No professional curator would allow an artifact to meet this fate.
Quote from: Rocket Science on 03/01/2015 02:17 pmNo professional curator would allow an artifact to meet this fate. It's not uncommon at all. Huntsville has a bunch of rockets rotting away in the woods, KSC has had rockets fall over several times in hurricanes, Enterprise was damaged in New York, the Saturn V at JSC is so deteriorated that it couldn't be moved.
Quote from: rayleighscatter on 03/01/2015 04:21 pmQuote from: Rocket Science on 03/01/2015 02:17 pmNo professional curator would allow an artifact to meet this fate. It's not uncommon at all. Huntsville has a bunch of rockets rotting away in the woods, KSC has had rockets fall over several times in hurricanes, Enterprise was damaged in New York, the Saturn V at JSC is so deteriorated that it couldn't be moved.You forgot the Saturn V that sat in the VAB parking lot for some 30 years, allowed to corrode and packed full of nests and bird $hit...
Yes, true, but in the end they just didn't say F*{K it and push them off a truck behind a building. Those rockets were all preserved.
You forgot the Saturn V that sat in the VAB parking lot for some 30 years, allowed to corrode and packed full of nests and bird $hit...
Quote from: Rocket Science on 03/01/2015 04:44 pmYou forgot the Saturn V that sat in the VAB parking lot for some 30 years, allowed to corrode and packed full of nests and bird $hit...Closer to 20, actually (1975-1995)
As of Saturday, the rocket is still in one piece, sort of. It is crumpled quite a bit around the nose, and is stored outside behind a building.John
Quote from: Helodriver on 03/01/2015 04:55 pmYes, true, but in the end they just didn't say F*{K it and push them off a truck behind a building. Those rockets were all preserved.No they weren't. http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19750832000
Quote from: rayleighscatter on 03/01/2015 05:46 pmQuote from: Helodriver on 03/01/2015 04:55 pmYes, true, but in the end they just didn't say F*{K it and push them off a truck behind a building. Those rockets were all preserved.No they weren't. http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19750832000There are lots of rockets and missiles in lots of locations, and their conditions vary, of course. Usually museums have a collection strategy that guides their priorities. Generally speaking, it goes something like this:-this museum collects artifacts that are in specific areas-the museum seeks to collect artifacts in its areas based upon their historical basis. For instance, did the artifact itself do something historically significant? Is it the only one of its kind? Is it in some other way unique? Are there lots of others like it in lots of other museums?-how big is it? Will it fit in the existing museum space? -how much does it cost to preserve it? How much will it cost to restore it?So the fact that one missile, like the one linked above, is sitting outside, not restored, is not proof of anything. Are there other similar missiles preserved? Is this part of their core collection? Is it unique? All those factors are important.
Just received from Jennifer""Charley,The US Air Force is still in discussion regarding the Atlas. They are on the fence about whether to even consider lending it to another facility or continuing on its disposal course. They did in fact want the rocket back for themselves, but believed that the condition could not be stabilized/restored. This is why it was marked for disposal, because they believed that it could not be saved, not because they just did not want it. We have sent them another proposal, that if we are willing to send a spacecraft restoration expert out to inspect the condition and give their opinion on whether it can be saved or if the damage is irreparable. We are asking that if we are willing to do this and can handle the cost, would the US Air Force consider lending us the rocket then.I'll keep you updated.Jennifer "
Looks like I am the first backer of this project I also contacted http://www.capemuseum.org/index.html to see if they have any ideas on how to help.
Quote from: Kansan52 on 03/04/2015 06:22 pmJust received from Jennifer""Charley,The US Air Force is still in discussion regarding the Atlas. They are on the fence about whether to even consider lending it to another facility or continuing on its disposal course. They did in fact want the rocket back for themselves, but believed that the condition could not be stabilized/restored. This is why it was marked for disposal, because they believed that it could not be saved, not because they just did not want it. We have sent them another proposal, that if we are willing to send a spacecraft restoration expert out to inspect the condition and give their opinion on whether it can be saved or if the damage is irreparable. We are asking that if we are willing to do this and can handle the cost, would the US Air Force consider lending us the rocket then.I'll keep you updated.Jennifer "Sounds promising Charley, thank you for your effort thus far. Considering what has been done to her, she appears to be holding up quite well.
I suppose we'll never know why NASA Glenn didn't get to inspect this Atlas before it was yanked down and bent. - Ed Kyle