Officials with the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Space Center Houston (SCH) said recently that they will display a shuttle in Texas, even if the American space agency decided not to give any of the three remaining orbiters to the JSC.
According to the final NASA decision, Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in Florida, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center, near Los Angeles, while Discovery will be exhibited at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC.
But numerous museums entered the race to be selected as the final resting place of American shuttles, and some of them are not yet willing to concede the fight. The SCH is one of them, and apparently its persistence paid off.
It was recently decided that the space shuttle Explorer – the full-size orbiter replica currently displayed at the KSC Visitors Center – will be moved to Houston, thus making room for the facility that will start housing Atlantis next year.
While the Explorer never flew – to space or in the air – it is still a highly-accurate replica of the actual spacecraft that did. In addition, SCH officials say, it allows visitors to enter it, which is not the case for the actual orbiters.
From this point of view, the SCH will allow its visitors to have a more hands-on experience with the exposed shuttle, rather than simply allowing them to watch it from a distance,
Space reports.
“Of course, we are very disappointed we didn't get a real orbiter, but we're excited we're getting a shuttle mockup. With the other orbiters, you'll be able to go up to them and see them but you can't actually go on board, you can't actually go inside of it,” Paul Spana explains.
“So we see that as being a positive thing about receiving the Explorer; our guests will be able to access the mockup on two levels: one on the flight deck and then on the mid-level deck,” adds the expert, who is the SCH exhibits manager.
“Not only is [Explorer] full scale, so people can get close to it and get a sense of how big it is – because there aren't too many places you can experience that – but not only that, you'll be able to go on board the orbiter,” the official explains.
At this point, representatives from KSC and the JSC are discussing when to deliver the replica to Houston, and how. What is certain is that the craft will be exhibited outside, potentially connected to the SHC via a walkway similar to the one used by astronauts on the launching pad.
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