The Top 3 Shuttle Destinations (with Suresh Atapattu 30th Anniversary Photo Gallery)

[NYCA News]

NYCAviation:

The Top 3 Space Shuttle Destinations (with 30th Anniversary Photo Gallery) (http://nycaviation.com/2011/04/the-top-3-space-shuttle-destinations-with-30th-anniversary-photo-gallery/)

NASA will announce the final resting place of the four remaining Space Shuttles on Tuesday at 1pm ET. Here are the institutions most likely to win them, along with some amazing photos of Shuttles in action.
[Click to Read Full Article (http://nycaviation.com/2011/04/the-top-3-space-shuttle-destinations-with-30th-anniversary-photo-gallery/)]

[Spunker]

I hope the Intrepid folks get one!

[PhilDernerJr]

I would also like to announce that this is the first article and gallery from Suresh Atapattu, which many of you will know as one of, if not THE, top Space Shuttle photographer's these days. He will be our eyes on the ground for all things space in the future!

[moose135]

The Daily News is reporting Enterprise will be coming to NYC...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/04/12/2011-04-12_nasa_space_shuttle_enterprise_coming_to_nycs_in trepid_seaairspace_museum_.html


WASHINGTON - The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum has landed a NASA space shuttle! NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will announce later Tuesday that the prototype Enterprise shuttle has been awarded to the Intrepid, sources said. The decision follows months of aggressive lobbying from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Announcement is expected around 1pm this afternoon...we shall see.

[moose135]

It's official...

Discovery to Air & Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center
Endeavor to California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA
Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center, FL
Enterprise to Intrepid, NYC

[Tom_Turner]

As expected :biggrin:

[moose135]

As expected :biggrin:
I'll be the first to admit - when the Intrepid folks said they were putting in a bid for a shuttle, I never expected them to win. Even with the DN story today, it wasn't until they actually made the announcement that I really believed it!

[steve1840]

What kind of time frame are we looking at until it gets here?

[cancidas]

where is intrepid gonna park the shuttle again? is the concorde going to be displaced to make room? i seem to remember a drawing of a glass structure on the end of the pier, that still the plan?

[jerslice]

I'll be the first to admit - when the Intrepid folks said they were putting in a bid for a shuttle, I never expected them to win
Me either. I honestly still don't think it should've gone to them. Dayton or Houston should've gotten one ahead of Intrepid. And if not them Chicago or Seattle, or at least somewhere else west of the Appalachians. Three on one coast, and two within a relatively short drive, is too much.

[Speedbird1]

Strange that now the Intrepid Museum says they want to display the prototype Shuttle Enterprise. I have a statement from last year saying they are "not interested in the Enterprise". How times have changed! I am concerned about where they will put Concorde; although there is plenty of space on that huge pier for both aircraft. Don't forget that the Shuttle is merely the size of the old DC-9 in dimension. I was shocked that Houston got no Shuttle at all. I guess that a prototype is better than nothing and Intrepid is getting it at a discounted price! I guess it will again fly piggy-back aboard a 747 SCA from IAD (just keep it away from the A388).

[puckstopper55]

Strange that now the Intrepid Museum says they want to display the prototype Shuttle Enterprise. I have a statement from last year saying they are "not interested in the Enterprise". How times have changed! I am concerned about where they will put Concorde; although there is plenty of space on that huge pier for both aircraft. Don't forget that the Shuttle is merely the size of the old DC-9 in dimension. I was shocked that Houston got no Shuttle at all. I guess that a prototype is better than nothing and Intrepid is getting it at a discounted price! I guess it will again fly piggy-back aboard a 747 SCA from IAD (just keep it away from the A388).

Thats a great question. I wonder if it is still able to handle the stresses of a flight (even just a piggy back ride)? If I had to guess, I would say it cant handle that stress, and will be trucked / shipped to the pier, and then lifted via crane.

[eric8669]

Thats a great question. I wonder if it is still able to handle the stresses of a flight (even just a piggy back ride)? If I had to guess, I would say it cant handle that stress, and will be trucked / shipped to the pier, and then lifted via crane.

I believe there was a study done last year on Enterprise that it was certified to to fly atop a 747.

[JHNA57]

Thats a great question. I wonder if it is still able to handle the stresses of a flight (even just a piggy back ride)? If I had to guess, I would say it cant handle that stress, and will be trucked / shipped to the pier, and then lifted via crane

My 2¢ says they would use a barge from Maryland to NYC. The real question is how they get it from IAD to the docks, so piggyback to JFK might not be totally ruled out??

[eric8669]

My 2¢ says they would use a barge from Maryland to NYC. The real question is how they get it from IAD to the docks, so piggyback to JFK might not be totally ruled out??

I am 98% sure that it will be flown up from washington and we will all be there to see it. The Enterprise has been certified to fly atop the 747 from several articles I have read.

[steve1840]

I am 98% sure that it will be flown up from washington and we will all be there to see it. The Enterprise has been certified to fly atop the 747 from several articles I have read.

I don't care if I was risking getting fired for taking a day off from work, but if need be, I will call out of work for this! This is something I would never get to see again.

[puckstopper55]

I don't care if I was risking getting fired for taking a day off from work, but if need be, I will call out of work for this! This is something I would never get to see again.

Agreed. We need to pay close attention to when / where, and then all figure out the best spot to watch (even for us who don't photograph)

[hiss srq]

I cannot wait to see her arrive at JFK... Rest assured, I will be there, either watching her from my perch or down next to the runway when she does come in. And, for once I will actually take LEVEL pictures of something landing when it happens. Hahaha (Tommy will get that one)

[Derf]

ERIC ROCKS!!!! :cool:

[NIKV69]

or Seattle.

Awww feeling a little left out are we? All are major tourist destinations over dreary seattle and the midwest. This way they get the most exposure not just for Citizens of the US but for people around the world who tend to take vacations to places like NY and not Seattle, Chicago or Houston.

[moose135]

I am 98% sure that it will be flown up from washington and we will all be there to see it. The Enterprise has been certified to fly atop the 747 from several articles I have read.
From the NASA document requesting applications for the shuttles, they said one of the requirements was a nearby airfield capable of handing the SCA, as all shuttles would be flown to their final destinations.

And since we've been talking about Enterprise for the past two days, here's a look at what we are getting...

http://www.moose135photography.com/Travel/Air-Space-Museum/Shuttle001/85862208_nFdNR-L-2.jpg

http://www.moose135photography.com/Travel/Air-Space-Museum/Shuttle003/85862224_k4ueZ-L-3.jpg

[NIKV69]

Was it ever outfitted with engines? I don't think it was but it would be cool to get it with the engines. I could care less about the heat shields.

[Speedbagel_001]

I can't recall where, but I'm pretty sure I read that NASA plans on removing all of the engines/propulsion units from the decommissioned shuttles and replacing them with high quality replicas. Apparently, the main engines are still very highly prized by NASA. As for Enterprise, doesn't seem that they ever installed real engines.

[ch2tdriver]

The original plan back in the 70's was to bring Enterprise (OV-101) up to spaceworthy status by adding engines and a TPS. (The tiles you see are only foam not the real deal) During the construction of Columbia (OV-102) NASA and the contractor learned a lot of things and how to do them better. One major item was how to make the orbiters lighter in order to carry more payload by using the new construction techniques and materials. These techniques were eventually applied to Discovery (OV-103) and Atlantis (OV-104). When time came to retrofit Enterprise they took a hard look at the cost and the deconstruction that would be required to bring her up to the new standards. It would not be economical.

NASA had constructed another partial orbiter for testing, STA-99. Ironically this vehicle helped to show NASA what sections of the vehicle were "overbuilt" as they did not see as much stressing as thought, resulting in the new lighter shuttles. It was decided to use this vehicle as the basis of the next shuttle and just build the parts they needed new. She became Challenger. When she was tragically lost, and a replacement was approved, Enterprise was looked at again to be upgraded. But NASA had such a cache of spare parts (tail, wings, crew compartment etc..) from when they thought the shuttles would make dozens of flights to get to 100 or so each, and assumed that some parts might need replacement. The projected flight rate never materialized, so NASA again found it more economical to just use these parts and build a new one, Endeavor (OV-105).

The article covers the inspections on Enterprise:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/enterprise-good-condition-potential-sca-ferry-smithsonian/

Yes they did find some corrosion and it is being repaired. Most likely from the decade it spent sitting in a hangar at IAD before UH was built.
She WILL be flown to NY on the SCA that's a given. Most likely after Discovery is flown to IAD to UH, to swap for Enterprise.

So the next question is will Intrepid have the new hangar built (and the $$$) in time for when this happens? If not where would she go in the mean time? I'm also willing to bet that when she comes to NY there will be a photo op/fly-by over the SOL and 'I'. :cool:

[hiss srq]

With relation to the Enterprise being the only non flight worthy of the fleet as far as space goes... Are those just OMS cover's on it or wwere the plumbing and compartments completely left out of it from the get go as it was strictly flown for landing testing.

[moose135]

Enterprise never had engines or plumbing for them installed. From the Smithsonian's site:


...this vehicle has no propulsion system and only simulated thermal tiles because these features were not needed for atmospheric and ground tests.
They did have the capacity to add them later, if needed. After both the Challenger and Columbia disasters, some thought was given to upgrading Enterprise to flight status. With advances made during the shuttle program, this was rejected, as Enterprise was heavier, and had different structural elements, than the operational orbiters.

[Perriwen]

It's official...

Discovery to Air & Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center
Endeavor to California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA
Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center, FL
Enterprise to Intrepid, NYC

I for one am infuriated at the decision. And the mood in Houston is total outrage, including a lot of the NASA workers/astronauts who feel like they've been slapped in the face. No offense to you guys in New York, but come on...

The shuttle was designed and dreamed up in Houston.
The astronauts who flew it lived and trained in Houston.
The missions the shuttle flew were controlled from Houston.

What were they smoking thinking NYC is more deserving of an orbiter than Houston? The Space City? Florida I can understand, Air and Space Museum I can understand. LA, near NASA Drydon I can understand. But Houston deserves an orbiter WAAAAAAAAAAY more than the Intrepid...instead we just get two seats pulled off it.

Anyway, Congressional inquiries are in the works to figure out what led to this decision, and maybe, MAYBE it can result in an Orbiter being rerouted to Houston, NASA's HOME, where it belongs.

[Derf]

1. more people will see it
50. we paid more in taxes then Houston


NASA decided it not us. It to me is simple....more people will see it in NYC than any other place....

Why should it be in LA, it is Not Dryden.....

Sorry Moose, I had to do it

[Perriwen]

1. more people will see it
50. we paid more in taxes then Houston


NASA decided it not us. It to me is simple....more people will see it in NYC than any other place....

Why should it be in LA, it is Not Dryden.....

Sorry Moose, I had to do it


Houston was basically told by the White House it was a political move to rustle up votes...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7518917.html

Anyway, it doesn't matter which city has more tourists, it would honor those tens of thousands who have devoted their blood, sweat, and tears to the program.

[NIKV69]

Houston was basically told by the White House it was a political move to rustle up votes...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7518917.html

Anyway, it doesn't matter which city has more tourists, it would honor those tens of thousands who have devoted their blood, sweat, and tears to the program.

Votes for what? NY will never vote Republican in the general or Senate seats and now that we have a Dem Gov who basically governs like a Republican so I don't see how that made every difference. My bet is it's money and Fred is right many more people will see it in NY than in Houston. Florida I can give you because Obama will have a very tough time carrying that state but CA and NY? Both states vote Dem no matter how horrid the candidate.

[bluejuice]

With all this bickering between NYC and Houston, Dont forget where the wings and rudder were built. Right here on Long Island in Grumman and Fairchild. Congrats to the Intrepid!!:cool::cool::cool:

[hiss srq]

With all this bickering between NYC and Houston, Dont forget where the wings and rudder were built. Right here on Long Island in Grumman and Fairchild. Congrats to the Intrepid!!:cool::cool::cool:

+1

Additionally, +whatever to the people who said it would make more sense in terms of visibility.

Additionally, while LA might have space infastructure from NASA I argue that they shouldnt have gotten it over Houston... Houston should have a shuttle but the fact of the matter is beyond having a tremendous amount of the shuttle built right here on Long Island... Without us Long Islanders the aerospace business would not have been what it has. Here on Long Island is where a much larger portion of the machines that have driven us to the here and now of the aerospace business came to frutition. So, while the key punchers might have been in Houston, the actual blood sweat and tears that made spaceflight what it is today where on this great island many of us call home. Piss and moan as the nay sayers may but JetBlue and United all cover IAH/HOU-JFK/LGA/EWR quite well. ;)

[Perriwen]

+1

the actual blood sweat and tears that made spaceflight what it is today where on this great island many of us call home. Piss and moan as the nay sayers may but JetBlue and United all cover IAH/HOU-JFK/LGA/EWR quite well. ;)

A SMALL PORTION of the blood, sweat, and tears.

What about New Orleans where all the external fuel tanks were built for the last thirty years?

What about the Rockwell facilities in California that actually assembled the whole shuttle?

What about the Stennis Space Center that painstakingly tested every shuttle engine for 30+ years?

What about all the other states that made parts of the shuttle?

One plant that made a segment of the orbiter, all six of them, hardly qualifies as THE place where all the blood, sweat, and tears were. To say that's where the real work happened is a discredit to everyone else involved. To be blunt, they had the easy part, making segments that were painstakingly designed elsewhere, and once the last two wings were finished, their part was done. Not saying it was worthless, but simply building a wing and rudder according to someone else's design pales in comparison to what many others contributed.

[jerslice]

Awww feeling a little left out are we?
Nope, we get something we can get into :-) The only thing I feel left out of is the SCA visit - but LA isn't that far away!

[moose135]

What were they smoking thinking NYC is more deserving of an orbiter than Houston?
I'll tell you the same thing I told someone (also from Texas) who was complaining about the choice - the shuttles are artifacts of the American space program, not the Houston space program. They belong to the American people, all of them, not just the handful who live in Houston. Millions more people will see the Enterprise in New York than if it was in Houston.

[Perriwen]

I'll tell you the same thing I told someone (also from Texas) who was complaining about the choice - the shuttles are artifacts of the American space program, not the Houston space program. They belong to the American people, all of them, not just the handful who live in Houston. Millions more people will see the Enterprise in New York than if it was in Houston.

Hate to break it to you, but the amount of visitors to each museum is roughly the same. So, there goes the 'millions more' argument...

http://www.ny.com/museums/intrepid.sea-air-space.museum.html


Since 1982, the Intrepid has become a national icon. More than 750,000 people visit each year.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7518917.html


The Space Center Houston is a museum adjacent to Johnson Space Center that attracts 750,000 visitors a year.So, 'millions more' is closer to ' maybe one or two thousand more'

[eric8669]

Hate to break it to you, but the amount of visitors to each museum is roughly the same. So, there goes the 'millions more' argument...

http://www.ny.com/museums/intrepid.sea-air-space.museum.html

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7518917.html

So, 'millions more' is closer to ' maybe one or two thousand more'


well now visitors to the intrepid will increase. If Houston were to get it I don't see the visitor attendance increasing as much as it would in NY, hence "millions more" will see it.

[Perriwen]

well now visitors to the intrepid will increase. If Houston were to get it I don't see the visitor attendance increasing as much as it would in NY, hence "millions more" will see it.

Why wouldn't it increase in Houston? You're acting like Houston is just some city no one visits...it's a huge tourist hot spot with a resort island about ten minutes away from the space center, two major water parks, two flight museums, two world war 2 vessels now floating musuems, the San Jacinto battlefield, two national forests, four major league teams...we're not some little town out in the boonies, you know. Why would it increase for New York and not Houston?

[hiss srq]

Do you forget a little device called the LEM? Or perhaps the supersonic aircraft that formed the backbone of aerospace up to and beyond the point of space flight? That's right... They were built on Long Island...... Not in Texas... Without the LEM I hate to say it but we werent going to the moon and it was almost all Long Islanders who built that nifty little machine. And, with arguments valid that Houston isnt exactly Wachula, Florida New York will still be a much more visible point. Let me ask you this... When you go to Europe and Asia and see adds along the lines of "Travel To America" how many of them have you seen that say Houston? Probably not many. New York is a world culture center. Houston is certainly a sizeable world business center BUT New York is a culture/business center. People come to America with dreams of seeing New York as the sole purpose goal.. Many... I meet them every day in fact.... I don't meet many people who dream of going to Houston. By that virtue alone it makes the point. People are going to come to NYC and one of the first things they will see when they make it to the west side of the skyline is that big gleaming space shuttle. That sign of once mighty America and the power of it in the most powerful city on the planet.... Period...

[Perriwen]

By the same virtue, how many people do you see in NYC who, when you ask them, are enthused about going to an air and space museum? Probably not many...as you said, New York is a CULTURE center, people who want to go watch shows, look at art galleries, and so on, but would be put to sleep when it comes to things like space flight. Just look at the numbers, the museums draw in about the same amount of people. On the other hand, when people come to Houston, space flight IS one of the major draws. Seeing mission control, seeing the places where the astronauts train, MEETING some of them men and women who fly into space, seeing the rocket gardens with examples of everything the US has flown into space (minus a space shuttle orbiter). So, which would be the bigger draw? People who come with the intent on seeing and exploring manned space flight in it's very home, or people just taking a little deviation from culture?

[fk6065]

two national forests

There are forests in Texas?

[Derf]

Sorry, but most of us New Yorkers mean no disrespect to the Great State of Texas. We did not make the decision and can understand why your upset. We feel that it will make more impact at the Intrepid that in Houston. The one thing that I can say is that every Man and Woman who knows someone that works or worked for NASA holds their head a little higher than most others. It is all about being a small part of something that kids dreams are made of, something that is larger than life itself. This distribution of these few artifacts of the American space program would have created some grumbling of some sort no matter what the result. I am sorry that you guys are not getting a Shuttle but feel we would be crazy not to ask for one. I personally feel that the Shuttle at the Intrepid will cause a HUGE influx of visitors from the largest School District in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,600 separate schools alone... Every one of theses students are within 1 hour day trip of visiting our history. With a U.S. Aircraft Carrier, Submarine, British Built Concorde and some very unique aircraft, this latest edition is allowing the Intrepid to add to a recently started Space exhibit. Yes, There has been an incredible support system in Texas for our Space program, it surely was not as important as Operations in Florida and lacks the research achieved in California, NASA was not going to get most of them with notification of distribution to Museums. What was important was that where ever they went that it would have to make the most impact. I feel the decision was a no brainier for NY as it will reach the eyes of more school children then anywhere else in the U.S. and with more visitors visiting the NYC area, this will allow more viewing than in Houston. I know people on many Photography forums and when they come to the U.S. they visit NY more than any other place... Second is CA and never had seen one post about going to Texas. When your in the U.S. The Big destinations are N.Y., Florida, CA with many others but those are the main places that people want to visit if they do not have family and are going "out of their element" If I lived in Texas I too would be upset being all that Houston has done.

It is been a while since I have been to the "Great State of Texas" but I hope to return next year...

[Perriwen]

There are forests in Texas?

Texas has just about everything geography and nature has to offer sans a volcano. Islands, beaches, deserts, mountains, plains, canyons, rivers, bayous, ocean, lakes, forests....

[fk6065]

Really never knew Texas had forests, interesting I always thought it was more flat open land. Interesting, in all the pictures I have ever seen from or of Texas I've never seen one with a forest. Guess you learn something everyday.

[Derf]

It is really like a country....The best part is when you Texas Size a Long Island Iced Tea.... They bring out what looks like a 1 gallon fish bowl for like $5!!!! I have the a great amount of respect for the Great State of Texas.

[Perriwen]

Texas has the following national forests:
-Sam Houston
-Sabine
-Davy Crockett
-Angelina

Only the very southeast and panhandle are flat, really. Then there's a whole area called Hill Country (with lots of hills, obviously) and Big Bend, with lots of mountains, chasms, hills, canyons...and very little in the way of towns in that region. It's an amazing place.

[jerslice]

The best part is when you Texas Size a Long Island Iced Tea.... They bring out what looks like a 1 gallon fish bowl for like $5!!!!
Had one myself about a month back...don't remember much after that :-)

[Perriwen]

It is really like a country....The best part is when you Texas Size a Long Island Iced Tea.... They bring out what looks like a 1 gallon fish bowl for like $5!!!! I have the a great amount of respect for the Great State of Texas.

Don't forget one of the best creations since sliced bread...chicken fried steak with gravey! Tomball is home to one so good it made the Travel Channel's top 101 places to eat in America, called Goodson's Cafe.

[moose135]

It's an amazing place.
All that, and you want a shuttle too? That's just being greedy! :biggrin:

[Derf]

Don't forget one of the best creations since sliced bread...chicken fried steak with gravey! Tomball is home to one so good it made the Travel Channel's top 101 places to eat in America, called Goodson's Cafe.
Now you really need to stop. Most New Yorkers will look at you like your smoking crack for that one.... but Yes, Chicken Fried Steak is awesome, I just am not allowed to admit that North of South Carolina. It is just bad form.



All that, and you want a shuttle too? That's just being greedy! :biggrin:
OK Moose, but their Chinese food and Pizza suck.... but man do they have some Serious Steaks!

[Perriwen]

OK Moose, but their Chinese food and Pizza suck.... but man do they have some Serious Steaks!

There's that famous 72-ouncer in Amarillo...you start seeing signs for it as far back as Arkansas! Finish it in less than an hour and it's free!

Oh, also....Bar-B-Que. Can't forget that! Especially beef ribs and baked potatoes stuffed with chopped beef. I worked in a BBQ restaurant for about a year, and everyone from up north just had their jaws drop when they see the size of a Texas stuffed potato.

[Derf]

Like I said...it has been a while since I have been to Texas. How the hell could I forget Bar-B-Que, Best ribs I ever did have! I never tried the Texas stuffed potato. Now if YOUR bragging about it, I know I have not lived yet! MMMmmmmm I am still mothwatering over the sauce from the Chicken Fried Steak. YOUR MEAN! How could you do this too me! Just plain wrong!

Phil, can you ban him or somthin????

[NIKV69]

There's that famous 72-ouncer in Amarillo...you start seeing signs for it as far back as Arkansas! Finish it in less than an hour and it's free!

Oh, also....Bar-B-Que. Can't forget that! Especially beef ribs and baked potatoes stuffed with chopped beef. I worked in a BBQ restaurant for about a year, and everyone from up north just had their jaws drop when they see the size of a Texas stuffed potato.

I stop at the Big Texan when I head west. You have to also finish a huge shrimp coctail, salad, potato and bread. I was going to try it but that steak is huge and it's market price if you fail so you can easily drop a hundz. I get a smaller steak the food is so awesome.

[Spunker]

YES! That's just great. Can't wait to see it.

[ch2tdriver]

Back on topic....

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2011/April/14/Enterprise_SWF_Schum-14Apr11.htm

Looks like Chuck Schumer wants it flown into SWF when it gets here!!:eek: How is SWF for spotting? That might allow the possibility to open the airport up for the arrival if it could be coordinated?

[Matt Molnar]

Looks like Chuck Schumer wants it flown into SWF when it gets here!!:eek: How is SWF for spotting? That might allow the possibility to open the airport up for the arrival if it could be coordinated?
I know spotting of ground ops at SWF is pretty easy, not sure about takeoffs and arrivals.

An SWF arrival would be nice for folks up north, but it would be a lot more work than landing at JFK. They would have to truck it at least 6 miles from the airport to the Hudson, whereas they could load it onto a barge right at JFK.

[NLovis]

I know spotting of ground ops at SWF is pretty easy, not sure about takeoffs and arrivals.

An SWF arrival would be nice for folks up north, but it would be a lot more work than landing at JFK. They would have to truck it at least 6 miles from the airport to the Hudson, whereas they could load it onto a barge right at JFK.

Not to mention they have a MUCH LONGER runway at JFK

[moose135]

Not to mention they have a MUCH LONGER runway at JFK
The FAA Airport Diagram (http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/1104/00450AD.PDF) puts SWF's longest runway at 11,817 feet. If you can't get a 747 stopped in that distance, even with a space shuttle on top, you have bigger problems then runway length. Oh, and at Dulles, where they have already landed the SCA/Enterprise combo, the longest runway is 11,500 feet. By my math, that is shorter than Stewart's runway...

I dug out the 2010 NASA RFI on Shuttle placement. It says:

Air ferry of Orbiters by Shuttle Carrier Aircraft would require U. S. destination airports to have 8,000 to 10,000 feet runways depending on the altitude and atmospheric temperature of the landing site, and the final weight of the Orbiters being delivered.

[NIKV69]

Oh man Schumer just pwned Houston! He said as soon as all the international travelers start saying "I can't wait till my trip to Houston" Houston can have the shuttle until then it's staying in NY! HAHA That was rude.

[NLovis]

Oh man Schumer just pwned Houston! He said as soon as all the international travelers start saying "I can't wait till my trip to Houston" Houston can have the shuttle until then it's staying in NY! HAHA That was rude.

Yea well some idiots up in Albany are trying to send Enterprise AWAY from NY stating they dont want it here. Can you mane any more of an idiotic statement? Who doesnt want a shuttle? If that bill they are making up makes it and we lose Enterprise there will be alot of angry folks around here.

[Perriwen]

Considering Texas is now starting to boycott NYC until that worthless SOB apologizes for insulting Texas, either way there will be unhappy people. Now to mention ignorant SOB...some places in Houston are such an international hot spot that a PASSPORT is a primary form of ID over a driver's license.

At least NYC is getting a shuttle that never actually WENT into space. Enterprise is more of a glorified mock up that did a couple glides.

[moose135]

At least NYC is getting a shuttle that never actually WENT into space. Enterprise is more of a glorified mock up that did a couple glides.
Whatever you have to tell yourself to feel better...of course, if Enterprise went to Houston, you would be singing a different tune.

[Perriwen]

Yes AND no. Houston deserves something more than a couple seats and a full-scale glider certainly is more than a couple of seats. But, yes, New York got the short stick out of Oribters. Enterprise never had working engines, never had a heat shield, and never was capable of space flight from the start. So, you aren't getting a REAL shuttle as people seem to be singing, you're getting an early design and precursor TO the shuttle. I should also point out, having three shuttles on the east coast will cost the Intrepid visitors. Why go to the Intrepid to see a shuttle that never flew in space when a few short hours away is the real deal, Discovery, that actually flew into space and orbited the earth more than any other spacecraft, along with the Apollo 11 module that flew the first people who walked on the moon? Right in the same location.

Here's something to chew on. If the 'amount of people who will see it' and 'more people come to New York' is really a factor as claimed, how come New York didn't get one of the Apollo CSMs? A component of the Saturn V? A Gemini capsule, heck, even a Mercury Capsule? None of those are to be found in the state of New York, yet Houston has one of each capsule plus a whole Saturn V which was slated to be used for one of the Apollo missions. Does New York think it deserves those too, simply because 'more people will see it'? Or because 'the LEM was made in New York'? I don't know of any Apollo relics in New York save one unused LEM, so I don't see why people suddenly think that people will come from all over the world to see a 'spacecraft' that never actually went into space when NASA didn't think there was enough interest for a space craft that actually flew people to the moon and back! Even KENTUCKY got a Apollo CSM, and a famous one at that. With all the claims that people want to come to New York instead of Houston, and that 'the space program belongs to all of America', New York certainly lacks space memorabilia, and I don't know of any that it currently has that actually went INTO space. /rant.

Bottomline, if NASA didn't think a spacecraft that flew man to the moon and back would draw enough people in New York, if they didn't think one of the spacecraft that lifted man first into space would draw enough people, then I can fairly predict a space shuttle prototype won't do it either, despite the momentary hype.

On that note, people in New York are already crying about getting the 'fake shuttle'. And you talk about Houston being upset...

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-04-13/local/29434250_1_smithsonian-s-national-air-international-space-station-shuttle
http://gothamist.com/2011/04/13/intrepid_3.php

[PhilDernerJr]

After Houston's role in space, I must say that I feel that they were robbed and that NYC doesn't deserve one for the most part. I feel that the only reason it (and probably LA) did get one was because of the amount of people that go through these cities, giving access to see and enjoy said shuttles.

I am EMBARRASSED by the reactions of New Yorkers that say we got a "fake" shuttle. It's humiliating. I know that the people that say those things are Yankee fans. ;)

The Intrepid's role in space was VERY minimal. It picked up a some astronauts out of the sea during Apollo and has one mockup lunar module on display. For a place that has "space" in their name, they really don't have any space stuff. I'd also like to mention that even the Intrepid's SR-71 Blackbird is not even an SR-71. It's the A-12 trainer.

I'm also REALLY excited to see how much the Intrepid jacks up their already overpriced tickets.

With that Enterprise can hardly be called a mockup. I was actually a big fan of Enterprise for a long time, as I would watch the landing test videos which are among my favorite shuttle clips. The aircraft played a major role in its development. Check it out bouncing down the runway...

EcQzlXsw1ko

I can't believe they launched a mockup off of a 747 and let it land on its own like that! haha

[Perriwen]

Technically, you could call it a semi-functional mock-up. It never actually COULD fly into space without being completely being dismantled, and then re-assembled. It had no engines, no heat shield, the design wasn't correct for the final shuttle, not to mention I don't think it even had functional payload bay. All it could really do is glide, and you just need moving control surfaces for that. It was a 'space shuttle', but at the same time it wasn't really a space shuttle.

Then again, too, I grew up with the shuttle (born in 1986), so it was always natural to me. Literally, I grew up WITH the shuttle. In Louisiana is this small, unassuming town called Slidell where I grew up. Lil railroad town near New Orleans...but that was shuttle country. Just down from the street where I grew up, for a long time, was one of NASA's computer facilities. 30 minutes one way, in New Orleans, was the Lockheed facility where they built the big, orange external fuel tanks, coated them with foam, and shipped them via barge right to the VAB in Florida. 30 minutes the other way was the Stennis Space Center where they test fired every shuttle main engine before each flight. So...next time you see a shuttle launch, remember this small Louisiana town you probably never heard of, because a good chunk of the nameless people who helped keep it flying live there. Believe me..when something affected the shuttle like Columbia or Challenger, it was a BIG deal in the community since so many neighbors worked on it. Even now, they're a bit skiddish from what I hear, since so many jobs hang on the fate of Constellation.