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From: lhotka@alumni.colorado.edu (Doug Lhotka)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Endeavor [sic]
Summary: couple of corrections (and info)
Message-ID: <1991Apr29.165622.28538@colorado.edu>
Date: 29 Apr 91 16:56:22 GMT
References: <281622DA.6F80@ibma0.cs.uiuc.edu> <135@toad.horizon.COM> <792@newave.UUCP>
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In article <792@newave.UUCP> john@newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) writes:
>In article <135@toad.horizon.COM> schriber@horizon.COM (Mike Schriber) writes:
>> Enterprise now resides in the Smithsonian Air and Space
>> Museum (or rather in a hangar awaiting the opening of a new wing).  Enterprise
>> was never intended to be an operational orbiter.
>
>Please correct me if I am wrong, but Enterprise was fully intended to fly
>in Space.  NASA did this to satisfy the zillion trekkies that send in
 
 NASA's spokeswoman at the time was Nichele Nichols, who played Uhura on TOS.
 All of the original actors, as well as Gene Rodenberry were on hand for the
 original roll-out of the Enterprise.  The grass roots campaign to name the 
 shuttle Enterprise resulted in more than 100,000 letters requesting the 
 name (the number may be too large)
 .
>cards and letters.  After the glide tests, it was determined that it would
>be cheaper to refit a test frame for flight instead of Enterprise.  That test
>frame was OV-99, Challenger.
                    ^^^^   but columbia was the first shuttle in space
>
>BTW, does anyone know if the Smithsonian is actually going ahead with the
>new Air & Space museum near Dulles Airport?  Last I heard, it was not
>funded by Congress.  Then I heard a rumor that some construction work was
>underway.  Anyone know for sure?

A sight has not been chosen yet.  The FAA (and the colorado congressional
delegation) wants to put it at the old Stapleton Airport after our new one
is completed in 1992.  Dulles doesn't have enough room on hand to meet the
needs of the project (as anyone who's been caught in the traffic there can
attest to), but Stapleton has everything in place...and it'll all be empty
when the museum would open.  In any case, no construction has started, as
no decision has been made.
>
Later,
   Doug