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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 > 2009 > January > 07 > Entry
Dayton deserves a shuttle
Of course, the Air Force museum should have one of the three shuttles that NASA is going to retire in 2010, says Dayton native son Tom Crouch.
After his National Air and Space Museum, the Air Force museum is in the best position to claim one of the three, Crouch said Jan. 7. The Wright brothers biographer is the senior curator of the Division of Aeronautics at the Smithsonian’s air and space museum.
Crouch pointed to the Air Force museum’s size and draw, which are among the points we make in an editorial published Jan. 11. He also said the museum has a “demonstrated ability to raise money and come up with new space.”
“Community support will be really important,” he said.
Will the selection process be political?
“Are you kidding?” Crouch laughed. “This is all about politics. NASA’s chief concern is doing this in a way that makes sense and is fair, while staying away from the nearest pot of boiling water.”
With a new administration coming in to office, and the space program’s priorities up for debate in Congress, Crouch said this is a “really touchy time.”
“First and foremost, NASA will want to stay out of trouble.”
Crouch was particularly complimentary of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force restoration staff, saying they’re known for getting it (exhibits) on the floor in a great way.”
Crouch noted that NASA will be cognizant of its partnership with the Air Force, saying the shuttle “looks the way it looks because of Air Force involvement.”
Crouch cautioned that NASA does have “some dogs in this fight.” “I’m sure there are NASA folks in Huntsville, and NASA folks in Houston, and NASA folks at the Cape” who would love to have a shuttle at their museums.
Dayton, he said, needs to “marshal all the forces and go after it.”
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Local History, Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Comments
By Joel
January 11, 2009 8:25 PM | Link to this
The AF Museum DOES NOT need a shuttle. If they want one they can have one of the mock ups like Explorer or Pathfinder. Since when do they think that they deserve one?By rene
January 12, 2009 7:26 AM | Link to this
We go the to the AFM every year,and we’ve been to the Smithsonian too.WHat we have here exceeds the national air&space museum by far.People forget what a great NATIONAL museum we have, right here in the Dayton.Yes,they should have a shuttle on display-not a mock up either.People that think differently need to look at their history better and cherish what part we play in the Dayton area!By baxter F.
January 12, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this
i, personally think they should, its the National air force meusuam for pete’s sake, come on, they deserve a little bit of notice.By Larry K
January 12, 2009 11:19 PM | Link to this
Having worked in AFRL contracting for some 35 years, I’m not sure where the NASA folks get the idea that they can just sell one of these Space Shuttles to the highest bidder. It is not theirs to sell in my view, those Government assets belong to the taxpayers in that we are the ones who have paid for it. $42 million for transportation and decontamination seems excessive when they could bring one to the base like they did some years back when the Shuttle program was just getting started and they had one on display. Perhaps a NASA or a contracted team could assist the many museum workers and volunteers such that the bottom line costs would find that bringing one of these Shuttle assets to WPAFB and the Musuem may very well be one of the least expensive of all the other locations except for the Kennedy Space Center complex in Florida. I would hope that our National Air and Space Museum will do all they can to bring one of these treasures here to Dayton. We are the Birthplace of Aviation and there could be no more better resting place for one of these Shuttles than right here in Dayton Ohio.By Thomas S. Finkelmeier Jr.
January 13, 2009 10:50 AM | Link to this
The National Museum of the USAF has so many good reasons to be the final resting place of one of the space shuttles that it is hard to begin. The first and primary reason the shuttle belongs here is that Dayton is the birthplace of aviation. Two intrepid young men with a love of a challenge invented powered flight, right here in Dayton Ohio. That is a large part of why the museum itself is located right here, where the Wright Brothers built the first powered air vehicle. Ohio is rich with aviation history; right up I-75 is Wapakoneta, the hometown of Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon. Ours is the state of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and also the oldest person to fly in space. The history in flight would be very different without the contributions of Ohio. Now let’s examine the logistics. Dayton has a fantastic central US location, at the intersection of I-70 and I-75. America’s crossroads! The percentage of Americans within a 6 hour drive of the museum is staggering! The collection at the National Museum of the USAF is amazing; anyone who is footsore at the end of a day (still not having seen everything) would surely agree that a shuttle should rest in this collection. I say give #1 to the Smithsonian, which is our American Museum. #2 belongs in Dayton Ohio, the birthplace of aviation and the home of the most amazing collection of aviation assembled. The other sites will just have to fight over #3.By Marvin Christian
January 13, 2009 11:15 AM | Link to this
A shuttle here? It should be a given. The Museum tells the story of man’s very first attempts at flight, it documents the Wright’s efforts, carries through every step of the development of flight, and the Museum acquires the very latest U.S. Air Force aircraft as they become available. Having a shuttle on display will be the next step in demonstrating how man has progressed in his conquest of the skies. Remember…As long as men fly…wherever they journey through space…their flights began in Dayton,Ohio The Birthplace of Aviation.By Dave
January 13, 2009 1:28 PM | Link to this
I was not aware that NASA is a part of the USAF. So why the USAF museum rather than, say, Hoffman Prairie or Carillon Park? Why should it be up to the city of Dayton to come up with this proposed $42 million? If they don’t put it here, NASA will have to put it somewhere or spend even more money to dispose of it. Just curious.By Mike
January 13, 2009 6:31 PM | Link to this
Ohio needs the shuttle on display at the National Museum of the USAF to educate the millions of visitors each year on our state’s leadership role in aerospace and the proud tradition of NASA-Air Force collaboration. We’re the only state with a two major federal aerospace laboratories (Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Glenn Research Center, in Cleveland) and Ohio is the nation’s second top astronaut producing state, with 24. Numerous other shuttle astronauts came to WPAFB for their education at AFIT. Over 50 shuttle parts suppliers call Ohio home. The shuttle was designed to deliver Air Force payloads and the Air Force has always been a vital part of the shuttle team. An Air Force officer (and former 4950th Test Wing Commander and F-16 SPO Director at WPAFB) Lt Gen (Ret) James Abrahamson led the shuttle program for NASA during its critical transition to operational status in the early 1980s. Let’s work to get the shuttle on display where it belongs, in Ohio at the Birthplace of Aerospace.By Ann
January 14, 2009 9:41 AM | Link to this
The National Museum of the Air Force is truly the MOST fitting place I can think of for a NASA shuttle to be displayed. Ohio has a unique heritage as FIRST in human flight, starting with the Wright Brothers! And, Ohio has given the nation so many astronaut heroes who accomplished “firsts” - including such legends as Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, and James Lovell, whose leadership and courage helped return the Apollo 13 crew safely to Earth. Ohio was home to Judith Resnick, the first female astronaut to perish in the line of duty aboard the Shuttle Challenger. I could go on - each and every one of the astronauts who was born in Ohio or now calls Ohio home is a genuine American hero - but Ohio’s claim as the home of manned flight is undeniable. Let’s honor Ohio’s amazing manned flight heritage AND aerospace future by working to get a Shuttle on display where it BEST belongs - in Dayton Ohio at the National Museum of the Air Force!By Tony Sculimbrene
January 15, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) is a prime location for housing one of NASA’s space shuttles. Dayton and Ohio have done more for aviation and aerospace than any area in the nation. Our contributions to flight are significant, from the Wright brothers to the more recent avionics and materials that have allowed the shuttle to circle the globe and explore the depths of space. The region’s deep roots in aviation are nationally and internationally recognized. Congress chartered the National Aviation Hall of Fame, established the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and then the National Aviation Heritage Area (which includes the NMUSAF as one of the key assets of the Area.) Soon the Wright sites will become a part of the prestigious World Heritage Program and join places like the Acropolis in Greece as one of the locations where civilization took a significant turn for the better. There is no greater asset to become available to air and space museums than the shuttle. It is clearly THE prize for the National Museum of the United States Air Force to earn and will be so for the foreseeable future as there are no comparable vehicles in the pipeline. The shuttle is widely known by people from around the globe having carried aloft astronauts from several countries, not just those from the United States unlike previous NASA programs. And it is a vehicle that has inspired multiple generations as young and old alike have watched the shuttle depart and return from the skies over the past 28 years. As a community it is critical for us to stake our claim for the shuttle. Other locations, both public and private alike, have an interest in having one on display in their museums. It will require us to make our case and do it in a way that surpasses our competition. The vision of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance is to make Dayton and the National Aviation Heritage Area the global center of aviation heritage. A shuttle will not only help fulfill that vision but its presence will help set the stage for Dayton and Ohio’s continued dominance in the business of aviation for the next century. Our community’s most important legacy is on the line and we can’t let it slip away for a lack of effort.By Skip Raymond
January 23, 2009 9:42 AM | Link to this
Dayton, Ohio, the Birthplace of Aviation, deserves the most iconic symbol of recent space exploration, the Shuttle. The Shuttle has earned its place at the Birthplace of Aviation and deserves to be here. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is a world class facility with the capability to properly preserve the technology of the Shuttle and the resources to display it in a manner befitting its importance. One of the Shuttles should come to Dayton.