Actually, science fiction becoming science fact becoming history. Taking advantage of the today’s historicity (it’s the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight into space, and the 30th anniversary of the first launch of Columbia), NASA today announced the final resting places of the Space Shuttles.
Administrator Charles Bolden made the announcement with the following details:
Enterprise (OV-101, pictured at right), the flight-test vehicle, which never flew into space, will move from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City
Discovery (OV-103), which first flew in 1984, and returned from its last mission in March, will replace Enterprise at the Udvar-Hazy Center. Discovery flew 39 missions.
Endeavour (OV-105), which first flew in 1992, and is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. Endeavour‘s next mission will be its 25th.
Atlantis (OV-104), which first flew in 1985, and is scheduled to fly the last planned shuttle mission this June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex in Florida. Atlantis‘s next mission will be its 33rd.
Announcing the decisions, Bolden said “We want to thank all of the locations that expressed an interest in one of these national treasures. This was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments of NASA’s remarkable Space Shuttle Program. These facilities we’ve chosen have a noteworthy legacy of preserving space artifacts and providing outstanding access to US and international visitors.”
Included in the announcement were also the allocation of “hundreds of shuttle artifacts” to museums and education institutions.
* Various shuttle simulators for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville, Oregeon, and Texas A&M’s Aerospace Engineering Department* Nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer for the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio
* Flight deck pilot and commander seats for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas
* Orbital maneuvering system engines for the US Space and Rocket Center of Huntsville, Alabama, National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
For more information on the Space Shuttle program, see this page.