NASA Space Shuttle's Next Stop Could be the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Officials hope that NASA Space Shuttle will retire at the Intrepid and become star attraction

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 15, 2009 - Officials at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum are hoping that when the NASA Space Shuttle fleet is retired, currently scheduled for 2012, that one of the classic white and black orbiters will make its home at the Hudson River Park Pier 86, the location of the newly reopened Museum. The shuttle would become the star attraction at the Museum and join the British Airways Concorde, the Growler Nuclear Submarine and some 30 other military aircraft on board the Essex Class Aircraft Carrier Intrepid.

Rendering of NASA Space Shuttle Exhibit at Intrepid

We are uniquely positioned to be the recipient of one of these three national treasures

The Intrepid has a proud history with NASA, serving as a primary spacecraft recovery vessel during 1960s. Having brought astronauts Young, Carpenter and Grissom back home from their missions to space, it is fitting that we would become a home to one of our nation's space program's most well-known and beloved icons, a shuttle orbiter.

We think a NASA Space Shuttle could bring an additional million or more visitors to the Intrepid each year

saving the Intrepid for generations to come.

"We are uniquely positioned to be the recipient of one of these three national treasures," said White. "The Intrepid has a proud history with NASA, serving as a primary spacecraft recovery vessel during 1960s. Having brought astronauts Young, Carpenter and Grissom back home from their missions to space, it is fitting that we would become a home to one of our nation's space program's most well-known and beloved icons, a shuttle orbiter."

Helicopters from the Intrepid recovered astronaut Scott Carpenter, commander of the second manned orbital flight, on May 24, 1962. Carpenter's Aurora 7 capsule overshot the landing area by 250 miles (402 km), delaying his recovery. On March 23, 1965, Intrepid helicopters picked up Gemini 3 astronauts John Young and Virgil "Gus" Grissom and their two-person capsule nicknamed "Molly Brown" after the popular musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

In addition, White says that the Intrepid Museum's location offers the chance for the millions of yearly visitors to New York City to appreciate the shuttle, which has engaged the imaginations of an entire generation of Americans. White also predicted the shuttle's addition to the exhibits at the Museum would further increase the already record number of visitors who have come to the museum since its November 2008 reopening.

The Museum has enlisted the support of NYC & Co., the city's tourism agency, elected officials, and former astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Scott Carpenter, and Senator John McCain, who served aboard the USS Intrepid and is a board member.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "50 by 15" campaign seeks to bring more than 50 million visitors to the Big Apple by 2015; three years after the shuttle could arrive at the Intrepid.

"We think a NASA Space Shuttle could bring an additional million or more visitors to the Intrepid each year," said White.

Renderings of a possible vision for a NASA Shuttle Exhibit are available.

ABOUT THE INTREPID:
One of the world's largest maritime museums, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, is housed aboard the 900-foot-long ESSEX class aircraft carrier Intrepid, which saw service during World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. It also served as a prime recovery vessel for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini space programs before it was retired in 1974. Four years later, Zachary Fisher established the Intrepid Museum Foundation for the sole purpose of "saving the Intrepid for generations to come." Listed in the National Park Service's National Historic Landmark register, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum was opened as a symbol of peace and education in August 1982. The Intrepid underwent extensive renovations beginning in 2006 and returned to its home at Pier 86 in October 2008. It has since hosted President George W. Bush for its annual Veterans Day celebration and honored Bill and Hillary Clinton at its annual Intrepid Gala fundraising event. The Intrepid is an event space as well as a museum, and has served as a focal point during New York's annual Fleet Week celebration. The Intrepid produces a wide range of public programming, and is recognized worldwide as an historic icon that makes history come alive for visitors through its unforgettable series of dynamic and interactive exhibits. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is proudly supported by Bank of America. For more information, visit www.intrepidmuseum.org

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