posted 04-12-2011 07:12 PM               

Editor's note: This topic is intended for updates and discussion about space shuttle Discovery's display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

For general discussion about exhibiting NASA's retired space shuttles or about other venues, please see the appropriate other topics.

posted 04-12-2011 07:16 PM               

Space Shuttle Discovery Joins the National Collection

Discovery, the longest-serving orbiter in the space shuttle fleet, will be accepted into the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum collection. The space shuttle has been the icon for American spaceflight for a generation, and Discovery has flown every type of mission during its 27-year career.

After a period of preparation and delivery, the orbiter will be placed on display in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar of the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Occupying a central position in the space hangar and surrounded by scores of other major artifacts, Discovery will represent the drive to establish routine space transportation and to enable people to live and work in space for scientific and practical benefits. Space shuttle Enterprise, currently on display in the same location, has been showcased at the Udvar-Hazy Center since the center opened in 2003. Enterprise has been seen by almost 9 million visitors to the museum and it will continue to inspire and educate the public at its new home.

The decision to transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum was announced by NASA April 12, the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle program. The museum's collection contains hundreds of NASA artifacts, including spacecraft and spacesuits from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab programs and the shuttle era.

"NASA and the Smithsonian signed an agreement in 1967 that has enabled the National Air and Space Museum to preserve and display the greatest icons of our nation's space history," said Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey, director of the museum. "Honored for four decades, this agreement has served NASA, the Smithsonian and the public very well. The space collection enables us to explore major scientific achievements and share an inspiring aspect of the American experience."

With the acquisition of Discovery, the museum adds to its holdings of aviation and space "firsts."

"Fully a third of the museum's collection of aircraft are one-of-a-kind examples or associated with milestone achievements," said Valerie Neal, space shuttle program curator in the museum's Division of Space History. "Discovery will join the ranks of treasures such as the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule and the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia. Discovery represents innovation, ingenuity and the effort to make spaceflight a regular activity in the life of the nation."

Discovery flew 39 missions, including satellite deliveries, Defense Department projects and trips to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Russian space station Mir. It retired after having spent a total of 365 days in space and flown 13 times to the International Space Station, including the 100th shuttle mission in 2000.

Discovery is associated with several historic achievements. The first African American commander, Frederick Gregory, flew the craft in 1989. In 1995, the orbiter was flown by the first female pilot of a spacecraft, Eileen Collins, who later commanded a 2005 Discovery mission. In 1998 Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, flew on the spacecraft in a return to space, having made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth in Friendship 7. Following the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, Discovery was chosen to return to spaceflight.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center contains two exhibition spaces, the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. There are 161 large aircraft and 160 large spacecraft on view along with hundreds of small artifacts. With more than a million visitors a year, the center is among the world's most popular aviation and space museums, second only to the flagship building on the National Mall.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

posted 04-14-2011 10:57 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
NASA said Tuesday it is looking into using the delivery of the space shuttles to their new homes to tour the orbiters through other cities across the nation.

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posted 04-20-2011 02:04 PM               

I'm glad to hear we'll see Discovery in its last flown condition.

posted 04-23-2011 11:21 PM               

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center contains two exhibition spaces, the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. There are 161 large aircraft and 160 large spacecraft on view along with hundreds of small artifacts.

posted 04-24-2011 11:14 AM               

The museum is receiving additional orbiter artifacts, which they plan to display around Discovery to better tell the story of the space shuttle but the National Air and Space Museum's primary shuttle-devoted gallery is "Moving Beyond Earth" located on the first floor of the National Mall building.

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Originally posted by Cliff Lentz:
It was just a hangar were they dumped all the space stuff!

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posted 05-01-2011 12:45 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Cliff Lentz:
To hear comments that they are "Weather Beaten" is disrespectful to the shuttle workers who have cared for them and the men and women who fly them.

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My problem with Udvar-Hazy is the design of the exhibits. It looks like a warehouse!

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posted 05-01-2011 12:55 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
I think that might be a tad overly protective...

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posted 07-21-2011 11:38 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by drjeffbang:
Any ideas when the transition of Enterprise and Discovery will occur?

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posted 07-21-2011 11:40 AM               

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Originally posted by Tykeanaut:
I believe space shuttle Discovery is being moved there on April 12, 2012. Any idea when it will be available for public viewing?

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According to the Smithsonian, Discovery will be viewable/accessible by the public soon after its arrival.

posted 08-06-2011 11:28 AM               

1. Each of the orbiter recipients have the option of asking for components from the flight- and mid-decks to be removed.

   The example offered by NASA was that a museum might choose to have the galley or waste containment system (toilet) removed, so they could display them separately.

2. Museums serve more than one purpose. They cater to visitors who want to view historic vehicles but they are also an archive for future generations.

   The Smithsonian, in particular, has an interest in maintaining engineering examples for future historians and engineers to study and learn from. If a future spacecraft can be better designed because researchers have access to a well-preserved orbiter, than that more than justifies "depriving" the public a chance at seeing firsthand a cockpit that they can just as easily see in a mockup or simulator.

posted 08-07-2011 03:59 PM               

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Originally posted by glcanon:
If you want to do a walk-through of a shuttle...

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To the subject of this thread, the National Air and Space Museum plans to use one of the two original crew compartment trainers to provide this experience.

...a crew compartment trainer from the Johnson Space Center — a highly realistic version of the shuttle flight deck and middeck from the orbiter's nose to the payload bay. The crew compartment trainer should enable the Museum to offer a shuttle walk-through experience similar to our Skylab and Boeing 747 displays.

posted 08-07-2011 04:02 PM               

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Originally posted by glcanon:
This basically means a used nozzle, but all the plumbing and turbopumps will be removed

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The Smithsonian has also specifically requested NASA preserve as much of the internal plumping in Discovery as is safely possible for future engineering study.

The National Air and Space Museum exhibits a complete space shuttle main engine at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

This SSME is made of up of components of SSMEs that have flown into space. The flights have included the first four Shuttle missions, the second Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, the missions that launched the Magellan and Galileo space probes, and the John Glenn flight. The engine was donated by Rocketdyne to the Smithsonian in 2004.

posted 08-27-2011 11:23 PM               

I thought I would post excerpts from that report here for those who would not have read the report or made it to the final few pages.

NASA selected the Smithsonian to receive Discovery.

NASA began after-mission processing and "safing" preparation activities on Discovery in March 2011 after the vehicle returned from its final mission. NASA plans to complete the processing activities required for display by January 2012 and store Discovery in the Vehicle Assembly Building or Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center until April 2012, when it will be ferried on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to Dulles International Airport and transported to the nearby Udvar-Hazy Center for display.

Discovery will replace Enterprise, which will then be moved to the Intrepid.

The Smithsonian's logistics plan was submitted to NASA in June 2011, and its exhibit plan is due in August. Title transfer is planned for February 2012, but because NASA is funding all of Discovery's display preparation and ferrying costs, a finance plan was not required.

posted 01-24-2012 08:02 AM               

Welcome, Discovery!

Discovery is expected to land at Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17 and transfer to the Udvar-Hazy Center on April 19. Join us to launch Space Shuttle Discovery on its new mission to educate and inspire!

Activities related to the arrival of Discovery — including a fly-over — have not been finalized at this time. Information on arrival activities, including public events and opportunities, will be released at a later date.

Discovery, the champion of the space shuttle fleet, associated with major historic, scientific and technological achievements, will be the first of the flown space shuttles to go on display.

Exact details will become available in the next few weeks. Check back here for updates.

You can also subscribe to the Museum's e-newsletter, What's Up, fan our Facebook page, or follow @airandspace on Twitter for the latest news.

Please note that arrival activities are weather contingent and will be rescheduled in the event of inclement conditions.

For those participating from a distance, many of the activities will be available for viewing on TV or the web. Details coming soon.

posted 01-28-2012 09:24 PM               

The museum curators are already going nuts, since a lot of other stuff (satellites hanging from the ceiling, missiles lined up behind the Enterprise etc.) has to be moved out of the way; plus it turns out that the giant 'garage door' right behind the shuttle was finished AFTER Enterprise was parked inside: either the shuttles will both have to have their tails removed to get through (the engineers' choice) or a big chunk of the wall will be removed (the curators' choice --- and it looks like they've won the discussion!)

The back wall of the space hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center was specifically designed with a removable center panel over the hangar door to admit passage of a space shuttle orbiter. The hangar and door were built before Enterprise was moved into the building, and Enterprise moved very cleanly through the opening upon its installation.

Artifacts displayed behind Enterprise were moved to open a path as wide as the orbiter’s wingspan. No hanging artifacts were removed and no curators or collections managers went nuts in the process. It was all an orderly procedure and all in a day's (actually multiple days') work. All will be restored in an orderly fashion after Discovery enters the hangar.

There was no consideration whatsoever of removing either orbiter’s vertical stabilizer, nor were any engineers consulted about that possibility.

posted 02-28-2012 04:39 PM               

Smithsonian sets space shuttle arrival to 'Welcome Discovery' to DC

NASA's space shuttle Discovery is set to land in Washington, DC this April, where the now retired fleet leader — the world's most flown spacecraft — will be welcomed by the Smithsonian Institution during a four-day public festival, museum officials said on Tuesday (Feb. 28).

"When NASA transfers Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum, the American people will gain a major icon of space history and an educational treasure to be valued now and for years to come," museum director Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey said in a press statement. "We invite the public to help us welcome Discovery to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution."

posted 03-09-2012 08:13 AM               

Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and NASA Will Invite 30 of Their Social Media Followers to Welcome Space Shuttle Discovery

The National Air and Space Museum and NASA will invite 30 of their social media followers to the first "NASA Social" April 19 to welcome space shuttle Discovery to the National Collection.

Registration opens at noon EDT Thursday, March 15, and closes at noon EDT Friday, March 16. Thirty (30) participants will be randomly selected from online registrations.

A "NASA Social" is an event for people who use one of NASA's social media accounts. Each participant may invite one guest and all registrants must be 13 or older.

The social media group will tour the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center; speak with museum curators, NASA scientists and engineers; and will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of viewing and photographing space shuttles Enterprise and Discovery together.

Participants will also meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media and members of the Smithsonian's and NASA's social media teams.

Discovery will be officially transferred by NASA into the Smithsonian's collection April 19 in an outdoor ceremony open to the public. The event will begin with Discovery's arrival from adjacent Dulles Airport onto the tow road behind the center.

That evening specialists from NASA and the Museum's Collections Division will begin repositioning Enterprise and Discovery, the latter to be moved inside the Center's James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.