Shuttle Enterprise to New York April 23rd, 2012

[moose135]

Clearly, things are different in Texas.

This is bubble wrap:


This is the type of bubble they are talking about:


But saying they are going to "wrap the shuttle in bubble wrap" seems to serve your purposes better...

[steve1840]

What exactly is wrong with a bubble?

The fact that this shuttle filled bubble is going to be in NY and not in Texas Im guessing. If this makeshift structure was located in Houston I'm sure we would be hearing him sing a whole different tune.....or we wouldn't be hearing anything at all....just saying..

[Perriwen]

And what exactly are my purposes? Here's a hint, if it's anything other than wanting to see a rare and historical aircraft treated with the dignity and respect it deserves and not just serve as a tourist magnet, you'd be completely wrong.

The fact that this shuttle filled bubble is going to be in NY and not in Texas Im guessing. If this makeshift structure was located in Houston I'm sure we would be hearing him sing a whole different tune.....or we wouldn't be hearing anything at all....just saying..

Actually, Houston had a facility ready for it. So did Seattle. So did Wright-Patterson.

[steve1840]

And what exactly are my purposes? Here's a hint, if it's anything other than wanting to see a rare and historical aircraft treated with the dignity and respect it deserves and not just serve as a tourist magnet, you'd be completely wrong.

How was it not a tourist magnet when it was in the air and space museum? Isn't the purpose of putting something historic on display at a museum (and the last I checked the Intrepid was a museum), to draw people to it to see it???

[Perriwen]

How was it not a tourist magnet when it was in the air and space museum? Isn't the purpose of putting something historic on display at a museum (and the last I checked the Intrepid was a museum), to draw people to it to see it???

Because while it was at the Air and Space museum, it was actually treated with the respect it deserved. It got a place in an indoor facility that was READY for it when it got there, was very well kept up. They had a definite plan for it, they had the funding, and it was in a place that -suited- the shuttle. The Air and Space museum did not just throw a tent over it and say 'well, let's see if maybe someday we can give this thing a home'.

Also, this isn't just NYC. LA also doesn't have a place or plan for it's shuttle yet either. Which is even worse because they're getting a -real- shuttle and not the glorified glider.

[Speedbagel_001]

I honestly can't believe some of the articles I've been reading as of late. They are seriously, going to take a space shuttle, one of only a small number out there, an aviation treasure...going to plunk it on an old, cramped ship floating in a river that's not known for upkeeping it's aircraft fleet very well (Concorde's nose falling off, anyone?)....and throwing bubble wrap over it. And plan to 'eventually' build a facility on this ship(!?!?!) for it if they ever get the funds. Unbelievable.

How is anyone thinking this is a good idea? Think beyond 'oh goody, we get a space shuttle!' First you have the fact that it's a VERY disrespectful thing to do to the orbiter in the name of a slightly higher assumed tourist count, but it's also really going to look ugly on the ship when you think about it. The ship isn't that big to begin with, and now they want to add a DC-9 sized aircraft with a -building- around it? ON the ship? So, good bye flight deck as it will have been, there is going to be a -building- over the back end of it?

For the record, the Concorde's nose didn't "fall" off - it was ripped away by a truck passing by too close in the dead of night. And it took place while the aircraft was in a temporary location in Brooklyn when the Intrepid was relocated for refurbishing.
Speaking of Concorde, one could ask the same question - now that it's back at the Intrepid, why is GBOAD not housed in it's own indoor facility, protected from the elements? Or even the A-12? Or Tomcat, etc... At least the Tomcat "belongs" on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

[Matt Molnar]

Got to watch them unload the Scimitar, the Skyknight and the MiG-15 on Wednesday...





More here: http://www.nycaviation.com/2012/04/m...or-enterprise/

[steve1840]

Have you seen the shuttle not get treated with respect in NYC yet?? No..because it hasn't gotten there. And once again, it will be indoors on top of the intrepid. Those tents are weather sealed and climate controlled.

[moose135]

Speaking of Concorde, one could ask the same question - now that it's back at the Intrepid, why is GBOAD not housed in it's own indoor facility, protected from the elements? Or even the A-12? Or Tomcat, etc... At least the Tomcat "belongs" on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

You could ask that same question about every museum that displays aircraft outdoors. Even the Air Force Museum has a number of aircraft displayed outside, and for decades had a large part of their display - including the XB-70 - parked on the ramp outside the building.

[Perriwen]

For the record, the Concorde's nose didn't "fall" off - it was ripped away by a truck passing by too close in the dead of night. And it took place while the aircraft was in a temporary location in Brooklyn when the Intrepid was relocated for refurbishing.
Speaking of Concorde, one could ask the same question - now that it's back at the Intrepid, why is GBOAD not housed in it's own indoor facility, protected from the elements? Or even the A-12? Or Tomcat, etc... At least the Tomcat "belongs" on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

That's what I would love to know. Why are all these very rare and historical aircraft in that position? Which is why I am VERY timid about how the museum will treat the shuttle. Because from what I am seeing here, the mindset is 'Oooo, shuttle!! Many people will see it!!! Goody!!! Just move some things here and plop it there..." as opposed to "Wow, this is a very precious treasure. We need to be as ready as possible to protect this spacecraft at all costs and make sure it's in a dignified area so we can share it with the public'.

I wouldn't have a bit of a problem if there was a large indoor museum that was housing the shuttle and was ready. Something like they said they would have across the street (despite reports it was near a strip club..). But, this is just -wrong- to place the shuttle there like this. And I feel the same way about the A-12 and the Concorde. What's the reasoning for their positions like that, crammed on a ship and in the elements? Or placing the Concorde so close to a road that it's nose could be ripped off like that?

[Speedbagel_001]

You could ask that same question about every museum that displays aircraft outdoors. Even the Air Force Museum has a number of aircraft displayed outside, and for decades had a large part of their display - including the XB-70 - parked on the ramp outside the building.

Certainly. NO disagreement. It's just the way things go. We're lucky to even have such a diverse collection like these aircraft in one location. Here's a photo I took a few years back on the deck.

[wunaladreamin]

Perriwen, do you know Sidney Crosby?

[Perriwen]

Perriwen, do you know Sidney Crosby?

Yeah, we're spoken over the years.

[mirrodie]

floating in a river that's not known for upkeeping it's aircraft fleet very well (Concorde's nose falling off, anyone?)....and throwing bubble wrap over it.

First you have the fact that it's a VERY disrespectful thing to do to the orbiter in the name of a slightly higher assumed tourist count

Listen up here, pardner....

First off, G-GOAD's nose happened off site in Queens, miles from the ship.

Second, its a mock up ship. I suggest reserving respect for living beings deserving of it.

Lastly, its all about tourists and therefore $$$. Maybe we should place it near the CR Smith museum in Dallas. Yep, you'll get numbers and a shuttle...

[Perriwen]

Listen up here, pardner....
Lastly, its all about tourists and therefore $$$. Maybe we should place it near the CR Smith museum in Dallas. Yep, you'll get numbers and a shuttle...

Speaking of numbers, the JSC actually has .3 million MORE visitors than Intrepid each year.

Most arguments I hear on other boards from all over the country hint the Enterprise actually should have gone to Wright-Patterson, not Houston.