Space Shuttle Acquisition- Who's In?

[tulsaboy]

Okay, since the RFI deadline has come and gone, I'm just curious what museums submitted a response to NASA's Space Shuttle inquiry. The Tulsa Air and Space Museum did, and the link below provides information published in the local paper. Just thought that the institutions that did apply could fess up and let us know about their hopes and dreams. Sure would make one cool exhibit!

I know that, at least based on what we've heard, the following museums submitted or were planning to submit:

Museum of Flight- Seattle
Johnson Space Center- Houston
NMUSAF- Dayton
Evergreen Air Museum- Oregon
Marshall Space Flight Center- Huntsville, AL

NASA said about 20 responded. Who else?

kevin



http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... rchive=yes

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... rchive=yes

[BHawthorne]

Would make sense to see one at the Kansas Cosmosphere, but I doubt they put in for one. That decontamination fee is borderline crazy.

[Ryan Keough]

1) An as-yet un-named museum cooperative near Edwards AFB / Palmdale

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/su ... 579386_ITM

http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace ... &Dynamic=1

2) Pima Air & Space Museum - (James? Did you guys apply?)

3) Intrepid Museum in NYC?

Not sure of what others...

[jamesintucson]

1) An as-yet un-named museum cooperative near Edwards AFB / Palmdale

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/su ... 579386_ITM

http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace ... &Dynamic=1

2) Pima Air & Space Museum - (James? Did you guys apply?)

3) Intrepid Museum in NYC?

Not sure of what others...

Yes, we did submit a response to the RFI. They aren't exactly applications as such, just responses to information requests. I've been told that there were 17 serious responses. The only other one I know for sure is March Field. The Cosmosphere is a good guess too although how they would get it there I have no idea since NASA won't let them be disassembled.

Personally I think one will stay at some NASA facility, one will go the the Air Force, NASM will eventually manage to get someone to pay for them to get a space flown orbiter and that leaves Enterprise up for grabs for all the rest of us also rans.

James

[APG85]

A long discussion on the fate of the Shuttles on the Collect Space Forum...

http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum41 ... 00044.html

[tom d. friedman]

rod blagoyavich (what ever.......sic) the s.o.b. promised me the shuttle for the wakeman airport if i would give him 20 thousand white castle sliders. done deal.

[tulsaboy]

So it sounds like right now the list looks like:

1. Kennedy Space Center
2. Museum of Flight
3. NMUSAF
4. Palmdale
5. Pima
6. Tulsa
7. March Field Museum
8. Evergreen

Anybody else? That's about half of them.

kevin

[APG85]

Logic would suggest:

Active Shuttle:
NASM - Discovery
NMUSAF - Atlantis
Kennedy - Endeavour


MoF or Johnson for Enterprise

Johnson has a problem of getting a Shuttle to the center without taking it apart. This would make Enterprise the Shuttle of choice for that facility.

[ZRX61]

Logic would suggest:

Active Shuttle:
NASM - Discovery
NMUSAF - Atlantis
Kennedy - Endeavour


MoF or Johnson for Enterprise

Johnson has a problem of getting a Shuttle to the center without taking it apart. This would make Enterprise the Shuttle of choice for that facility.

Logic would sugest one of them comes home to Palmdale, we built the darn things..

[APG85]

Logic would sugest one of them comes home to Palmdale, we built the darn things..

I agree but Palmdale is probably to far off the path for the average tourist (in large numbers) to make it a viable option...but who knows...

[Garth]

So it sounds like right now the list looks like:

1. Kennedy Space Center
2. Museum of Flight
3. NMUSAF
4. Palmdale
5. Pima
6. Tulsa
7. March Field Museum
8. Evergreen

Anybody else? That's about half of them.

kevin

NASM. They have dibs on Discovery, and haven't been shy about saying so.

Whether they'll be able to (or even required to) pony up the $42 million asking price for a flown shuttle is another matter entirely. They're still trying to raise money for completion of Phase II. From the looks of it, the contenders will have several years to raise the money - the shuttles are going to be stored down at Kennedy for several years after their stand-down.

[tulsaboy]

Looks like we can add the Intrepid museum to the list...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/nyreg ... e.html?hpw

What are folks' thoughts about a shuttle being on a pier in New York harbor? Does that strike anyone as problematic?

So the list looks like:

1. Kennedy Space Center
2. Museum of Flight
3. NMUSAF
4. Palmdale
5. Pima
6. Tulsa
7. March Field Museum
8. Evergreen
9. NASM
10. Intrepid

kevin

[Steve Nelson]

I have a feeling that NASA will favor facilities that can display the orbiters indoors..that limits the venues considerably. I've heard the NMUSAF wants Atlantis, because she flew the most missions for the military. I would love to be there when they land the 747/Orbiter stack at Wright Field!

SN

[RickH]

Johnson should have no problem getting the Shuttle without disassembly. One could be barged from Kennedy to JSC using the Intercoastal Canal to Texas. There were plans put in place to barge Saturn components to JSC nd one did come that way.

There is a dock and channel on Clear Lake just across from JSC, owned by NASA that was built expressly for that purpose. It still exists.

[jamesintucson]

Looks like we can add the Intrepid museum to the list...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/nyreg ... e.html?hpw

What are folks' thoughts about a shuttle being on a pier in New York harbor? Does that strike anyone as problematic?

kevin

Problematic doesn't even begin to cover it. NASA's requirements specifically stated that the Shuttles must be displayed indoors. It was strange enough putting a Concorde there let alone a Shuttle.

James