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$14M to move shuttle to Air Force museum tucked in Obama budget plan

Obama’s request brings shuttle one step closer to area

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By Jack Torry and John Nolan, Staff Writers Updated 8:03 AM Wednesday, February 16, 2011

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration asked Congress for $14 million to transfer the space shuttle Atlantis to the Air Force Museum here, a strong sign the Dayton region may land one of three orbiters when they are retired this summer.

Although NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will make the final decision on where to locate Atlantis, the request — tucked deep inside the administration’s 2012 budget — suggests that the White House and the Air Force favor the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force as a final destination for Atlantis.

During a meeting Tuesday night with Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, Bolden said he was not aware of the Air Force’s request for money and said no decision on the shuttle would be made before April. But Bolden accepted an invitation from Austria to visit Wright-Patt and the museum before making a decision.

“It’s a great indication of the support by the administration for us to get a shuttle,” said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, who last week co-authored a letter with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, urging NASA to select Dayton.

Brown called it “a very encouraging development,” adding that “while the budget request is not the last word, it is encouraging that the administration agrees with us.”

Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., said the decision on the retired shuttles “will be made by NASA. But the fact that the administration recognizes the significance of Wright-Patt and the Dayton region is certainly welcome news.”