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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > February > 12 > Entry
Editorial: Shuttle should land at Air Force museum
We’re coming down to the wire on learning whether the Air Force museum is going to get one of the soon-to-be-retired three space shuttles.
Actually, there are only two.
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum — understandably — will get the Discovery, which will be the last to fly. That leaves just Endeavour and Atlantis, with Atlantis possibly available as early as July 2011.
The good new news is that the price, so to speak, for this privilege has come down.
Originally, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said that museums would have to pay $42 million to take possession of a shuttle. That was the estimated cost for decommissioning and moving one of the birds to a new home.
Not surprisingly, that figure stunned a lot of places.
Nonetheless, it didn’t stop possibly as many as 20 museums and educational institutions, including the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, from making the case why they would be a fitting resting place.
In truth, though, finding that sort of money would be difficult for any of the bidders. The latest word is that it will cost just $28.8 million to take ownership.
Local people following this competition, however, think NASA may whittle the possible receivers to only federal sites. That not only narrows the list of interested parties, but it makes it easier to justify using federal money — not necessarily from NASA’s budget specifically— to get the space vehicles ready for public display.
NASA had a nice, but probably not very realistic, hope that it could totally pass off the expense of retiring this fleet at no cost to it or to the feds generally.
Even though there’s intense demand for the orbiters, museums and their local communities are also being told that they also have to have show places where they can protect and display these pieces of history.
How much can reasonably be asked of people who are getting something of tremendous value, but, at the same time, are preserving a piece of history for the country?
The Air Force Museum Foundation is raising money to expand the museum’s current one million square feet of exhibit space. It imagines a shuttle in a fourth building that would expand the museum’s footprint by 20 percent.
That would be terrific for the Dayton region, but also for the Air Force. It has years of work, and generations of people, invested in the shuttle and space programs.
Given where that service is headed — with space-based weaponry, space-based reconaisance and satellite protection — the museum would be missing so much to not have this part of its mission and its history reflected in its treasury of flying machines.
Led by U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, Ohio’s congressional delegation is behind the push for bringing a shuttle to Ohio. That advocacy campaign needs to be aggressive and persistent.
If Ohio — the home of astronauts — and the Air Force — the contributor of so much for the shuttle’s development — lose out on this, the politicians will have a lot of explaining to do.
On the merits, the Air Force museum can’t be passed over.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Ellen Belcher, Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Comments
By John
February 12, 2010 7:57 PM | Link to this
Good argument for it to come to Dayton. I know Rep. Turner is working hard on this. Typo: reconnaissance
By Drew
February 15, 2010 12:05 PM | Link to this
Good editorial. It only seems fit that a shuttle go to Dayton since it is home to Air Force Museum and so many flight and space pioneer.
By Mark
March 18, 2010 9:22 PM | Link to this
Dayton is the birthplace of aviation and Ohio has represented itself quite well throughout our nations aviation and space efforts. It would be a fitting tribute to those Ohioans that have served and continue to serve our Country.
By Nick
March 21, 2010 5:25 PM | Link to this
I would love to see a shuttle in Dayton. I like to visit the museum frequently, and have had interest in the shuttle since I was a kid. Wright Patterson is the perfect place for it, alongside numerous historical air and space craft.
By Rick Spencer
March 28, 2010 9:46 AM | Link to this
I think it would be so cool to have this exhibit! I drive over from Indiana to visit I think this is the best Air Museum not only around the midwest but possibly the nation. Great Place Makes me very proud to have been part of the Air Force