PIMA Air and Space Museum out of the running for a Shuttle

[Warbirdnerd]

The Pima Air and Space Museum survived the first two rounds of proposals to host one of the soon-to-be retired space shuttles, but withdrew after concluding the cost of acquiring one was too high.

"Essentially, we determined we were not in a position to raise $28.8 million in the short time frame given," said Yvonne Morris, the museum's executive director. She said NASA wanted the money raised by the end of this year.

Morris said the museum also took a realistic look at the competition and decided it would be gambling a lot of staff time and effort on a long shot.

"Frankly, my own personal opinion is the shuttles will all go to museums associated with government institutions, like Smithsonian, the Air Force Museum and Cape Canaveral."

In addition to paying $28.8 million for the shuttle, the winning institutions will have to erect a display building to NASA specifications, adding "several million more dollars" to the cost, Morris said.

Still, it was tough to drop the bid, said Morris.

"Who wouldn't want a shuttle? It would have been a real boon to us and to the community."

The retiring shuttles are being offered to institutions that can raise the money to exhibit them correctly, and that can offer the best possible access to the public.

NASA's decision about who will get shuttles is at least months away. No choice will be made until after the final shuttle mission of the three active orbiters, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour.

Found it here:
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-an ... bc43d.html

[Pat Carry]

That is a huge chunk of money! I would say most museums could not raise that kind of dough especially during these tough econimic times when so many museums are just hanging on by a thread.

[Pat Carry]

Along those same lines, the Adler Planeterium in Chicago is now also in the running to get a shuttle. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-m ... 6351.story

[Steve Nelson]

How the heck would they get a shuttle to the planetarium? The nearest aiport is the old Miegs Feild, which would have been too small for the transporter/orbiter even before the runway was illegally ripped up on the mayor's orders. The shuttle would have to be landed somewhere outside of Chicagoland, and barged across Lake Michigan. Heck, maybe they could land at Cleveland Lakefront, and barge it through the great lakes. That would make an interesting final journey. It'd be a hoot to get pics of a shuttle going up the Detroit River, or passing under the Mackinac Bridge!

SN

[Garth]

How the heck would they get a shuttle to the planetarium? The nearest aiport is the old Miegs Feild, which would have been too small for the transporter/orbiter even before the runway was illegally ripped up on the mayor's orders. The shuttle would have to be landed somewhere outside of Chicagoland, and barged across Lake Michigan. Heck, maybe they could land at Cleveland Lakefront, and barge it through the great lakes. That would make an interesting final journey. It'd be a hoot to get pics of a shuttle going up the Detroit River, or passing under the Mackinac Bridge!

SN

Barging a shuttle into a museum is apparently a good option for getting it to a number of different museums. Intrepid in NYC for instance, which already has a Concorde barged over from JFK. Johnson Space Center in Houston as well - someone here previously mentioned that a shuttle could be barged over directly from the Cape.

I don't think Chicago is really going to get one, since NASA will want the shuttles to be geographically dispersed. My guess is that they end up located as follows:

Discovery at NASM Dulles in Northern Virgina/DC Metro (foregone conclusion)

Atlantis at NMUSAF in Dayton

Endeavour at KSC in Florida

Enterprise on the West Coast, best bet being Evergreen

Then again, given the current Administration's connections to Chicago and willingness to put resources and it's credibility on the line to support the hometown (President Obama's failed early-term trip to Europe to personally pitch Chicago to the International Olympic Committee, for example), one may go to Chicago afterall. Assuming Discovery goes to NASM regardless, NASA decides to keep one at Kennedy (possession being 9/10ths of the law) and one of the other flown shuttles going to Chicago, the disposition of the last one (Enterprise, I'd imagine) will come down to a nasty fight between the CA/OR/WA delegations on one side and the OH Congressional delegation on the other, with the USAF siding with OH to bring her to Dayton.

In that situation, I think the West Coast wins.

[Jerry O'Neill]

How the heck would they get a shuttle to the planetarium? The nearest aiport is the old Miegs Feild, which would have been too small for the transporter/orbiter even before the runway was illegally ripped up on the mayor's orders. The shuttle would have to be landed somewhere outside of Chicagoland, and barged across Lake Michigan. Heck, maybe they could land at Cleveland Lakefront, and barge it through the great lakes. That would make an interesting final journey. It'd be a hoot to get pics of a shuttle going up the Detroit River, or passing under the Mackinac Bridge!

SN

Remember, when the Enterprise was built, they trucked it over to Edwards.
You can figure how to truck one of those babies just about anywhere there is a large airport nearby. It just takes logistics and a lot of planning.
Jerry

[mustangdriver]

I think it would be ironic to send a Shuttle to Chicago. Spend enough time in Chicago and you will want to leave Earth.

[brucev]