now that most of the details are confirmed, I can share that I will be flying on NASA's Super Guppy cargo plane as it delivers the space shuttle full fuselage trainer's (FFT) crew compartment to The Museum of Flight in Seattle.

My leg aboard the delivery flight will take place as the Super Guppy — piloted by astronaut Greg C. "RayJay" Johnson — flies over most of California on Thursday, June 28.

The Super Guppy will leave Ellington Field in Houston on Wednesday morning and arrive at The Museum of Flight on Saturday, June 30. collectSPACE, together with our content partners at SPACE.com, will be providing full coverage of the Super Guppy's flight from its Texas takeoff to its Seattle touchdown.

More details about our in-flight coverage will be shared as the day approaches.

posted 06-27-2012 07:45 AM               

Space shuttle trainer lifts off for Seattle on NASA's Super Guppy aircraft

A space shuttle crew cabin took off with a veteran astronaut on Wednesday morning (June 27), but rather than the shuttle lofting the pilot, it was the astronaut — flying a large NASA cargo plane — who was taking the shuttle trainer skyward.

Astronaut Greg C. Johnson, together with NASA pilot Dick Clark, left Ellington Field in Houston on board the Super Guppy, a wide-bodied turboprop aircraft previously used to deliver the room-size modules of the International Space Station to their Florida launch site.

Wednesday's cargo was the equally large crew cabin from the Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT), a life-size space shuttle mockup that was used by every person who flew on the shuttle while training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The shuttle program now over, the FFT is being delivered in segments to The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington for its public display.

Credit: collectSPACE/Robert Z. Pearlman

You can follow the Super Guppy's flight to Seattle using FlightAware.

posted 06-29-2012 10:57 AM               

In-flight exclusive: Astronaut soars with Seattle's space shuttle trainer

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft flew a mock space shuttle crew cabin over much of California on Thursday (June 28), as the jumbo cargo plane continued on its three-day journey from Texas to deliver the astronaut trainer to a Seattle museum.

The 28 foot (8.5 meter) long, 16,000 pound (7,300 kilogram) space shuttle crew compartment — comprising the shuttle's iconic black and white nose section and its dual level flight- and mid-decks — is part of the Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT), a full-size, wingless mockup of the space shuttle. The FFT was used for more than 30 years at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston to train every person who flew on the shuttle's 135 missions.

One of those astronauts, Greg C. "Ray-J" Johnson, was at the Super Guppy's controls Thursday, flying the bulbous turboprop aircraft from March Air Reserve Base near Los Angeles to Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco in northern California. For Johnson, who in 2009 piloted the fifth and final shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, the trip gave him a chance to fly by Edwards Air Force Base, where he landed aboard space shuttle Atlantis, and also return to Seattle, his hometown.

posted 06-29-2012 11:35 AM               

I'm writing up a first-hand account for Space.com that should be online later today.

posted 06-29-2012 07:04 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
I'm writing up a first-hand account for Space.com that should be online later today.

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NASA's Flying Fish: Riding Aboard the Super Guppy Aircraft

On Saturday (June 30), visitors to The Museum of Flight in Seattle will get an up-close look at a very unusual NASA aircraft. In fact, it's not uncommon for air traffic controllers and even fellow pilots who spot the "Super Guppy" to ask a simple but telling question: "What are you?"

I got to find out first-hand. On Thursday, I was invited by NASA to not just tour but fly aboard the Super Guppy, a bulbous cargo plane, as it flew between air bases near Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 90-minute trip up the California coast is one I won't soon forget, and according to the Super Guppy's flight crew, it was a rarity — perhaps even a first — for a civilian reporter.

posted 07-01-2012 06:44 AM               

Space shuttle trainer's crew cabin lands at Seattle's Museum of Flight

Seattle's The Museum of Flight on Saturday (June 30) moved a nose closer to exhibiting a full-size mockup of the space shuttle with the delivery of the front section of a retired astronaut trainer by a large NASA cargo plane.

Thousands of spectators gathered for a "Shuttlefest" in the museum's parking lot to see the Super Guppy aircraft deliver NASA's Full Fuselage Trainer's (FFT) crew compartment from Johnson Space Center in Houston. Before landing at Boeing Field, the bulbous cargo plane circled the Seattle area — including flying by the city's landmark Space Needle — and then made a low pass over The Museum of Flight to the delight of the waiting crowd.

Once the aircraft was on the ground and towed into place, the Guppy's flight crew began the process of swinging open the plane's unique hinged nose to reveal and offload the nose of the mockup shuttle.

posted 07-01-2012 06:46 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by joe bruce:
It was great to get to meet up with you Robert.

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I was also happy to have a chance to catch up with Jake, Tom, David and a few other Seattle area collectSPACE readers and members.

posted 07-02-2012 09:41 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by gliderpilotuk:
I suspect this was one of the ex-Airbus Guppies and possibly one of the two manufactured in France.

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posted 07-03-2012 12:18 AM               

I actually found a sweet spot a couple of blocks North of MOF for the flyover and landing. Met my Mom down there and backed her little van up to the fence at Boeing Field, and then I got up on the roof. Great view, no crowd and I didn't have the fence in the way!

Did anyone else notice Gov. Gregoire's huge blunder during her speech? I couldn't believe it and my jaw dropped, when she started telling us the history of the "shuttle module", from the first Shuttle flight with John Glenn! Fail.

The Guppy crew members were very cool and great hosts! Sunday morning I printed an 11x14 of my best picture of the flyover that I photographed on Saturday. I was thrilled to go around and talk to the crew again Sunday and show them the awesome picture and have them autograph for me to remember the first FFT Super Guppy delivery flight. I didn't get Greg Johnson, Janet Kavandi or Mike Foreman the astronauts on my fly-by print but was very happy to get the loadmasters, engineers and Dick Clark the CDR. I was fortunate and grateful that Bob the Guppy mechanic pulled out of his pocket a crew patch like they had on their suits! Too cool and getting mounted with my fly-by picture!

Robert, I saw you a few times on Saturday. I was going to say hello but you were always too far away or busy talking to someone else so I didn't butt in. I did get a good laugh when I was coming up to you in a heavy rain to talk a bit and they started some Guppy action, so you immediately went running from undercover into the miserable downpour to get the good pictures for us space nuts!

posted 07-03-2012 01:09 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by FullThrottle:
I couldn't believe it and my jaw dropped, when she started telling us the history of the "shuttle module", from the first Shuttle flight with John Glenn! Fail.

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quote:

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...into the miserable downpour to get the good pictures for us space nuts!

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posted 07-25-2012 01:18 PM               

Super Guppy to Make 2nd Space Shuttle Trainer Delivery July 26

On Thursday, July 26, NASA's Super Guppy aircraft returns to Seattle to deliver the aft payload bay of The Museum of Flight's Space Shuttle Trainer. The Space Shuttle Trainer is the training mock-up on which every space shuttle astronaut has trained.

The oddly shaped Super Guppy will land at Boeing Field and taxi to the Boeing Military Flight Center (just south of the Museum of Flight) where the aircraft will be unloaded. Like the delivery of the Trainer's crew compartment last month, the payload bay will be moved onto an Air Force "60k Tunner" loader and then driven across East Marginal Way to the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. The entire process will be easily visible from the Museum's east parking lot.

The Super Guppy will make one more trip to The Museum of Flight on August 9 to deliver the forward section of the payload bay which could be the aircraft's last journey to the region.

posted 07-27-2012 12:46 AM               

Seattle's Museum Of Flight Welcomes Space Shuttle Trainer Payload Bay

Aft Portion of Payload Bay Arrives on Super Guppy's Second of Three Flights to Seattle's Museum Of Flight

For the second time in just under a month, NASA's Super Guppy could be seen soaring above the Seattle skyline as it delivered the aft portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer payload bay to Seattle's Museum of Flight on Thursday morning (July 26). It was the second of three flights to the region, as the Space Shuttle Trainer, on which every space shuttle astronaut trained, moves to its new home at The Museum of Flight.

The Super Guppy landed at Boeing Field at 10 a.m. PDT with the aft portion of the payload bay on board. It taxied to Boeing's Military Flight Center, where the payload bay was moved from the Super Guppy onto an Air Force "Tunner 60K" loader and slowly transported across East Marginal Way to the Museum's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. NASA's Super Guppy will make one more trip to Seattle's Museum of Flight on August 9 to deliver the final portion of the payload bay on what could be the historic aircraft's final flight to the region.

"With today's arrival we are one step closer to the completion of our Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit which will serve as an inspiration to future generations for years to come," said Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King. "It's always exciting to have the Super Guppy arrive, especially when it is delivering such precious cargo."

Built in the 1970s, the Shuttle Trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which each of the 335 space shuttle astronauts trained. It will be on display in the 15,500-square foot Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, where it joins a collection of other rare space artifacts including Simonyi's Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft and interactive exhibits showcasing space travel from the earliest days of the space shuttle program to the future of commercial space flight. In its entirety, the payload bay is 61 feet long, 19 feet wide and 23.5 feet high.

Photos courtesy Oliver McIntosh, The Museum of Flight

Super Guppy Is Unloaded: The Space Shuttle Trainer Payload Bay is removed from inside NASA's Super Guppy before transportation to The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

Payload Bay Shuttled across Boeing Field: The Space Shuttle Trainer Payload Bay is shuttled from the Boeing Military Flight Center, up Boeing Field and towards The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

Payload Bay on Crane: The aft portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer payload bay is lifted high into the air before being secured on its permanent base and wheeled into The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

posted 07-27-2012 12:48 AM               

Photos courtesy Oliver McIntosh, The Museum of Flight

Payload Bay on Crane: Visitors get an up-close look at the aft portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer payload bay as it is lifted high into the air before being secured on its permanent base and wheeled into The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

Aft portion of Payload Bay in Space Gallery: The aft portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer payload bay rests inside The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery following its’ delivery on July 26.

Aft portion of Payload Bay in Space Gallery: The aft portion of the payload bay rests beside the crew compartment inside The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. The second half of the payload bay will be delivered on Aug. 9.

posted 08-11-2012 05:02 PM            

• Super Guppy makes final delivery to Seattle today
  
• Aboard the Super Guppy on its last Seattle shuttle trainer delivery (slide show)
  
• Super Guppy returns to Seattle

posted 08-18-2012 10:08 PM               

Naturally, they were sold out of XL...

They had pins for the occasion as well, which I did get one. I've seen better designs but I suppose they'll dry up quickly:

posted 09-01-2012 01:19 AM            

Stepping inside is a chance to walk in the footsteps of astronauts, and to see what they went through on their long journey into orbit.

The trainer, delivered in pieces over the past few months, is now being assembled inside the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery at the Seattle museum. Our tour was led by Geoff Nunn, the exhibit developer.