Shuttle Atlantis May Land on Intrepid After Retirement

**Matt Molnar** · 05-14-2009, 12:10 PM

NY Times:

Intrepid’s Ambitious Mission: To Get Its Own Space Shuttle

By PATRICK McGEEHAN
Published: May 13, 2009

Could the space shuttle Atlantis, which grabbed hold of the Hubble Space Telescope on Wednesday, wind up parked on a pier in the Hudson River five blocks from Times Square? That is the pie in the sky for the operators of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

Museum officials have taken the first small step toward acquiring one of the three space shuttles that NASA plans to hand off when the shuttle program ends next year. They are enlisting support from elected officials and former astronauts for their idea of adding a decommissioned shuttle to the Intrepid’s eclectic collection of military aircraft, a Mercury space capsule, a submarine and a Concorde passenger jet.

...

The Intrepid museum was one of 20 institutions that responded by a March 17 deadline to ask NASA about its plan to give away the last of the shuttles: Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis. The space agency estimates the cost of preparing and delivering them at $42 million each. [Full Article]

**Matt Molnar** · 05-14-2009, 12:11 PM

Double win:

NASA plans to ferry them on the back of a Boeing 747 airliner to airports near the museums chosen to receive them, said Mike Curie, a spokesman for the agency.

:borat: :borat: :borat:

**PhilDernerJr** · 05-14-2009, 12:43 PM

If it's not actually going to LAND on the Intrepid, then I have no interest. ;)

**Derf** · 05-14-2009, 12:44 PM

That retarded....they should pack it with O2 and sent it up in orbit for rescue help with portable equipment...if it was up there for a few years, it would be great research to see what works and does not. Not good for a lifeboat but good hideout if there were serious issues with the ISS. They should but a few of them up for research. And throw a few cheap ass space craft on the ISS with no reentry capibilties. If they needed it and there was a working shuttle up there, that would be golden. If there was an empty module in the bay with some WWII rations and pressurization, it could be a life saver... a few Packs with a solar recharger to keep low power..... NO REAL money other than one or two more space launches. Just think, what would Brian Boitano do?

I will happy to see it in NY and Applaud the Intrepid for getting it, I just think that is a dumb move on NASA's part!

**moose135** · 05-14-2009, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Phil D.

If it's not actually going to LAND on the Intrepid, then I have no interest. ;)

Maybe they could bring Sully in to land it on the river... :D

**Matt Molnar** · 05-14-2009, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Derf

I will happy to see it in NY and Applaud the Intrepid for getting it, I just think that is a dumb move on NASA's part!

This has been the plan for a couple of years now. The main problem I see in retiring the shuttles before the new ships are ready is that we'll have to rely on Russia to get to and from the ISS.

**T-Bird76** · 05-14-2009, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by GothamSpotter

Originally Posted by Derf

I will happy to see it in NY and Applaud the Intrepid for getting it, I just think that is a dumb move on NASA's part!

This has been the plan for a couple of years now. The main problem I see in retiring the shuttles before the new ships are ready is that we'll have to rely on Russia to get to and from the ISS.

You know what's funny in the movie 2010 we had to rely on the Russians...next year is 2010 and we have to rely on them, interesting paradox.

**cancidas** · 05-14-2009, 05:27 PM

i haven't been to the Intrepid since, well wayyy before the renovation took place. is there enough room to park the shuttle on the deck?

but i'd definately call out sick to go see a shuttle fly in to JFK piggy-backing on a 747!!

**Tom_Turner** · 05-14-2009, 07:00 PM

The Shuttle would dominate the Intrepid. I'd imagine they would rig up a special barge or pier for the Space Shuttle, but I could be wrong of course.

Would be nice to have one in NY and of course to see a 747 bring it in....

Where would the other two likely go? Smithsonian and .... ??

Tom

**Jetinder** · 05-14-2009, 08:13 PM

Lets hope the Shuttle Atlantis doesn't get treated the same way my Concorde - G-BOAD was treated by intrepid for the first 4 years (where she had no covers for engines to name a few things).

Intrepid only started treating G-BOAD correctly when New York members of this forum saw her broken nose at that airfield and alerted the world.

Then when Intrepid got G-BOAD back she was treated with the respect she should have had from day 1.

Hope Atlantis is treated better.

**moose135** · 05-14-2009, 09:16 PM

From the NASA request for information (RFI) that was issued last year, the shuttle and orbiter main engines (they are being offered separately) must be housed in a climate-controlled, indoor space.

From what I've read in the past, the Air Force Museum is most likely going to get one (I forget which, it's the one that's flown the majority of military missions), in fact when I visited there in November 2007, they talked about it - providing room in the new building addition they have planned. The Smithsonian will get one - that is mentioned in the RFI. I assume it would go to the Udvar-Hazy center, and the Enterprise, which is already there, would be moved to a different museum. That leaves one other "flown" orbiter to go to a museum.

**PhilDernerJr** · 05-14-2009, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Jetinder

Lets hope the Shuttle Atlantis doesn't get treated the same way my Concorde - G-BOAD was treated by intrepid for the first 4 years (where she had no covers for engines to name a few things).

Intrepid only started treating G-BOAD correctly when New York members of this forum saw her broken nose at that airfield and alerted the world.

Then when Intrepid got G-BOAD back she was treated with the respect she should have had from day 1.

Hope Atlantis is treated better.

Not to encourage you to inject the Concorde into every thread (;)), but this is the first thing I thought of. I hope the Intrepid has stepped up the maintenance of their aircraft.

**Jetinder** · 05-15-2009, 03:48 AM

Originally Posted by Phil D.

Not to encourage you to inject the Concorde into every thread (;)), but this is the first thing I thought of. I hope the Intrepid has stepped up the maintenance of their aircraft.

LOL no worries Phil :)

**ch2tdriver** · 05-15-2009, 10:50 AM

I frankly don't see it happening at all with the Intrepid. Moose is the closest here.

NASM wants a flight veteran and would love to have Discovery. That would leave Enterprise up for grabs and it would probably go to MOF in Seattle.

USAFM in Dayton OH has the space and the means and I bet they would get Endeavor since its first flights were military missions.

That leaves Atlantis and from what I understand NASA wants to keep one for itself, most probably on display at KSC in FL.

As far as space hardware goes, I don't know how many of you have been to the Cradle of Aviation in Garden City? The excellent display of the moon base with the LEM.....it is an ACTUAL vehicle and would have flown on Apollo 19 had the program not been cut and ended with Apollo 17.

Pete