WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night Congressman Steve Austria (R—Beavercreek) spoke with General Charles Bolden, the current NASA Administrator. The phone call was a follow-up to the letter that Congressman Austria had delivered to General Bolden’s office Tuesday morning, urging him one last time to consider the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio before making the final decision about where the retired NASA shuttles will land. Congressman Austria has and will continue to urge his colleagues in the Senate to come to the table and pass a bill that would avoid a government shutdown.

The statement from Congressman Austria is as follows:

“In my conversation this week with General Bolden, the current NASA Administrator, he warned me that if there is a government shutdown – although a decision will be made by NASA – there will be no public announcement on April 12 about where the retired space shuttles will go.”

 

See below for the full text of Tuesday’s letter:

April 4, 2011

Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., USMC (Ret.)
Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
300 E Street, SW
Washington, DC  20546

     Dear General Bolden,

With one week left before your announcement of the new homes for Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, I wanted to take one last opportunity to encourage you to consider the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) located in Ohio. 

As we have personally discussed, NMUSAF is responsible for the USAF’s National Historical Collection and has the world’s oldest and largest collection of military aviation and aerospace artifacts.  A retired NASA Space Shuttle orbiter would be a centerpiece of this collection and highlight the significant contributions the USAF has made to the Shuttle Program.

In addition, should an orbiter be retired to the NMUSAF, this national treasure would be within a day’s drive to more than 60 percent of the U.S. population.  A retired NASA Space Shuttle orbiter would also provide an opportunity for the NMUSAF to significantly expand its STEM education programs to local, regional, and national audiences.

Finally, I think it is important to highlight that the NMUSAF has the capacity to house and put on public display, free of charge, to its more than 1.3 million current annual visitors, a retired orbiter immediately; and has begun plans to expand its one million square-foot facility to include a dedicated Space Gallery which will serve as the orbiter’s permanent home and preserving this important chapter in space history for all Americans.

I have appreciated our multiple discussions regarding the shuttle and fully understand the difficult decision you have to make.  I am hopeful that next week we will be one step closer to “Landing a Shuttle in Ohio!”

Best regards,
                         
                         
                                                         
Steve Austria
Member of Congress

 

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