New Space Race: Who Gets the Shuttles

Update: Shuttles heading to Washington D.C, New York, Florida and California

After 30 years and 135 flights into space, the US space shuttle is coming to an end. With just two more flights left, NASA is retiring the space shuttle program. Now, the AP’s Lee Powell says the familiar black-and-white crafts are becoming sought-after museum pieces.

While NASA is donating the shuttles free of charge to three lucky museums, each contending museum must raise about $28 million to have the decommissioned space orbiters shipped to their new homes. With only three remaining shuttles looking for new landing pads, a new space race has begun.

For the last year, about a dozen space, science and flight museums have been wooing NASA to get a hold of space shuttles Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis. There is a fourth shuttle — Enterprise — which was an early prototype for the other shuttles but never flew into space.

The Smithsonian Institution will acquire Discovery and ship Enterprise to New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum while Kennedy Space Center will acquire Atlantis. The California Science Center in Los Angeles will claim the last shuttle Endeavour.

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Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire says she is disappointed that Seattle lost the bid to get one of the shuttles. As the home to modern flight, Seattle would have been a perfect fit.

“While the Museum of Flight was in the top running, I’m disappointed that NASA did not choose them. However, the full fuselage trainer, that every astronaut including Bonnie Dunbar has been trained on, will soon call the Museum of Flight home. The largest of the trainers, this addition will allow visitors to actually climb aboard the trainer and experience the hands-on training that astronauts get. Visitors will not be allowed in the other shuttles and this trainer is a true win for our dynamic museum. It will help inspire young people to the adventure of space and to the excitement of a career in science, technology, engineering and math.”