Seattle Museum of Flight won’t get a space shuttle

SEATTLE — NASA says Seattle’s Museum of Flight won’t get to display one of the retiring space shuttles.
The museum near Boeing Field was one of 21 museum and science centers around the country hoping to land one of the spaceships. A new building called the Space Gallery was being prepared for the display.
One space shuttle was already spoken for — the Smithsonian Institution is getting Discovery. It will take the place of Enterprise, the shuttle prototype used for tests in the late 1970s. The Enterprise will be going to Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York …

SEATTLE — NASA says Seattle’s Museum of Flight won’t get to display one of the retiring space shuttles.

The museum near Boeing Field was one of 21 museum and science centers around the country hoping to land one of the spaceships. A new building called the Space Gallery was being prepared for the display.

One space shuttle was already spoken for — the Smithsonian Institution is getting Discovery. It will take the place of Enterprise, the shuttle prototype used for tests in the late 1970s. The Enterprise will be going to Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York.

The shuttle Atlantis is going to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Endeavor is going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

In a statement, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said she’s disappointed NASA did not choose the Seattle museum.

“The Museum of Flight put a tremendous amount of effort into landing a retired shuttle in the Pacific Northwest,” Gregoire said. “As the home of modern day air travel and the 747, which has gracefully transported shuttles for the last 30 years, Seattle would have been a perfect fit.”

The Museum of Flight, however, will get a full fuselage trainer, which every astronaut is trained on. Visitors will be able to climb aboard the trainer and experience the hands-on training that astronauts get.

“It will help inspire young people to the adventure of space and to the excitement of a career in science, technology, engineering and math,” the governor said.