Shuttle's destiny

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

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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

On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 19:54:42 GMT, "Jose Chingon"
wrote:


They'll give one of them a flying tour of the US so people can go oooh and
then they'll leave them to rot at NASA bases.

The Shuttles will be huge tourist draws, certainly. That will give the
Smithsonian great leverage in picking the exhibit locations for the
four remaining Shuttles. Whoever gets them will have to show a plan to
take care of them and exhibit them properly. I suspect there will be
no shortage of museums vying for them.

I'm sure Delaware-North, the company which runs the Kennedy Space
Center tourist operation, is salivating at the chance to have a real
Shuttle as the centerpiece of a new museum there. I'd be shocked if
they don't already have the plans drawn up, just waiting for NASA and
the Smithsonian to request proposals. At least that one certainly
won't rot.

Another will go to Edwards AFB/NASA Dryden, certainly. That one will
fair well, even outdoors, out in the desert. I suspect Enterprise will
move here from Washington DC, replaced by Discovery.

That leaves one to go to one of the usual suspects... Air Force Museum
in Dayton, NASA Johnson in Houston, Naval Aviation Museum in
Pensacola, Cradle of Aviation Museum in New York, what-have-you. The
front-runner would be Houston, but they may not have the money for it.

Brian

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.

"Jose Chingon" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Darkwing (Badass)" theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com wrote in message
...

"Braxus" wrote in message
...
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.



Load it up on a trailer, tour around the south and charge two bits a
gander.


Dumbass. It's too big for roads.

They'll give one of them a flying tour of the US so people can go oooh and
then they'll leave them to rot at NASA bases.


It's called a joke, but your dumbass missed that part.

------------------------------------------
DW

"Braxus" wrote in message
...
I could see airshows with it atop the 747. That would be something to see.
As for putting it on a trailer, there may be road blocks to get it where
its going due to restrictions of clearance, etc. on the roadways.


It was a joke!

------------------------------------
DW

If I recall correctly former SSSR's shuttle Buran was sold in Australia to a
private company as an attraction for sideshows. And the price was completely
symbolic and utterly disproportional to the actual price of the Buran
project

Too historically valuable to move it once its in a museum. then again
they let the saturns rot in the open salt air

"Marko Horvat" wrote in message
...
If I recall correctly former SSSR's shuttle Buran was sold in Australia to
a
private company as an attraction for sideshows. And the price was
completely
symbolic and utterly disproportional to the actual price of the Buran
project

It wasn't the flight model.

Greg D. Moore (Strider) wrote:
"Marko Horvat" wrote in message
...
If I recall correctly former SSSR's shuttle Buran was sold in
Australia to a private company as an attraction for sideshows. And
the price was completely symbolic and utterly disproportional to the
actual price of the Buran project

It wasn't the flight model.

Correct me if I'm wrong: just two Burans were built. One is rotting in a
hangar at Baikonur, and the other was sold (in Australia).