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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Nasa Offers Town Help With Space Museum

Associated Press

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is helping Ririe attain its dream space museum by donating a second flight simulator and possibly three aircraft.

When volunteers went to Moffet Air Force base in California in May to break down a $4 million NASA-donated space simulator, the agency gave them another $2.5 million simulator that was used to train helicopter and airplane pilots.

Tina Andersen, the Ririe teacher leading the effort to build a space museum, had developed a relationship with NASA over the years by using space concepts in teaching her elementary school classes.

Now with government spending restraints forcing retirement of some research aircraft, Gerry Brown, who manages that equipment for NASA, wants to donate three of those aircraft this fall.

“I think what she is doing is just excellent, and we would very much like to get some excess aircraft to her,” Brown said. “I would say there’s a relatively good chance she will get them.”

While some museums display NASA aircraft, Brown said, he knows of none that specializes in them, and the government’s property managers would rather see the aircraft being used for educational purposes than junked.

Donating aircraft to museums “lets the general public know that NASA does a lot of research flying. NASA isn’t just the space shuttle, but a lot of people don’t know that,” he said.

The three aircraft are a T-34 B two-seat Navy trainer, an OV-10 reconnaissance aircraft that can take off and land in just 600 feet, and a UH-1 military helicopter that carries up to 11 people.

Andersen said there is a possibility NASA would eventually donate up to 10 planes that could be displayed outside the museum.

The Ririe Area Development Corp. hopes to open the museum next summer. A Space Camp, where kids would perform mock space shuttle missions, is scheduled for 1998.

Andersen also has applied for other items to fill the museum, and has asked to display NASA’s exhibits, which travel between space museums.

She maintains the development agency can build the museum through grants and donations. The cost is estimated at more than $10 million, though backers hope to cover much of that with in-kind donations such as $100,000 already received.