Quote from: Blackstar on 03/16/2010 01:13 amI haven't been there in a long time, but I was never impressed with their space section.apparently they have a Missile and Rocket Gallery, looks like quite a collection:http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/missile/index.asp
I haven't been there in a long time, but I was never impressed with their space section.
I think that it would be a much better place than beside an aircraft carrier on a pier(sorry, that though makes me cringe) http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/missile/index.asp
Here we go again.
Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 03/16/2010 01:22 amI think that it would be a much better place than beside an aircraft carrier on a pier(sorry, that though makes me cringe) http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/missile/index.aspTwo reasons why Intrepid would be a better location:-a much larger city immediately nearby-far greater international access (how many international flights go into Dayton, Ohio?)I personally love the Kansas Cosmosphere and think it is a great museum. It's also out in the middle of Nowhere. It makes less sense to put a retired shuttle in Dayton than it does in one of the largest and most famous cities in the world, and the city with the highest number of foreign tourists in the United States.
I think that it would be a much better place than beside an aircraft carrier on a pier(sorry, that though makes me cringe)
But I'd want to see the orbiters all in a safe indoor environment.
Quote from: vt_hokie on 03/19/2010 02:28 amBut I'd want to see the orbiters all in a safe indoor environment.NASA's requirements state that for any museum to receive an orbiter, it must provide an environmentally-controlled, indoor display. In the case of the Intrepid, their plan is to erect a glass-enclosed hangar on the pier.
I have another question about flying Enterprise on the SCA. After OV-101 was delivered to NASM, the other orbiters were modified with the drag chutes and the existing tailcone was modified (and the new one built) to accomodate the different shape at the base of the tail. If they are going to fly Enterprise out on the SCA, will they have to modify one of the tailcones back to the original design to do it? It seems like they will have to.
None of that has been decided yet. I think there are only two things that we can say with certainty about this effort. The first is that NASM will get Discovery, eventually. The second is that this is going to be a rather drawn out and ugly process.On that, consider that NASA still wants a lot of money for each orbiter (I think it is $28 million), and it's more than most museums ever spend at one time on things like facilities upgrades, and certainly more than they spend on acquiring objects. And it's not only money to purchase an orbiter, but to build a facility to house it and to transport it. This could easily run into the many tens of millions of dollars. That alone could mean that one or more of the orbiters will sit in storage for quite awhile. And because this is so much money, various museums are going to try and get their politicians involved in getting the federal government to give them the money to get an orbiter. So the ultimate decision may not depend upon what museum has the best facility or the best display plan, but on what museum has the best political pull. And, of course, there will be powerful members of Congress insisting that an orbiter must be in their district/state because of history, and blocking other locations.*Locations that are already interested, or seem likely:-NASM Udvar-Hazy Center-Intrepid Air and Space Museum, NYC-Museum of Flight, Seattle-Evergreen Aviation Museum, Oregon-Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center-Johnson Space Center visitor's center-US Air Force Museum-US Space and Rocket Center, HuntsvilleIf I was to bet, I would put money on NASM (of course) and KSC. The latter wins in large part because transport should be really easy and therefore cheap. Intrepid has an impressive fund-raising machine. Evergreen apparently already has the space and they have a long history of transporting heavy objects (in fact, that's what Evergreen Aviation does). Personally, I think that JSC has a poor track record with their Saturn V and doesn't deserve to get one, but that's just my bias.*There is an analogy with warships. Some famous US warships have sat in mothballs for decades because nobody could raise the capital to save them. Currently the USS Iowa, the last American battleship that is not currently a museum, lies rusting in the reserve fleet and efforts to save her have gone nowhere.
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which itself is a converted aircraft carrier that once recovered Mercury and Gemini capsules post-splashdown, was one of the first to release its designs for how to house an orbiter. Located in New York City, the Intrepid recently revised its conceptual artwork for a glass-walled hangar to be located alongside the pier where its berthed.
Enterprise's hatch is open today, do not know why:http://www.nasm.si.edu/interact/webcams/uhc4/uhc4vt.cfm
The hatch actuator (lock) was removed to be serviced. It will be reinstalled.
Schumer wants Enterprise to land at Stewart: Stewart Airport at Newburgh is certified as an alternative landing field for the space shuttle because of its 18,000 foot long main runway. Although no shuttle has ever landed at Stewart, US Senator Charles Schumer would like the Intrepid Museum-bound Enterprise to be flown into Stewart and then be brought to its final resting place by barge on the Hudson River.
QuoteSchumer wants Enterprise to land at Stewart: Stewart Airport at Newburgh is certified as an alternative landing field for the space shuttle because of its 18,000 foot long main runway. Although no shuttle has ever landed at Stewart, US Senator Charles Schumer would like the Intrepid Museum-bound Enterprise to be flown into Stewart and then be brought to its final resting place by barge on the Hudson River.http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2011/April/14/Enterprise_SWF_Schum-14Apr11.htmSeems like a long journey by barge, aren't there larger airports closer to NYC?
On the drawing board: a spectacular 75,000-square-foot glass structure on what is now a parking lot across 12th Avenue, near the museum’s home aboard USS Intrepid -- the storied World War II-era aircraft carrier docked at Pier 86 near West 46th Street. The shuttle would be the main attraction, but the building would also offer other exhibits, interactive displays, classrooms and labs for educational programs, a rooftop cafe and other amenities.
