Topic: Space & Rocket Center: Shuttle Training Aircraft
DavidH Member
Posts: 1217 From: Huntsville, AL, USA Registered: Jun 2003
posted 03-07-2014 12:59 PM
From the US Space & Rocket Center Newsletter:
It's a First! USSRC Launches 60-Day Crowdfunding Campaign for New Exhibit
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation recently launched a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, an international crowdfunding site, to raise $70,000 to begin installation of a Gulfstream II (G-II) Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) in Rocket Center’s Shuttle Park. This marks the first time the Center has used crowdfunding in a fundraising campaign and we need your help to make it successful!
The G-II aircraft, which bears the tail number N945NA, will be a museum exhibition – to include access to the interior of the aircraft – and an immersive classroom for our nearly 600,000 annual visitors and for trainees in our Space Camp, Aviation Challenge Camp and Robotics Camp STEM education programs. The project is segmented into two major phases, with phase two including plans for a large outdoor amphitheater. The current Indiegogo campaign will fund a portion of phase one and will pay for site preparation and onsite installation of the aircraft, which is currently being housed at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
Every donation is helpful! Give $5 or $5,000 and help us land this authentic NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center! For more information about the aircraft, the fundraising project and the free perks that come with each donation, click here!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
One of four business jets converted to train NASA astronauts to land the space shuttle is on final approach to the Alabama home of Space Camp, pending the result of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's first crowd-funding campaign.
The Gulfstream II (GII) Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) will serve as a "museum exhibition and immersive classroom" at the Huntsville tourist attraction. Currently on the ground at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, all that stands between the STA and its installment in the center's Shuttle Park are the funds needed to prepare its display.
"The U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation, along with the help of some amazing Space Camp alumni, are aiming to raise $70,000 for this project, the total cost of which is $192,000," Trevor Daniels, spokesman for the effort, said in a video posted on the "Land the STA" Indiegogo page. "The $70,000 that is raised through this campaign will go to support site preparation and structural supports needed to bring the aircraft to our site."
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 03-07-2014 03:46 PM
I would hope anyone who's ever gone through Space Camp will contribute to this. I will be doing so this week.
That said, it's lamentable that only the really high-end contributors will be able to get a patch of this design, as many space fans are patch hounds yet many won't be able to throw down $250 for a patch...
fredtrav Member
Posts: 1673 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
posted 03-07-2014 11:15 PM
I agree with you on the patch. If they had made it $20-25 you would get a lot more people involved. Maybe have a special limited edition patch for the $250 (maybe have Hoot sign 50 or so) but a general one for us in the unwashed masses.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-08-2014 07:27 AM
And what about $35 for a bumper sticker? This is borderline ridiculous.
They should look at how it's done like with the N-1 book.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-08-2014 07:39 AM
Keep in mind, at each level, you also receive the perks of the lower levels. So, if you donate $250, you receive the patch, t-shirt, poster, bumper sticker, key ring and digital sponsor badge.
But unlike the recent campaign for the N-1 book, which was set up to sell books, this isn't about selling memorabilia. They aren't looking to sell patches or t-shirts, they are looking to fund the move and display of the Shuttle Training Aircraft.
The perks are just that, perks. A thank you memento, not a sale price. It is not a $250 patch. It is a patch (and the lower level items) to say thank you for donating $250.
I would hope that even if you can't receive your favorite perk, our members would get behind this campaign at the level they can afford, if for no other reason than to see the STA put on display. Even every $5 donation helps.
garymilgrom Member
Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
posted 03-08-2014 12:28 PM
This is indeed a very good cause. A cS member arranged a tour of the facility last year which included lots of information on their plans to display the STA. Here's the current full size stack with a T-38 chase plane. The STA would complete this but the configuration would change.
fredtrav Member
Posts: 1673 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
posted 03-08-2014 02:25 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: ...this isn't about selling memorabilia. They aren't looking to sell patches or t-shirts, they are looking to fund the move and display of the Shuttle Training Aircraft.
Robert, I do understand that they are not trying to sell patches, but given the interest in patch collecting, they could attract more donors if they had one at a reasonable donation level. More donors also means more interest and possibly more visitors as well. $20-25 is still high for a patch, but it is something that most could afford and would attract more donors.
People should donate to this worthy cause in any case, but with something that stirs up interest, you might have people donate the $25 rather $5.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-08-2014 02:43 PM
It's a valid point, and I'll pass it along to the organizers when I speak to them next.
From what I understand, there's more news to come from this, so stay tuned for developments.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-14-2014 05:29 AM
The campaign is now at a little more than $19,000.
Monday marks the 44th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. It would be great if the total had reached $20,000 by then.
Even if you give just $5, every donation helps (and it is not a one time deal — if, for example, perk levels are added moving forward, you can always give again).
sts205cdr Member
Posts: 649 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Jun 2001
posted 03-17-2014 11:01 AM
I helped push it over the $20,000 mark with my $250 donation last night. I plan to donate more in the future.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Birthday candles are a bad idea aboard a space craft, so we've got the next best thing: Space Ice Cream! Help celebrate the Space & Rocket Center's 44th birthday by donating $44 to our Land the STA campaign, and we'll send you a packet of Space Camp freeze-dried ice cream in addition to all the perks at the lower levels!
MajTom7 Member
Posts: 32 From: McDonough, GA, USA Registered: Aug 2011
posted 03-17-2014 12:18 PM
Just wanted to make the point that you need 10 times the number of donors at $25 as you do at $250. The difference is worse depending on what the net would be.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-24-2014 05:30 PM
For those who donate at the $35 level, here is the design of the bumper sticker you will receive:
And if you donate at the $50 or $100 levels, here is the poster and T-shirt design:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-21-2014 03:31 PM
As of today (April 21), the campaign has raised just under $35,000 with 12 days remaining to donate.
You asked for it, you got it — there is now a $75 level for the patch only:
Mission Patch enthusiasts: here is your chance to snag the exclusive Land the STA 4" embroidered patch featuring NASA 945.
Act fast though, as this level is only open to the first 20 to donate $75.
A new $300 level offers an astronaut multi-signed STA poster:
We are reaching out to the Space Shuttle astronauts who trained on the STA to have them autograph 50 of our exclusive Land the STA art posters! We won't stop collecting signatures until the campaign is over! Also receive all the perks at the lower levels (except the unsigned poster)!
As of Monday, astronauts signing the posters include: Jim Halsell, Hoot Gibson, Steven Nagel and Owen Garriott. More to come...
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 04-21-2014 03:59 PM
Just threw my contribution in, been meaning to do it for a while, this was just the kick in the backside I needed!
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-22-2014 05:54 AM
I jumped in as well!
hotdog Member
Posts: 41 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2011
posted 04-23-2014 08:26 PM
The new perk announced today, THREE random donors will be chosen to fly with Astronaut Hoot Gibson around Huntsville in his own personal aircraft! How cool would that be! Anyone else holding out on making a donation, now you would be crazy not to!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-23-2014 08:32 PM
As great as that would be, it's not three random donors, it's three donors who give $10,000 or more. Here's the press release:
U.S. Space & Rocket Center Announces "Fly with an Astronaut" Perk for Crowd Funding Campaign
Donors at the $10,000 level will receive an aerial tour of Huntsville from Astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation is offering donors who give $10,000 or more to the USSRC's "Help Land a Shuttle Training Aircraft" crowd-funding campaign a chance to fly with five-time shuttle astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson. The donor and a guest will join Gibson in Huntsville, Alabama, aboard his Beechcraft Bonanza for a one-hour aerial tour of the city, including an aerial view of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center campus. More details about the "fly with an astronaut" perk can be found here.
"The U.S. Space & Rocket Center's plan to exhibit a Shuttle Training Aircraft is a wonderful project and one that I am happy to support," Gibson said, "The STA is an important piece of the space shuttle legacy, one that many astronaut pilots are fond of. Having the STA on exhibit for the Center's visitors and Space Camp trainees is an excellent way to celebrate the space shuttle program's legacy and continue inspiring future generations of explorers."
Capt USN (Ret.) Robert "Hoot" Gibson is a retired NASA astronaut, naval aviator and test pilot. Gibson flew five space shuttle missions, including STS-71, the first shuttle mission to dock with Russian Space Station Mir. A life-long aviation enthusiast, Gibson has flown more than 111 types of aircraft and continues to fly in air races around the globe. Gibson is a long-time supporter of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Space Camp. The USSRC inducted him into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2012.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-23-2014 08:36 PM
As of Wednesday, the campaign has raised nearly $44,000 toward its $70,000 goal. There are 10 days remaining.
And Blaine Hammond has joined the astronauts signing the STA posters.
hotdog Member
Posts: 41 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2011
posted 04-25-2014 07:21 PM
Oops, my bad. The announcement I read was a little vague. It read that Gibson "would give an aerial tour of Huntsville to three lucky donors" and did not mention any pricetag. This leads one to believe that any donor could be chosen as one of the three. I'll email Trevor and see if he can reword it.
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 04-25-2014 09:24 PM
Actually, imagine the boost if a small number of random donors were chosen for something cool. Maybe not as cool as that, maybe a guided tour of the museum by Hoot or something like that...
Just a thought. Doesn't have to cost a lot to be cool to the winner!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-25-2014 09:34 PM
Introducing a sweepstakes or drawing to a crowdfunding campaign can present a challenge. Different states (not to mention different countries) have laws that regulate such contests. Many include a requirement that no purchase is necessary to win — which defeats the purpose of such a campaign.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-02-2014 03:28 PM
There are just 35 hours remaining and the "Land the STA" campaign is less than $4,000 away from its goal of $70,000!
If you've been meaning to give to the cause (and claim your perks), now's the time to do so! The campaign ends on May 4 at 1:59 a.m. CDT (0659 GMT).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-03-2014 06:20 AM
With still 20 hours to go, the campaign has reached and surpassed its goal of $70,000!
You can still give (and claim perks) until Sunday, May 4 at 1:59 a.m. CDT (0659 GMT).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 10-16-2015 03:34 PM
U.S. Space & Rocket Center release
Shuttle Training Aircraft Exhibit Underway at the Rocket Center
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center's project to install Shuttle Training Aircraft NASA 945 in Shuttle Park is well underway, with support stanchions as well as a concrete runway and walkways in place. Just recently, Gulfstream has come on board to assist with disassembling the aircraft in Birmingham, overseeing the relocation process, and re-assembling the STA at the Rocket Center. The goal now is to assemble a team of skilled volunteers to assist on both ends with the Gulfstream experts.
The Center is also raising the remaining funds to complete the first phase of the exhibition. This effort will allow us to add a canopy to protect the STA from the elements, a landing to provide interior access to museum guests and Space Camp® or Aviation Challenge® Camp trainees as well as a replica of the White Sands/Shuttle Landing Facility runway the STAs used and landscaping and storm drainage.
The STA project began in spring 2014 when more than 300 individuals and businesses raised $70,000 through Indiegogo, an international crowd-funding website, to land the aircraft in Shuttle Park. The Space Camp Alumni Advancement Board has also championed this project from the start. The board members meet regularly with the exhibit staff and Foundation staff at the Center to monitor progress and assist in any way they can.
This STA is one of four training aircraft used by NASA to train space shuttle astronauts for landing the shuttle orbiter. It was created by modifying the Grumman Gulfstream II to duplicate the space shuttle orbiter's approach profile, handling qualities and pilot controls. This allowed Space Shuttle pilots to simulate landing the orbiter under controlled conditions before their scheduled missions.
The support of our STA project helps preserve an essential part of the space shuttle era and creates an inspiring exhibit showcasing the intersection of aviation and space exploration. To learn more about this project, or to donate, please click here.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-02-2017 01:55 PM
From Space Camp Education Program Manager Dan Oates:
It has finally arrived at Space Camp. NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) arrived today to be prepare for exhibit! Lots of work from so many dedicated employees and Space Camp Alumni made this happen!
From the U.S. Space & Rocket Center:
IT'S FINALLY HERE! Welcome home, N945NA!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-05-2017 09:32 AM
Photos courtesy Space Camp Education Program Manager Dan Oates:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-07-2017 09:38 AM
U.S. Space & Rocket Center photos
Photo courtesy Space Camp Education Program Manager Dan Oates:
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 03-07-2017 06:14 PM
I heard a rumor that there was damage caused to the aircraft when it was lifted onto the pedestals, can anyone confirm this and if so, how bad was it?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-08-2017 01:24 PM
There was an issue with one of the cranes being used that resulted in what I have heard described as superficial damage to the aft fuselage. It is being assessed and will be addressed appropriately.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 03-08-2017 08:10 PM
GII's are tough old birds, skin back there is 0.050" 2024-T3 easily cold reworked or since it is now land locked, just aero-filled to contour.
I am so glad to that it is where so many people can see it. I have spent some time working these aircraft when we did all the maintenance on them.
Be glad to engage myself and/or any of my group help in any way if there is an issue. Would love to do one last disposition on this aircraft.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 03-09-2017 05:04 AM
Time lapse photos and an article from The Huntsville Times shows and talks about the aircraft being dropped, but only a minor issue.
The move was not without its moments as at one point in the move one of the cranes lost its balance and the aircraft fell several feet to the ground. However it was not significantly damaged and after adding more counterweight and repositioning the cranes the aircraft was successfully mounted for display.
Plans are to construct a platform that will allow visitors to view the interior of the plane which is on display near the Pathfinder Shuttle display.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-10-2017 06:40 PM
Another time lapse, this one from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center:
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-13-2017 08:31 PM
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the Shuttle Training Aircraft exhibit will be held on July 13, 2017 at 4 p.m. at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Join the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at 4 p.m. as we cut the ribbon on the new STA (Shuttle Training Aircraft) exhibit that was generously supported by a Space Camp alumni crowd funding campaign. Hear from several of the astronauts that had flight time on this aircraft.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
A NASA aircraft that astronauts used to learn how to land from orbit has touched down on display at the Alabama home of U.S. Space Camp, in the shadow of a winged orbiter like the type it emulated in flight.
NASA 945, one of four Grumman Gulfstream II business jets that were modified to become Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), was dedicated Thursday (July 13) in Shuttle Park at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The STA is mounted behind Pathfinder, a full-scale display of a space shuttle in its launch configuration.
posted 03-07-2014 12:59 PM
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