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Shuttle's destiny
When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to
happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. |
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Braxus wrote:
When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. I would like to see one in the Smithsonian, and the others stripped of engines and offered for sale at auction to the highest bidder, with the money going back to the taxpayers. But it won't happen because the low winning bid totals might be embarrassing. - Ed Kyle |
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On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:20:56 -0500, ed kyle wrote
(in article .com): Braxus wrote: When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. I would like to see one in the Smithsonian, and the others stripped of engines and offered for sale at auction to the highest bidder, with the money going back to the taxpayers. But it won't happen because the low winning bid totals might be embarrassing. - Ed Kyle Embarrassing why? What do you think is the fair market of an orbiter stripped of engines? And why would someone want one without engines? Or with engines for that matter? The FMV of a 25 year old airframe is usually determined by the scrap metal buyers at the boneyard anyway. :-/ -- "Fame may be fleeting but obscurity is forever." ~Anonymous "I believe as little as possible and know as much as I can." ~Todd Stuart Phillips www.angryherb.net |
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KSC, JSC, Smithsonian.
Thats assuming all 3 survive, which sadly I doubt It will take another lost vehicle and crew to end the program |
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Herb Schaltegger wrote: On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:20:56 -0500, ed kyle wrote (in article .com): Braxus wrote: When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. I would like to see one in the Smithsonian, and the others stripped of engines and offered for sale at auction to the highest bidder, with the money going back to the taxpayers. But it won't happen because the low winning bid totals might be embarrassing. - Ed Kyle Embarrassing why? What do you think is the fair market of an orbiter stripped of engines? And why would someone want one without engines? Or with engines for that matter? The FMV of a 25 year old airframe is usually determined by the scrap metal buyers at the boneyard anyway. :-/ The orbiters might be worth something as tourist attractions - or maybe as props on the wall of one of those theme restaurants (I saw a biplane tied to the ceiling of one such place - an interesting conversation piece, but the food was less than memorable). Maybe they could *be* restaurants, the way that old trollys were turned into diners. Or maybe someone could try cutting them into small pieces that could be sold off for profit. (I own a piece of the Explorer 1 service tower that was chopped up that way). Or maybe they could be used to carry passengers on really fast, short glider rides. - Ed Kyle |
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On 30 Sep 2005 13:20:56 -0700, "ed kyle" wrote:
I would like to see one in the Smithsonian, and the others stripped of engines and offered for sale at auction to the highest bidder, with the money going back to the taxpayers. But it won't happen because the low winning bid totals might be embarrassing. And because its illegal... they'll become property of the Smithsonian per the NASA charter... Brian |
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On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 11:28:36 -0700, "Braxus"
wrote: When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. We talked about this a week or two ago. My guess is... Discovery replaces Enterprise at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center (Dulles Annex). Enterprise transfered to Edwards AFB / NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, California. Atlantis remains at Kennedy Space Center, Florida as centerpiece of a new Space Shuttle Center similar to the Apollo-Saturn V Center. Endeavour to Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, others have reported that it might be very difficult to get any of the Shuttles to Johnson Space Center due to road and bridge clearance issues. In that case, Endeavour may wind up at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio or Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Brian |
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Brian Thorn wrote in
: On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 11:28:36 -0700, "Braxus" wrote: When they do retire the shuttle fleet whether sooner or later, what is to happen to the shuttles at that point? I can't see them all ending up at the Smithsonian, so have they have plans to place them somewhere? I can imagine one may stay at Kennedy and one in Houston. We talked about this a week or two ago. My guess is... Discovery replaces Enterprise at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center (Dulles Annex). Enterprise transfered to Edwards AFB / NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, California. Atlantis remains at Kennedy Space Center, Florida as centerpiece of a new Space Shuttle Center similar to the Apollo-Saturn V Center. Endeavour to Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, others have reported that it might be very difficult to get any of the Shuttles to Johnson Space Center due to road and bridge clearance issues. In that case, Endeavour may wind up at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio or Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. If the USAF gets an orbiter, it would most likely be Discovery since that was the one destined for VAFB. As far as I'm concerned, however, the USAF forfeited any claim to an orbiter when it pulled out of the program. Regardless of the accessibility of JSC, I still think it's more likely that Houston will get an orbiter than Dayton or Huntsville. It could be stored in a hangar at Ellington Field while a permanent building is constructed for it, the same way that Enterprise was stored at Dulles while Udvar-Hazy was built. -- JRF Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail, check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and think one step ahead of IBM. |
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On 01 Oct 2005 20:09:36 GMT, "Jorge R. Frank"
wrote: If the USAF gets an orbiter, it would most likely be Discovery since that was the one destined for VAFB. As far as I'm concerned, however, the USAF forfeited any claim to an orbiter when it pulled out of the program. I thought about that, but I don't see NASA or the Smithsonian sending the cream of the crop to Dayton. Just no way in hell, I think. Discovery is the fleet leader, and is easily the most famous of the surviving orbiters, thanks to the two RTFs and the John Glenn flight. The two places where she would get the most exposure would be the Udvar-Hazy or Kennedy Space Center. So she's destined for one or the other, I believe. I could see them giving Atlantis to the Air Force Museum, since Atlantis actually flew a few military missions whereas Endeavour never really did (unless you count the quasi-military SRL.) If the Smithsonian decides not to move Enterprise, then Discovery would certainly stay at Kennedy Space Center. NASA will not hand her over to anyone else, not even the Air Force, I think. I doubt the Air Force Museum will get a Shuttle at all, unless the cost of getting one to Houston is astronomical. Brian |
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Brian Thorn wrote: On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 11:28:36 -0700, "Braxus" wrote: Enterprise transfered to Edwards AFB / NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, California. How about mounting Enterprise to NASA 905 for permenant display? I doubt NASA will need both SCA's once STS closes shop. -A.L. |
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