Space Shuttle Enterprise move from Smithsonian NASM to New York

[Chris Bergin]

Although I hope this potential isn't for a good few years yet

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/enterprise-good-condition-potential-sca-ferry-smithsonian/

[Carl G]

Any ideas where it might go if they swap with a flown orbiter?

[Blackstar]

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, Huntsville

If 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.

[Lee Jay]

Evergreen apparently already has the space and they have a long history of transporting heavy objects (in fact, that's what Evergreen Aviation does).

Well, they got the Spruce Goose there, and that was no easy task.  It's even got a nice SR-71 sitting where it looks like an under-wing pylon-mounted ALCM on the big wooden aircraft!  (See attached image).

It's a pretty big place.  They'd have no problem creating a spot for an orbiter.

[Captain Scarlet]

Thanks for the article, didn't know it had more of a role than just landing tests.

Any chance of a tour on the SCA? How did they get it to Stansted anyway? Transatlantic journey!

[Chris Bergin]

How did they get it to Stansted anyway? Transatlantic journey!

With stops in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland - that long way across.

[collectSPACE]

As a compliment to Chris' article, I was at the Udvar-Hazy last week and toured Enterprise with NASA's Martin Boyd and USA's Klint Combs, who are leading the inspection and repair effort, as well as Valerie Neal, Enterprise's curator at the National Air and Space Museum.

NASA readies retired test shuttle Enterprise for one last flight
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510a.html

The article includes two photo galleries:

Preparing Enterprise for flight
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510b.html

How to display a retired space shuttle
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510c.html

[mmeijeri]

With stops in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland - that long way across.

Heheh, along a Flexible Path with refueling along the way.

[collectSPACE]

Any ideas where it might go if they swap with a flown orbiter?

As Dwayne mentions, the new location has yet to be decided -- but even beyond that, it is not yet known how ownership of Enterprise will be transferred. From my interview with curator Valerie Neal:

There's a couple of different ways that could happen and that isn't decided yet either.

If we decide ever to deaccession anything that has come from NASA we have to offer it back to NASA. So if we decided we were not going to keep Enterprise on our books, then we would offer it back to NASA and then NASA could then either say 'Yes, we'll take it,' and assign it somewhere, which they might be inclined to do because they are going to have to fly it to its new home. So it might be cleaner if it is their property. They would then have complete control; they are not flying our spacecraft.

They can say yes or no, and if they say yes, then obviously they can disposition like they are going to disposition the others. It will be out of our hands to decide where it goes. Maybe we can make a recommendation but I suspect it will go to one of the sites that responded to the RFI. Kind of the first runner up, you might say.

If NASA said no and they don't want to take it back, and it remains ours, then we either deaccession it directly to another institution of our choice and then leave that institution and NASA to arrange its transport, or we keep it on our books and put it on permanent loan to the other place -- and permanent really means permanent in that circumstance.

[Chris Bergin]

As a compliment to Chris' article, I was at the Udvar-Hazy last week and toured Enterprise with NASA's Martin Boyd and USA's Klint Combs, who are leading the inspection and repair effort, as well as Valerie Neal, Enterprise's curator at the National Air and Space Museum.

NASA readies retired test shuttle Enterprise for one last flight
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510a.html

The article includes two photo galleries:

Preparing Enterprise for flight
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510b.html

How to display a retired space shuttle
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031510c.html

Very nice, and way superior to the one I knocked out as a filler between the two RRCS articles. Though it's good I treated my only as a processing style update, as yours is a big feature - via actually being there

[MBK004]

Chris, good article, but there is one nit-pick I have that is currently in the article.

You mention Enterprise's trip to Vandenberg AFB, but neglect to mention why it was there. The purpose would seem to be very historical since OV-101 was the only shuttle to visit SLC-6 at VAFB for fit checks at that pad.

Photo link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Shuttle_Enterprise_in_launch_configuration.jpg

[Skylon]

Out of curiosity, how was removing Enterprise from the SCA handled in Washington? The mate/demate equipment's a long way from there.

In any case, it's nice Enterprise will get one last "flight".

[Lee Jay]

Out of curiosity, how was removing Enterprise from the SCA handled in Washington? The mate/demate equipment's a long way from there.

Very likely mobile cranes.

EDIT:  Look what I found!

http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exhibits/historic/85-17421-15.gif

"The Space Shuttle Enterprise being removed from the 747 which flew it to the Dulles Airport    Negative number: 85-17421-15
NASA's Space Shuttle Enterprise flew into Washington Dulles International Airport on 16 November 1985 atop a modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft. Using cranes, the Enterprise was removed from the top of the 747 and lowered to the tarmac at Dulles on 17 November. On 6 December 1985 NASA transferred title of the Enterprise to the National Air and Space Museum at a black tie gala at the airport. Photo by Dale Hrabak."

[Chris Bergin]

Chris, good article, but there is one nit-pick I have that is currently in the article.

You mention Enterprise's trip to Vandenberg AFB, but neglect to mention why it was there. The purpose would seem to be very historical since OV-101 was the only shuttle to visit SLC-6 at VAFB for fit checks at that pad.

Photo link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Shuttle_Enterprise_in_launch_configuration.jpg

Yeah, we've got a lot of images of that, but I was trying to be as brief as possible with the background, as I didn't want to get too wordy. However, I've given that a reference at least now.

[Ronsmytheiii]

Here are the expansion plans for Dayton, if they dont get an orbiter it will still be worth it to see a Titan IV.  If anyone has never gone to the National Museum of the USAF I highly advise it, their content easily rivals that of the National Air and Space Museum:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shuttle.asp

[Blackstar]

Here are the expansion plans for Dayton

Well that's really interesting!  Thanks for posting it.

I haven't been there in a long time, but I was never impressed with their space section.  Like the rest of the USAF, they treated space as an afterthought.  Unless that attitude has changed, they wouldn't be high on my list of deserving an orbiter.

[Ronsmytheiii]

I haven't been there in a long time, but I was never impressed with their space section.  Like the rest of the USAF, they treated space as an afterthought.  Unless that attitude has changed, they wouldn't be high on my list of deserving an orbiter.

I think that it would be a much better place than beside an aircraft carrier on a pier(sorry, that though makes me cringe)

also apparently they have a  Missile and Rocket Gallery, looks like quite a collection:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/missile/index.asp

[Skylon]

Very likely mobile cranes.

EDIT:  Look what I found!

http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exhibits/historic/85-17421-15.gif

"The Space Shuttle Enterprise being removed from the 747 which flew it to the Dulles Airport    Negative number: 85-17421-15
NASA's Space Shuttle Enterprise flew into Washington Dulles International Airport on 16 November 1985 atop a modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft. Using cranes, the Enterprise was removed from the top of the 747 and lowered to the tarmac at Dulles on 17 November. On 6 December 1985 NASA transferred title of the Enterprise to the National Air and Space Museum at a black tie gala at the airport. Photo by Dale Hrabak."

That's service. Thanks! Looks like a basic support frame was built and used to lift Enterprise with the cranes.

I'd assume this is also how an orbiter would be mated to an SCA in the event of landing at a contingency site (IE: a TAL).

[brettreds2k]

Also one other great article about the move in more detail.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35911923/ns/technology_and_science-space/

[Mark Dave]

That's amazing.